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
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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.
Linda
How would I adjust ingredients to make a larger 14” pizza. I ❤️Your recipe
Sam
Hi Linda! You could just roll it out a little bit thinner or increase the recipe by about 50% and discard any excess dough if you have any. 🙂
Vickie
I tried this Saturday as a trial run. It was good and easy. I look for things I can make with my granddaughter, and this fit the bill. I did increase the spices to half tsp. and added Italian seasoning. I measured everything and turned her loose. It was easy enough she could handle it with minimal help. We added our favorite toppings and baked it. She doesn’t care for pizza but had 2 slices. She said we out pizza-ed the hut! This one goes into my recipe box.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough so much, Vickie! It’s always so rewarding when you can make great food with your family. 🙂
Steve
I’ve been trying pizza dough recipes for many years. This one is by far the best one I’ve made. It actually has flavor and isn’t just overcooked cracker bread.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Steve! 🙂
Marty
I’ve been experimenting with recipes for months, always come back to this one. I prefer the overnight set up. Excellent and so easy. Thanks for sharing.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Marty! 🙂
Akkta
Made Pizza twice using your recipe and I died and went to heaven. The second time around I was more experimental with the toppings and did Peri Peri Paneer (cottage cheese) with veggies and tried a deep dish cheesy burst (I miss eating out!! :-D)
Both turned out excellent. For the cheesy burst, I added cheddar at the edges and folded in the edges. Made a lovely deep dish pizza. Also, I’m so thankful this recipe works in a tiny little corner of India just as well. A lot of recipes written in other parts of the world don’t work here.
Big thank you Sam, and tight hugs for sorting out my Pizza cravings in this pandemic! :-))
PS: Yours is the first ever ‘pizza from scratch’ recipe I’ve tried.
Sam
Thank you so much, Akkta! I am so glad you enjoyed it so much. 🙂
Nancy
Hands down the best pizza crust I have ever had!!…..It has become my family’s favorite 😍😍
Thank you ❣️
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Nancy! 🙂
Richard
Just made my first pizza crust! Used your recipe and it was absolutely perfect! Thank you for everything! Can’t wait for the next time it’s pizza night!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Richard! 🙂
Romy
Amazing! So easy and so yummy!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
kaylee
I never used this recipe yet but i hope it works out! Im trying to make it into a sheet pizza because I don’t have a pizza stone
Sam
I hope you love it, Kaylee! 🙂
Riza
I have tried so many pizza dough recipe & yours is the go-to! simple and flavourful. I LOVE the garlic powder additions and put in abt 1-2 tsp. I prefer to make it the day before and let it rise in the fridge overnight just to let the flavour develop. No more trolling the web for pizza dough recipe.. My kids dont crave for pizza when we are out anymore cos nothing beats like home made ones.
Love,
Follower frm South East Asia
Tiny red dot Singapore
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Riza! 🙂
June Davenport
I make this crust often. I use bulk dry rapid rise yeast and find that if I add 3 tsp I get a better rise in my crust. I add 2 tbsp of garlic powder and 1 tsp oregano to my crust. Has a great flavor. Love this recipe. Thank you.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy it so much, June! 🙂
Tanya Krupinsk
what does 2-2 1/3 cups mean?? like 2 of the 2 1/3?
Sam
Hi Tanya. You will need somewhere between two and two and two-thirds cups.
Shana
I make pizza constantly bc we have food allergies and that’s the only way we get stuff. My 12 year old son says this crust is better than any I’ve ever made! He says he loves how soft and chewy it is. This one is going down in the books for us. Thank you, thank you!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys it so much, Shana! 🙂
Elisa
Love this recipe!!! I made this pizza for my kids and they say it’s the best pizza crust ever! Thanks for sharing!!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it, Elisa! 🙂
Amy
I have tried this one before with regular flour and it’s super good. I am replacing the regular flour with gluten free all purpose flour so we will see how it goes
Sam
I hope it turns out just as good, Amy! 🙂
richard kaufman
I’m about to make this pizza crust for the first time. I have a 13″ pan with holes in it. Do I still use parchment paper, or should I just lay the dough directly on the pan? Looking forward to making my first pizza!
Sam
Hi Richard! It’s always my preference to use the parchment paper, it just helps with the mess. 🙂
June D
I have a 16 inch pan with holes and I press the crust by hand directly onto my pizza pan. It works fine.