This is the easiest, best pizza dough recipe. With just 6 ingredients and no fancy flours required (I’ve included instructions for using all-purpose or bread flour), this pizza crust requires just one bowl (no stand mixer, though you can use one if you’d like), about 3 seconds of kneading, and just 30 minutes to rise.
If you’re uncomfortable working with yeast or making your own pizza dough at home, I’ll walk you through every step of the process in my video just below the recipe. You’ve got this!
It’s a little silly how excited I am to share this recipe with you today. It’s pizza dough, not exactly glamorous or sexy and it was honestly pretty boring to photograph (how do you make a ball of dough look fun and appealing in pictures, please tell me!).
But as someone who has struggled with baking even the most simple recipes with yeast, perfecting this pizza dough was definitely a triumph for me and I’m really happy to announce that there’s nothing to be afraid of! Yeast baking isn’t all that scary or hard, and you too can make your own super simple pizza crust at home in a matter of minutes, no fancy ingredients required.
I kept this pizza dough recipe as simple and approachable as possible. It’s made with all-purpose flour (and notes on how to substitute that flour, in case you want to get fancy 😉), no stand mixer needed, and only the most minimal amount of kneading required.
Below I’ve tried to ask some of the most frequently asked questions about making your own pizza dough. Let’s get to it.
What is the best flour for making homemade pizza dough?
Many pizza-making-pros will likely argue that bread flour is best for making homemade pizza. However, I rarely keep any flours in my pantry that are more exotic than all-purpose flour, so when I was working on this recipe I first and foremost made sure that it worked perfectly with regular old all-purpose flour.
I did make a point to test this recipe (repeatedly, we ate a lot of pizza last week) with bread flour and it works very well when made that way, too. I find that the biggest difference is that using bread flour gives my pizza dough a crispier crust, while the all purpose flour yields a softer one.
Can I flavor my Pizza Dough?
Pizza dough on its own is obviously important as a base for your favorite pizza, but it’s also kind of… bland. Shockingly, something made primarily of flour and water isn’t super exciting to the taste buds, and most of the flavor will come from whatever toppings you add.
I do usually try to spice up my crust just a bit, though, by adding a dash of garlic powder (usually around a ¼ teaspoon) and sometimes dried basil leaves (dried oregano could also work for you but I absolutely loathe oregano) into the dough before you add your oil and water.
How do you stretch out pizza dough?
You can use a rolling pin or you can use your hands. If you’re especially skilled, you can toss it up in the air and spin your dough like an Italian pizza artist, but I definitely lack the ability to tell you how to do that one.
I prefer to use a rolling pin and roll the dough out into a circle (or more like an amoeba-shape, since I can’t roll a perfect circle to save my life). Alternatively you can use your hands to flatten and stretch the dough until it reaches the desired width.
Then use your hands to pinch the edges to make a crust or fold over the edges (I always fold mine over because it gives me a thicker crust, which I love), brush the entire surface of the pizza generously with olive oil, and then use a fork to poke holes over the center of the dough to prevent any bubbles from forming while it bakes.
How do you make Homemade Pizza?
You can use this pizza dough recipe to make your own homemade pizza using any toppings you’d like (I love making Margherita pizza and have even made a BBQ chicken version using my BBQ pulled chicken).
I included instructions in the recipe, but once you’ve prepared your pizza dough, just add your favorite toppings and bake in a 425F oven for about 15 minutes (you may need longer if you add a lot of toppings). Do make sure you let your oven preheat properly and use an oven thermometer as possible, my oven takes a while to reach that temperature and usually “tells” me it’s ready when it’s not even close.
OK, are you guys sick of hearing about my beloved pizza dough recipe yet? In case you just can’t get enough, I also made a video just below that you can watch so you can see exactly how your dough should look in every step.
How to Make Homemade Pizza Dough
If you enjoy watching these videos, please subscribe to my YouTube Channel to be notified every time I publish a video!
The Best Pizza Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- 2-2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour OR bread flour¹ divided (250-295g)
- 1 packet instant yeast² (2 ¼ teaspoon)
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅛-¼ teaspoon garlic powder and/or dried basil leaves optional
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil + additional
- ¾ cup warm water³ (175ml)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Combine 1 cup (125g) of flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. If desired, add garlic powder and dried basil at this point as well.
- Add olive oil and warm water and use a wooden spoon to stir well very well.
- Gradually add another 1 cup (125g) of flour. Add any additional flour as needed (I've found that sometimes I need as much as an additional ⅓ cup), stirring until the dough is forming into a cohesive, elastic ball and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the bowl (see video above recipe for visual cue). The dough will still be slightly sticky but still should be manageable with your hands.
- Drizzle a separate, large, clean bowl generously with olive oil and use a pastry brush to brush up the sides of the bowl.
- Lightly dust your hands with flour and form your pizza dough into a round ball and transfer to your olive oil-brushed bowl. Use your hands to roll the pizza dough along the inside of the bowl until it is coated in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place.
- Allow dough to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. If you intend to bake this dough into a pizza, I also recommend preheating your oven to 425F (215C) at this point so that it will have reached temperature once your pizza is ready to bake.
- Once the dough has risen, use your hands to gently deflate it and transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth (about 3-5 times).
- Use either your hands or a rolling pin to work the dough into 12" circle.
