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.
Deby Briley
This was really easy and delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Sam
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed, Deby! Thank you for commenting!
Miguel
Thanks for posting this recipe! Quick question: Can you substitute instant yeast with active dry yeast? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Miguel! My understanding is if you want to use active dry yeast you will have to proof it in warm water and you will want to use 25% more. I hope that helps!
Hanna
Can I use. Active dry yeast?
Sam
My understanding is if you want to use active dry yeast you will have to proof it in warm water and you will want to use 25% more. I hope that helps!
Gina
i used active dry yeast and added it to the flour mix according to the recipe and it came out fine and raised, just made this last night and came out very good, i tripled the batch and got 2- 14″ thin crust which should have been rolled out thinner and 1 9×13 thick crust which was to thick and i prebaked for 10 mins just to make sure it cooked thoroughly, i only used olive oil in my pans and nothing stuck the only thing that i was disappointed in is that the crust didn’t get crispy, but over all its a good recipe and will use again but i will prebake the crust on all to see if that helps to get crispy
Dennis
Very good dough! I added some garlic to it. I like that is simple to make and not much time. Next time I will try to roll it out a little thinner. This is our go to pizza dough now!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Dennis! 🙂
Janine
How would you go about freezing this bread ???
Joyce Plackey
I am a fairly new baker and I knew pizza would be something I wanted to try. This pizza was easy to make and baked up beautifully!! So worth the bit of time to make it. When I have to pay 25$ plus for a one ingredient pizza delivered to my house… I’ll make my own.
Sam
That sounds like a pretty easy decision to make! I am so glad you enjoyed the dough, Joyce! 🙂
Joanne
Can this dough be made ahead of time? Also can it be frozen ? Any special instructions?
Sam
Hi Joanne! I know others have with success. You would need to store it in an air tight container, after making the dough. I probably wouldn’t keep it in the refrigerator for more than a couple of days. You will need to let it warm up a little bit at room temperature before baking it. In the freezer, let it rise then wrap it tightly and place in an air tight container. 🙂
Dawn
Hi! This looks super easy. I’m planning a kids pizza day this afternoon & want to prep dough this morning. Do you think prep & toss in fridge is ok, or should I leave out till afternoon?
Sam
Hi Dawn! It would be fine to make in the morning and then refrigerate. Make sure when you place it in the refrigerator to wrap it tightly. 🙂
Kayla
Thank you so much for this recipe! My whole family highly enjoyed the crust. The only alterations we did was add dried parsley instead of basil.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it, Kayla! 🙂
Lisa
I made this dough and used it to make a delicious sausage bread! Thanks for the easy recipe
Sam
You’re very welcome, glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Andrew Fraser
Hi Sam, hope your well. Just stumbled across your fantastic recipe and made 3 batches for our Friday night pizza feast in rainy Surrey. So much for a day off !The dough is rising superbly before we knock back and top. Question – should I bake for 5 mins before topping to make sure base is cooked perfectly ? Loved the comment regarding adding a bit of seasoning to the crust. Can’t believe I had never tried that before. So thanks again
Andrew
Sam
Hi Andrew! You don’t need to bake it before topping. 🙂 Enjoy!
Rie
It came out so perfect! This is going to be my go-to recipe from now 🙂 Thank you!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Ashley
The whole family loves this pizza dough! I’d like to make enough to freeze for future pizza nights. At what point in the process do you think I should throw the dough in the freezer?
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys it! 🙂
Mrs S@whenfithitstheshan
Thank you for this recipe! I’ll be sharing it on my blog for sure!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it! As long as you don’t publish the ingredients/recipe it will be fine if you share it. 🙂
Lisa BB
This sounds like a recipe that I already have spiced up a bit. When I made this, it is nothing like my recipe.with mine, the dough actually rises. This does not. Also only using olive oil, it sticks to the pan and makes a mess getting it off.
I would not recommend this.
Sam
Hi Lisa, I’d check your yeast, if it didn’t rise it sounds like your yeast is bad, or perhaps you used water that was too hot. Also how is it sticking to the pan? The pan should be lined with parchment paper so there shouldn’t be any issue of sticking. If you brushed the pan with olive oil instead that would be the problem.
I’d recommend giving it another try before writing it off 🙂
Danielle Monroe
I love this pizza dough recipe! I never use parchment paper but I found oiling the pan then sprinkling a bit of cornmeal keeps it from sticking completely. Also my yeast doesn’t work if I don’t use a thermometer to check my water temp. Hope this helps
Justice
I have only active dry yeast. Would I just activate in the water before adding the dry ingredients?
Sam
Hi Justice! My understanding is you would need to proof the yeast in dry water and you should also use 25% more. I hope that helps!