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 1/4 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 1/3 cups all-purpose flour OR bread flour¹ divided (250-295g)
- 1 packet instant yeast² (2 1/4 teaspoon)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and/or dried basil leaves optional
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil + additional
- 3/4 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 1/3 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
Terry
WOW! That was do easy just like you said!! I added garlic & italian seasonings to the dough & it was yummy! I don’t have a pizze pan so I baked about 10 minutes on rectangle cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Then I finished it directly on the rack with the paper another 3-4 minutes. Turned out perfectly! Thank you sooo much!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Terry! 🙂
Joyce L Stillman
Perfectly easy, customizable, recipe. And I love her because she is funny, and hates oregano too!
JOYCE STILLMAN-MYERS
if I bake this on a cookie sheet instead of directly on a rack could I raise temp to 450 to cook the bottom crust better?
Sam
Hmmm I haven’t tried it. If you want a crispier crust you could definitely pre-bake it. 🙂
Joyce L Stillman
Thank you, I will try to pre-bake it
Monica
I have been using this recipe for a little over a year and only used All-purpose flour. Today I used bread flour and noticed a huge difference. 1. Easier to roll out. 2. cooks more evenly (i have used the same pizza pan).
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Monica! Thank you for your feedback. 🙂
Lucie Cheung
The dough was really fantastic and i’ve never get elasticity pizza dough before but your recipe was truly made me believe.. that i can make it correctly. Thanks for sharing this beautiful dough.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Lucie! 🙂
Mike
This was great, however my crust doesn’t seem to get crunchy. Any advice?
Sam
Hi Mike! To get a crispier crust you will want to roll it thinner and probably cook it just a little bit longer. 🙂
Michelle
I made this today and it turned out perfect, thanks!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Michelle! 🙂
Karen
Some recipes called for unbleached all purpose, do you just use the regular all purpose or the unbleached?
Sam
Hi Karen! You just need regular all purpose flour.
Sheatina Sparks
This is the best pizza dough recipe I’ve ever had. I tripled it and it works awesome.
If you want a very thin and crunchy pizza then roll it out and put it on the pizza pan in the fridge overnight or a whole day.
To get the thicker crust crunchy on the bottom and edges I started cooking on a regular pizza pan then transferred directly onto the oven rack. My whole family loves this! It’s crispy and chewy and it tastes like a good French bread. It’s awesome.
Ashlyn
Hi! This may be a dumb question, but did you triple the yeast when you tripled the recipe?
Sam
You do need to triple the yeast when tripling the recipe. 🙂
Briana
My kids are pizza lovers and they say this is better than the pizza shop!! Plus it’s super quick and easy.
Aimee
can i add active dry yeast?
Sam
Active dry yeast can be substituted for instant yeast your rise time will just be longer. 🙂
Kaylee
hi! I made this recipe serveral times but this time I want to double the recipe. I am doubling all the ingredients when I make it tmmorw. would I double the rising time too? Or can it still be done rising in 40 minutes? Thanks so much for the amazing recipe!!
Sam
Hi Kaylee! It shouldn’t double the rise time. It may extend it a little bit but shouldn’t double it. 🙂
Kaylee
Okay thank you. Also, is rising for two hours at room temp going to be okay?
Sam
It may over-proof if left that long.
LashonL
Wow! This crust is only “best” because it tastes great, but it is also easy. After trying many pizza crusts over the years that require so much work and equipment this recipe is a Godsend. Thank you, thank you!
Nena
Tried this today, my boys & I loved it. Very simple, thank you
Amanda
It’s been nearly 50min and my dough hasn’t even close to doubled. Maybe only 20%. I used moderately warm tap water and followed the steps except I used a rubber spatula and not the wooden spoon since I didn’t have one. Been sitting in a warm oven the whole time. Any other ideas? Should I let it keep trying to rise or toss and start again?
Sam
Hi Amanda! Your water may not have been warm enough to activate all of your yeast. You may need to start again.
Amanda
I waited nearly two hours and checked it again and it had risen. Followed the rest of the instructions and cooked the pizza…came out great! Yay! Thank you!
Sam
I’m glad it turned out! 🙂
Kathy
Also, if you are using yeast from a jar that has been open for a while (or are using packets that have expired), the yeast may have lost its potency. You can try proofing some (put some in a little warm water with a little sugar and see if it bubbles up in 10-15 min). If not, you may want to get some new yeast.
Marsha Copeland
Mine did the same thing. I thought what the heck, punched it down, kneaded it a little, wrapped it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for tonight. It rose more so when I got ready to make the pizza, I kneaded it again a little, rolled it out. did the olive oil and put on my toppings…baked it and OMG it was amazing!