- Transfer dough to a parchment paper lined pizza pan and either pinch the edges or fold them over to form a crust.
- Drizzle additional olive oil (about a Tablespoon) over the top of the pizza and use your pastry brush to brush the entire surface of the pizza (including the crust) with olive oil.
- Use a fork to poke holes all over the center of the pizza to keep the dough from bubbling up in the oven.
- Add desired toppings (see the notes for a link to my favorite, 5-minute pizza sauce recipe!) and bake in a 425F (215C) preheated oven for 13-15 minutes or until toppings are golden brown. Slice and serve.
Notes
Making in Advance:
To make in advance, let the dough rise covered at room temperature as indicated in the recipe, then deflate it, wrap it tightly so it doesn't dry out, and store in the refrigerator for up to several days or it will freeze for up to a month. Top your pizza off with my favorite, easy, homemade pizza sauce!Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Cynthia Green
Hi, this is the best pizza dough recipe I’ve found so far. I actually added garlic powder and Italian seasoning to my dough. The thing that I have always had trouble with is kneading the dough. In the past, I think I’d over- knead the dough, so it’d come out crispy and flat. But hey- I got it! it had a nice texture and it wasn’t flat and crispy. I even made a BBQ chicken pizza for my family. 5/5 stars. Thank you!!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Cynthia! 🙂
Charlotte Yu
Great recipe! I actually went to try other recipes but none is as good as this! This is more than 5th time I’m using this recipe and I get more and more compliments as I make them! Thank you for this amazing recipe. Really a saviour to my pizza! 🙂
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Charlotte! 🙂
Deepali
Making the dough was a breeze and it was perfect in taste. Just that the base was not crisp. I did read you note that all purpose flour gives softer base.. But any tips to make it just a but hard.. Not crisp.. But enough to hold the piece straight and not have it folded/rolled.
Sugar Spun Run
I am glad that you found the recipe easy to follow, Deepali. For a crispier crust, I reccomend using bread flour. You can also pre-bake your crust 5-10 minutes before adding the toppings and this should help. 🙂
Kelly A Spencer
We like a crispy crust and brushing it with olive oil and parbaking for about 10 minutes before adding sauce and toppings is the key!
Keeley
Is it one packet of yeast for the recipe or two? The ingredient list says one, but it looks like two packets of yeast?
Also does making this recipe only produce one pizza crust? I am trying to make dinner for my family and am trying to figure out if I should double or triple the recipe.
Thanks!
Sam
Hi Keeley! You only use one packet of yeast here and you will get one pizza out of this recipe. If you double or triple it you will definitely want to make sure to double or triple all of the ingredients including the yeast. 🙂
Stacey
Easy and awesome!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Stacey! 🙂
Michelle
It was a sure hit out from my first try. My husband and kids just loved it and wants more. Thank you so much for sharing
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Michelle! 🙂
Linda
I did not like the crust soft, so the next one I made, I put the oven at 500 and the crust was more crispier. Your dough was delicious. Thanks
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Linda! 🙂
Erica
Definitely making this pizza again!! God bless you!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Erica! 🙂
Tim
I have made this dough several times now comes out the same every time it’s my go-to pizza dough recipe
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Tim! 🙂
Arpita Kundu
Totally loved it..I baked using this recipe last weekend a d was declared the best masterchef by my family and friends..specially due to adding the flavour to the dough base!! Must try if you crave pizza!!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Kelly A Spencer
We like a crispy crust and brushing it with olive oil and parbaking for about 10 minutes before adding sauce and toppings is the key!
Precious 🇿🇲
Is it a must that your supposed to use garlic powder
Sam
You can certainly leave it out if you don’t like it. 🙂
Carlos
Ten recipe is veey good. I used dry yeast and it worked perfectly.
I’ll use this recipe for now on.
Thank you for posting it!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Carlos! 🙂
C Conti
VERY BEST pizza dough I’ve ever made. And I’ve made ALOT!! Simple, quick, AND delicious. Crispy on bottom Awesome doughy/chewy in the middle. Definitely add the dried garlic. Takes it to another dimension. THANK YOU.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Kristi
Today is maybe the 4th time I have made this recipe. It is FABULOUS! I started making it, having not made homemade pizza before. My husband and 2 teen boys love this and prefer this pizza over pizza from any restaurant. This time I forgot to put the olive oil in with the water. I remembered just as I was going to let it rise. I added the oil and kneeded it in with some more flour. It still came out beautifully as the other times! I would recommend following the recipe, but it just goes to show it isn’t easy to mess up. I make it with the garlic powder and love the subtle tase it adds.
Sam
I am so glad everyone has enjoyed it so much, Kristi! 🙂
Julia
I made this today with two boys I nanny for. Such a hit!! Was great to get them to do something for a chunk of time and ended up tasting amazing. First time I ever made pizza on my own. Followed recipe to a tee and it made enough for four adults and two young kids, perfect. Thank you so much!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Julia! 🙂
Charlie
Can you use active dry yeast in this recipe? That is all I have on hand at this time. You cannot find yeast in any store around me. I’ve been searching for weeks. I’m lucky I could find all purpose flour. I’m not a huge baker and wanted to know if it would make a huge difference?
Thanks,
Sam
Hi Charlie! Active dry yeast will work just fine. The rise time will be longer. 🙂