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)
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.
Priyanka
Absolutely love this recipe.. I’ve stuffed cheese in the crust before and it turned into a delightful cheese burst pizza. Thanks for the recipe and love from India ❤️
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear how much you enjoyed it, Priyanka! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Dawn Bardall
I’m wondering if I did something wrong, I just made this, using the above recipe, and the dough isn’t like a pizza crust dough to me, it’s more like a biscuit crust, which is exactly what it tasted like?
Sugar Spun Run
Oh no, Dawn! I am so sorry to hear this. It could be that too much flour was added, causing the dough to be on the drier side. The dough should be soft. Was your dough hard to roll out?
Katie
Just to make sure, you don’t need to bake the crust before adding the toppings?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Katie! No, you do not need to bake your crust prior to adding toppings. 🙂
Becky Neathery
Can this be used in a high temperature wood fired oven?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Becky! Others have tried it and reported success. I hope that you do too! 🙂
sally
As usual, your recipe is great! So easy to assemble and delicious, thank u again so much for giving us your recipes, u truly are a great chef and person!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you for your sweet comment, Sally! I am happy that you enjoyed it! 🙂
Stefanie Koch
The best pizza dough I’ve ever made, and I’ve made a lot using different recipes.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy that you enjoyed it, Stefanie! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Kayla Jones
This Pizza Dough is the best I have ever tasted. Thank you so much!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear it, Kayla! Thanks for trying my recipe. 🙂
Angela
Once you deflate it for future use, what should I wrap it with? And how do you make it rise again when you’re ready to use it again? You just leave it in room temperature? Thank you in advance! 🙂
Sam
Hi Angela! I just wrap the bowl that the dough is sitting in with plastic wrap. When you are ready to use it just turn it out of the bowl and roll it out. This can be done straight from the refrigerator. 🙂
Angela
Thank you! 🙂
Another thing, my dough becomes too elastic sometimes that it becomes a bit hard rolling it out because it squeezes in whenever I do (well just a bit). But how do you prevent this?
Sam
The dough should be somewhat elastic, but you can try putting less flour on the surface you are rolling the dough out on. 🙂
Angela
Yay! Thanks! Btw, I’ve used this recipe a dozen times already and never fails to impress the family! No leftovers every single time! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! May God bless you more! 🙂
Anna
It doesn’t need to come to room temp or almost there before using? That’s such great news! I’ve used your recipe countless times and usually use it right away, but tonight I need to use it later (and I don’t want to mess it up, haha). This recipe is amazing!! By far my favorite quick pizza dough!
Sam
Nope. You can just roll it out and bake it. 🙂
Sarah Delaney
Hi, I’m so excited to try this recipe tonight! If I double the ingredients to make two pizzas, do I need to add more dry yeast?
Sam
Hi Sarah! Yes you will need to double the yeast as well. Enjoy! 🙂
Jalila
Going to try it tomorrow. Just to clarify, this makes one pie, right? Do you recommend doubling the ingredients to make two or make two separate batches?
Sam
Hi Jalila! This does make one pizza. You can double it in the same batch. 🙂
Rita
Second time I made your recipe and it turn out great! Thank you for sharing 😊 starting again your recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Rita! 🙂
Mala
Have tried many many pizza dough recipe. This one is a keeper. Thank you for sharing and keeping it real and simple. Need more fuss free recipes like this! Thank you!!
Sam
I am so happy you enjoyed, Mala! Thank you so much for commenting!
Brendah Ampaire
Thanks a lot, am trying it out right now💝
Wildkey
This was the best pizza dough recipe I’ve ever made. I gave up a while ago because none ever came out right, but this was exactly what I was looking for— crunchy yet soft! The only thing I did differently was dissolve the yeast in water first (because I didn’t have instant). Thank you!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Karen
Thank you soo much for your pizza dough recipe! I’ve tried it came out perfect… this is the first time i got this rite😊
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Karen! 🙂
LuvPizza
Haven’t tasted it yet: just put it in the fridge for tonight. It was fun to make! Thank you for the recipe 😋