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)
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.
alicia
This dough is so easy to make that my 9 yr old & I made it. It’s is delicious too! We didn’t poke the holes in it just because we never do. We also greased the pan instead of using parchment paper. It still turned out to be the best homemade dough we’ve ever made. Thank you for the recipe.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Alicia! 😃
Danica
Hi there! I ended up not needing the full cup from step 3. Is that normal? My pizza dough pulls away from the sides so I figured this is fine.
Sam
Hi Danica! That’s fine, pizza is a little tricky like that, it’s better to go by feel/texture so if it was pulling away from the sides and manageable then you are fine. I hope you loved it!
Danica
It was amazing! I’ll be using this recipe again. Thank you!!
Suzanne
Wow, this is a keeper! I used half all-purpose and half bread flour and it was just the perfect combination of crunchy on the bottom and edge but pillow soft and chewy in all the right places. I also was able to stretch this out onto an entire cookie sheet so I had pizza for days. Ok, two days…it didn’t last long!
Sam
I’m so glad to hear it was such a hit! Thank you for commenting and letting me know how you liked it, Suzanne! I appreciate it!
Gail
Tried your pizza dough recipe and was very happy with the result. My first attempt at making pizza! Thanks for sharing.
Cathy C.
I’ve commented before but this has become our go to pizza dough recipe. I am going to make 1recipe but split the dough to make two smaller heart shaped pizzas for Valentine’s Day tonight. Would cooking time remain the same? I is such a great recipe I don’t want to mess it up.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Cathy
Sam
Hi Cathy! I’m just now seeing this, I would probably reduce the time a bit for two smaller pizzas, just keep an eye on it. It will depend on how thinly you roll the dough and how many toppings you use, I’d check before 10 minutes.
Alexandra
I love how easy this recipe is, Iv’e tried making pizza before and it would not be as delicious as this one. Now we just make them with my kids and they love it as well. Thank you so much for sharing and for making it as easy as possible.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Alexandra! 🙂
Ashley
Thank you very much for sharing. I liked this recipe but found it a little beady. I’m cooking above 6800 ft. Don’t know if this made a difference. Do you have any suggestions?
Sam
Hi Ashley! I’m not familiar with high altitude baking but I am wondering if this might be the reason it didn’t turn out quite as desired. I’m hoping someone else familiar with baking at high altitude can chime in with an answer for you!
Joe Connolly
I tried it tonight would love a version of this for a 14 in pizza.also is there a way to make it so the dough doesn’t retract while stretching it
Sophie
Is is possible to substitute pasta sauce for marinara sauce?
Sam
Hi Sophie! Yes that will be fine. 🙂
Kristi Brown
Sounds very good thank you
Sam
Enjoy! 🙂
Joanne
Made this dough Saturday, beautiful soft dough, cooks up light and crispy. BTW I used active dry yeast and followed the recipe (not blooming or adding more) and it worked fine. Plan to make more today and try freezing it. need to have a good pizza dough ‘on hand’. Thank you for this recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Joanne! 🙂
Sarah
Made this tonight for supper. It came together quickly so that within an hour of starting we were eating. The dough was so good, it reminded me of the dough of a pizza joint I frequented as a kid. I will definitely be adding this to my recipe box and making it again. Thank You!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Sarah! 🙂
Allison
Hi! Is it possible to freeze or refrigerate this dough?
Thanks!
Sam
Hi Allison! I have not tried either, but know others have with success. You would need to store it in an air tight container. 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. 🙂
Bernadine Dillon
I seen to use this recipe everytime , it’s great, easy to make perfect crust everytime.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Bernadine! 🙂
Jonathan
Great recipe! If I wanted to make it with a thinner crust would I just make the pizza bigger in diameter and lower the baking temp?
Sam
Hi Jonathan! I would roll the dough thinner, but don’t lower the baking temperature just cook it for less time (unless you want a softer crust, then you can lower the baking temp).
Dj rich
Never lower the temperature, use less dough and push it out more. Also never use a rolling pin your crust will end up chewy. Use your fingertips to make the crust round staying off the edge of the crust. Put the dough on your fists and work it around till it’s the size and thickness you want. 1/4 thick for thin crust.