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.
Daniel Blea
Pizza dough was great, added about a tablespoon of italian seasoning and some garlic powder fitting the initial steps. First attempt was for bread sticks which were amazing. Brush with melted butter and italian seasoning after cooking. Second attempt was on a contest winning pizza with your home made pizza sauce. Great recipes!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Daniel! That’s awesome to hear about the sauce and the pizza winning a contest! 🙂
Alexis
If you make in advance, what do you have to do to get the dough ready when you want to use it? Do you have to let it rise again or something, or can you just take it out of the fridge and start making the pizza?
Sam
Hi Alexis! It may rise a little bit in the fridge, but no you won’t have to do anything once you remove it from the refrigerator. Just roll it out and add toppings. 🙂
Irene H De Velasquez
Finally the best homemade pizza, my daughters and husband loved it!!! Crusty but still soft inside! We also enjoyed the process with great results! The amounts of olive oil and the warm water I think are definitely a game changer compared to recipes we have tried in the past that gave us a dry bulky bread-like pizza.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Irene! 🙂
Steve K
Fantastic recipe!
So good, I make a double batch. Some small tweaks but the technique remains as is. I use garlic-pesto to the dough and roll mozzarella cheese on end before baking.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Steve! 🙂
Lyn Weber
Have you ever tried using your in a cast iron pan? If not is there a particular type/brand of pizza pan you’d recommend using? Thanks for your help! Lyn
Sam
Hi Lyn! I have not tried it with my cast iron, although I know many people do and love it! I have a couple of pizza pans so nothing that I would really recommend. I just wouldn’t buy the cheapest one you can find they tend to be not the best. 🙂
Cathy A
I used bread flour and it was nice and crispy. Good flavor. Definitely going to make this one again.
Sam
I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Anindita Basu
This dough is the best
Sam
Thank you so much! 🙂
Steve
This is awesome, I have just started baking and making other things such as pasta from scratch and this is one of the best ive used.
I spiced things up a bit by adding a small amount of chilli flakes to the dough and made a mozzerella stuffed crust.
Thanks will be hunting your other recipies
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Steve! I hope you love everything else just as much! 🙂
Ana
Best pizza crust recipe ever!!!
Sam
Thank you so much, Ana! I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Connie
I used to buy pizza dough. Now, with your recipe, I make dough all the time for pizza. This recipe is very easy to use. And it’s been an success every time. Thanks very much
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy it so much, Connie! 🙂
Stephanie
Wow!
So I’ve always used bread flour for my pizza dough and have made lots of it. I wanted to try this pizza recipe with all-purpose flour as I’ve not been able to acquire any bread flour. Loved it! I did have to add more water and used 2 cups of flour but other than that it’s a fantastic recipe and to me tastes as good if not better than store bought. Thank you!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Stephanie! 🙂
Seema
Hi,
I have tried this recipe 3 times, but 3/4 cup water is not enough for 2 cups of flour. Forget adding 1/3 cup more flour, I have to add little extra water to the dough.
Thanks
Sam
Hi Seema! You should add the flour gradually to reach the desired consistency. If your dough is getting to shape before 2 cups of flour just don’t add any more flour. This is a very forgiving recipe. Sometimes you need more flour sometimes you need less depending on how you measured it. 🙂
nikki
could you use whole wheat flour with this recipe?
Sam
Hi Nikki! If you use whole wheat flour, I wouldn’t recommend using more than a 50/50 ratio. Whole wheat flour tends to dry the dough out and give it a bad texture. 🙂
Autumn
I made it with a 50/50 mix today and it turned out great 👍
Sam
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Autumn! 🙂
Callie Hughes
I used this recipe last weekend and actually changed the steps quite a bit but it turned out really good overall. First I added the warm water (100-110 degrees) to a large measuring cup. Then I added the sugar, mixed and dissolved it. I then added the packet of instant yeast, mixed it & covered the cup to let it do it’s thing for about 7-10 minutes.
Next I added most all of the other ingredients in a mixer bowl. I also added a ton of different spices. Just basically threw it all in there with some Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon of garlic powder to be exact, some dried basil, thyme, etc. Once the yeast had become frothy looking I added it to the dry ingredients which in turn became way too dry so I just added a dash of warm water, greased the bowl up with olive oil and let it rise. After that I followed the rest of the instructions and we actually baked the pizza on a green egg. It was super good.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Callie! 🙂
Susan
What exactly is bread dough? I bought self rising flour at the beginning of the pandemic became I could not find yeast. Now I have both the yeast and self rising flour. Will this flour work with the same amount of yeast?
Sam
Hi Susan! Bread flour is a type of flour it typically makes doughs a little chewier. I would not recommend the self rising flour here. Your pizza dough will probably rise wayyy too much and be really fluffy.
Payal
Finally made a pizza for the first time in my life as a treat during lockdown- this recipe is amazing!! It’s so easy to make and turned out amazing, thank you!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Payal! 🙂