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.
Mahihaa
Me and my bf tried making pizza with a different recipe a couple of weeks ago, but it came out greasy and sad. So I vowed then that I would find a good recipe and revisit pizza making at home so we could enjoy good pizza together. This was definatly it! I am so pleased with how the pizza turned out and thanks to your comprehensive instructions there were no bad surprises along the way! Thank you for sharing this recipe, we will make it soon again!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough so much! 🙂
David Harter
Perfect dough recipe…I would highly recommend cold proofing for at least a day. This recipe is great as is but cold proofing takes it to the next level. Rather than dust your surface with flour, use olive oil instead. You’ll get a crispier crust and won’t risk having that “flour-like” taste to your dough. I bake my pizza at 500F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. I preheat the oven with my stone already in so once the pizza touches it, the crust starts to build that crispy taste. Remember to put your stone on the bottom rack. Love this recipe, very versatile!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, David! 🙂
Adrieanna
So yummy! I used this dough recipe for some cheese stuffed crust pizza! thank you so much!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Adrieanna! 🙂
Rob Ruffin
Great recipe. We used it for it for the first time those evening. Great crust. We will be using this one again for sure.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Rob! 🙂
Dinah
This is my second crack at this. First time was really good, second time even better. Made it because we had so many tomatoes that we couldn’t give away fast enough, so made my own sauce. Next year neighbors might not be so lucky.
Sam
I’m so happy you enjoyed, Dinah! Thank you so much for commenting 🙂
linzay
This recipe tasted better than the no yeast dough I made before encountering this.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Linzay! 🙂
Joseph Croker
First class pizza dough. Really good and light. Well done.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Joseph! 🙂
Dhannya Prakash
Oh My God!!! I’ve always had a phobia when it comes to working with yeast…which is why after reading your description of this recipe…kept my fingers crossed and gave it a shot. THIS RECIPE WAS AMAZING. Came out perfect!!! Only issue…might have to make pizza instead of ordering out every time now 😀 !!! Thank you!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Dhannya! Yeast was always intimidating to me too but I think I have gotten over that now. 🙂
Ingrid
Made this pizza crust tonight. My husband said it was the best pizza crust he had ever had, crispy on the bottom and soft on the top. Perfect!
Thank you for the recipe.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Ingrid! 🙂
Amy Lewis
I really enjoy this pizza crust! I had to add significantly more flour to get the right consistency but it is delicious! I also had to cook a little longer but It was worth the wait. I also made the pizza sauce mentioned in the recipe—I had to wing it a bit with the ingredients on hand but it was also very good. Thanks, I’ll be making the pizza and sauce again (and again). 🍕
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Amy! 🙂
Krissy
Love!! This is such an awesome tasting pizza!! Thank you so much. Making it again tonight now that I’ve found yeast at the stores again!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Krissy! 🙂
Jen
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve made pizza four times now, and it comes out perfect every time.
Sam
I am so glad you have enjoyed it so much, Jen! 🙂
Ryan
Amazing! Turned out perfect. I rolled some cheese in the fold for the Crust too. This was the first time i tried making pizza bread and got it right. Thank you so much Sam!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Ryan! 🙂
KK
First time making homemade dough and it was amazing!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Jeff
I will try this recipe…thanks for the recipe
Sam
Enjoy! 🙂
Michelle
If you freeze.. How should you prep on the day of baking? Thaw in fridge then proof again? Or thaw and roll n roll.
Sam
Hi Michelle! As it thaws in the refrigerator it will probably start to rise a little bit. You can just roll it out after it finishes thawing completely. 🙂
Muhammad
Omggg it was sooo good. I used AP flour and it turned out amazing! Thanks so much for sharing I will definitely make this a second time.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Muhammad! 🙂
Priya Ravi
Just made it for lunch and it came out perfect. Of all the versions tried , this one was the best . Thanks a lot for sharing!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Priya! 🙂