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
Sofia says
I am looking forward to making pizza tomorrow and was wondering if I could prep the dough one day in advance. If so, should I keep it at room temperature or refrigerated?
Thank you so much!
Sam says
Hi Sofia! I actually provide instructions for making it in advance below the recipe. 🙂
Angel Lopez says
can I cook the pizza in the grill oven
Sam says
Hi Angel! I don’t see any reason why that wouldn’t work. 🙂
April says
Oh my goodness! Best ever. Complete hit with my 7 year old too who says it’s the best pizza ever too 😋
Sam says
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it, April! 🙂
Ivory Finklea says
I made this pizza recipe for lunch delish thank you
Dawn Carlton says
We love this receipe- we cook it on a lodge cast iron pizza pan and make it very thin and top with veggies or occasionally ham and pineapple- so easy and good
Sam says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Dawn! 🙂
Maxine says
WOW, so good and so easy! Was delish, will be making again and again. LOVE every recipe of Sam’s that I have ever tried!!
Sam says
Thank you so much, Maxine! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Jeanette Corbin says
Ive made this a bunch of times and I love it. But quick question — what would I need to do if I wanted to double the recipe? Thanks!!
Sam says
Hi Jeanette! You would double all ingredients, this recipe doubles well without any modifications. Enjoy! 🙂
Tanja says
Works out excellent. The fam jam love it!!
susan says
The dough was extremely raw on top. I used a wrought iron griddle, parchment paper, and a 500 degree oven. I didn’t watch the time closely but think it was on the lower end. However, the cheese had browned on top, as did the crust. I’m not sure if I needed more time, or perhaps some other problem.
I always thought that hotter was better for pizza, but maybe the oven was too hot for this particular, high-yeast dough?
Sam says
Hi Susan! If your oven is too hot it will burn the outside and not cook the inside. You could make the crust much thinner to try to avoid this or just lower the temperature. 🙁
Louis De Conick says
The recipe came out awesome,finally I could cook a pizza that it was unbelievable good,I make the sauce loaded with cheese,big round pepperoni round slices,and salami,the crust was so good,tender and little crunchy,thank you so much
Sam says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Louis! 🙂
Jesenia says
I had never tried making my own pizza, I thought it would be fun for me and my son to do, besides bonding with my little guy, we made 3 delicious pizzas!!! He wanted no pizza sauce on his so it was more like cheesy bread but still incredibly good! I made a pepperoni one and the third included pepperoni, green and red peppers along with onions. Thank you so much for sharing and for including a Video, it made it so much fun for us to follow along
Sam says
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Jesenia! 🙂
Joe says
Hi! I’ve made this recipe so many times now and I love it!! I’ve also tried making pizza pocket types and it worked out wonderfully as well. Just a question though, I want to prepare the dough in advance for making the small pockets. Can I form the balls and then wrap them? Or should I just deflate and wrap as you’ve instructed and do it later?
Sam says
Hi Joe! I’m so glad you have enjoyed the dough so much! I would probably wait to make the dough balls. 🙂
Karen says
Can you oil the pan instead of using parchment paper? I don’t have any on hand.
Sam says
Hi Karen! You don’t need to add the oil, you can bake it directly on the pan. I like to use parchment for easy clean up. 🙂
Charmaine Whelan says
What does the olive oil spead over the dough before the toppings do?
Iv been making dough for years but never done this, im really curious, Maybe im missing a trick <3 Excited to try this recipe tonight
Sam says
Hi Charmaine! The olive oil helps to keep liquid from soaking into the dough and making it soggy. 🙂
Tia says
Made this dough tonight for dinner and it was absolutely AMAZING. I doubled the recipe, not the yeast thought.
Added a full teaspoon of garlic powder and a teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
I cooked ours on convection setting, 425, for 15 minutes and they turned out delightful.
Easy and delicious. Will forever be my staple pizza dough recipe.
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Tia! 🙂
Et says
I like how easy this comes together. I did add more seasoning, 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp everything bagel. Tried both AP and bread flour. I prefer the bread flour with a little crispness.
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Marsha Copeland says
I live in Istanbul, Turkey so we will see how the flour from here does. At any rate, we are having pizza for dinner! Finding equivalent ingredients is always an adventure ( I do not speak much Turkish) but the ingredients we do find are always very fresh and have little to no preservatives. For example, you can not find prepared pie dough or canned biscuits, cinnamon rolls, crescent rolls here. You can find puff pastry and phyllo dough here though. Cannot find much pork but it is available from Italy and Greece in specialty shops.
Sam says
I hope it turns out great! You aren’t missing anything by not having canned biscuits or cinnamon rolls available. 🙂
Anu says
I have made this pizza a few times – it is tasty and foolproof. My kids love it. For someone who was so wary of working with yeast, this recipe made it simple and straightforward. Thank you!