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.
Nancy Schwitzer
If I put in frig for later do I punched down before rolling again?
Sam
Yup! 🙂
Lisa
Hi! I LOVE this recipe. I’m celiac and use a gluten free flour (1:1 ratio) instead, and it comes out delicious. Best pizza dough I’ve made yet, even my non gluten free husband prefers this pizza over others. Thank you!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Lisa! Thanks for the feedback using gluten free flour. 🙂
Jeffrey Bowers
After trying so many pizza dough recipes this is the one. My grandson wanted homemade pizzas for his 10th birthday. I made a few batches of this dough. It came together so easy and worked flawlessly. The best dough I’ve ever made. We made garlic fingers, cheese pizza, pepperoni pizza, and a vegetarian pizza and they were awesome. This is now my go to recipe. My search has ended for the best pizza crust!! Thank you very much.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jeffrey! 🙂
Maria
I made some today as well,it was delicious,the crust was fluffy and the pizza was at a good crisp,I’m 11 and I made a pizza that was delicious,you should really try it,I made it for my family and they also love it!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Maria! 🙂
Christina
This recipe is 10/10. It works every time. If you like a a more fluffy crust, just let it sit there longer. It doesn’t hurt. If you make to make frozen pizzas, just bake the crust at 350 first then let put your proffered toppings and freeze. When you want to eat it just bake at 400 for 30-45 min.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Christina! 🙂
Nat reisner
Can I use a pizza stone instead of the parchment paper ? Thanks. Nat
Sam
Hi Nat! You can use a pizza stone. You may need to make some adjustments to baking time. 🙂
Maureen Little
Really simple and easy recipe. I like how it did not take long at all. Thank you for posting. I will also use this version with my students as well. Great job! I doubled the recipe for my family of three and I had pizza for breakfast while fixing breakfast! Yum
Sam
I am so thrilled to hear that it was such a hit for you, Maureen! thank you so much for commenting, I appreciate it! 🙂
Thalia
I’m a professional chef and this recipe almost ruined my family pizza night. I usually don’t trust blog recipes, but this one had great reviews so I decided to give it a try. The yield is wrong, and it didn’t rise correctly (and I even had a proof box). I ended up having to get takeout food.
Sam
Hi Thalia! Something definitely went wrong in the kitchen and I’m disappointed to hear it, but this recipe is most certainly sound. It has nearly 5,000 comments and over 1,000 five star ratings from people who have successfully made it. In fact, I think this might actually be the first one star rating I’ve received on it.
The yield is correct and if it didn’t rise properly I think perhaps your yeast must have been dead or expired (which I think you must suspect as a professional chef?). Nevertheless I am disappointed that you didn’t have the same results thousands of other people have had with this recipe.
Kt
Great flavor, easy to make, family loved it!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! 🙂
Christine
Hi, Sam – what modifications would i need to make if I want to use half bread flour and half whole wheat flour?
Sam
Hi Christine! You may find you need to add a little bit less flour, but you won’t need any other modifications. I occasionally do this myself and it works great. 🙂
Janet pompeo
Turned out great, next time i will double the recipe because we like thicker crust. I got busy and left the dough rise for over an hour but it didnt ruin the dough at all. Such a delicious and easy pizza recipe anybody can make. Thank you
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Janet! 🙂
Michael W Thomas
Have you or anyone else used this recipe with almond flour or nut flour? Does the yeast still work with those flours? I am looking for low card alternatives. Thank you.
Sam
Hi Michael! Unfortunately I have not tried it with a nut flour. I’m not sure how it would turn out. 🙁
Cat
Hi Sam, this is my favourite pizza recipe by far and have made it many times. Tonight was my first time preparing it ahead of time to put in the fridge, and the dough keeps rising and breaking the saran wrap. I punched it down a few times already but still rising. Any tips?
Sam
Hi Cat, this is probably a silly question but are you using a bowl that is large enough?
Lisa Saunders
So good w/ that touch of garlic in the crust. My Grandchildren love to make their own special pizza. It’s a fun occasion.
Sam
I’m so happy everyone enjoyed! Thank you for commenting, Lisa! 🙂
Jud
Sorry! Meant to give you 5 stars! I forgot! Lol
Jud
Hi Sam,
I tried this out, it worked great which came as a total surprise because I am totally baking incompetent. Question tho: how do I double the quantity? Do I double everything including the amount of yeast??
Thanks
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! When you double the recipe you will need to double the yeast as well. 🙂