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.
Doug Linse
This has become my new go-to pizza dough
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoy it so much, Doug! 🙂
Mike Cooks
This is absolutely the best pizza dough recipe and this coming from a guy who would never eat the crust and was always in it for the cheese, sauce and sausage. Just as a heads up, the standard bread baking prep works just fine here and I did pre-bake at 400 for 10 minutes. I then added cheese, sauce and sausage and bake for about 15 minutes at 425. The crust came out crisp and just delicious.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Mike! 🙂
Kalitria
Best recipe I have ever tried! The whole family loved it. Great flavours in the dough (added also oregano), thin and crunchy base and one can add as many toppings as they want! I made 2 pieces from this recipe! 6 of us shared it (3kids) and it was enough. Thank you so much! I will add this to my favourite recipes ❤️🤗
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Kalitria! 🙂
Don Imhoff
I have tried this recipe twice. 2nd try was better than 1st. BUT, the crust is dry and flour tasting on outer crust. I have added the garlic and basil as suggested, but what else can be done to make it more tastey ???
Sam
Hmmm it may be getting cooked a little bit too long. You can try brushing the top of the crust with olive oil to add a little extra flavor. 🙂
Carla
This really was a great pizza dough recipe! Believe it or not I did not have any Olive Oil, but I did have some sundried tomatoes in olive oil so I use that oil and let me tell you it really gave it a nice flavor! Thanks for sharing this recipe…I have tried many dough recipes, but this is by far the the best
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Carla! 🙂
Kara
This is my “go to” pizza crust, best and by far the easiest to make. There’s one in the oven now! And yes, melted butter with garlic basted on the crust before baking really puts it over the top!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Kara! 🙂
Connie
Delicious and wrote the entire recipe into my personal cook book. Just a perfect crispy for us.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Connie! 🙂
MA
I followed it and discovered you need a cup of water to blend the first cup
of flour otherwise it is not smooth but chunky.
Rohini Jeet
Now my family loves home.made pizza,what a great recipe! Can we use whole wheat instead of all purpose flour?
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much! I would be hesitant to replace all of the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour, but you could certainly substitute a portion of it. Whole wheat flour is a little “thirstier” so your dough could turn out to be dry if you use too much wheat flour. 🙂
Ruth
well well, made this last night, left it to rise for 45 minutes in a dark place, wrapped and kept it in my refrigerator, this morning, the dough was still expanding while wrapped in a film in the refrigerator. it had torn the wrapper and the part out was already dry.
Autumn
Third time making this dough, I don’t add sugar i use honey about 3 teaspoons or more. The first time I made this dough it was amazing. I have a cast iron pizza pan and it turned out just right. I also use marinara instead of pizza sauce. This is my go to for my dough now Thank you for the recipe.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Autumn! 🙂
Amanda H
We have tried many recipes for pizza crust that have been so-so. This one was great. I used a little garlic powder as recommended. Baked them up as 1/4 recipe mini pizzas on our pizza stone. A keeper for family pizza night!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoys it so much, Amanda! 🙂
Ro
Best puzza dough recipe I’ve tried. I recommend fresh garlic butter for the crust.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Kathy Doughty
Made this about 4 times now. My husband loves it 😊
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoys it so much, Kathy! 🙂
Jeff
Tried a few recipes in the past but this is my number one by far. I use beard flour and have made loads with excellent results. In the process of making two for tonight. Yhanks
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jeff! 🙂
Lisa
This recipe wasn’t for me. I like a crust that is crisp, light and chewy. I could tell it would be different from the feel when kneading the dough. I found it bready, floury, and soft.
Catherine
Seems delicious !
I would love to make it tonight, but only have pizza yeast, will it work ?
Sam
Hi Catherine! I haven’t tried it but I think it should work. 🙂
Marijane C
I made this recipe using bread flour it only took about an hour including rising and resting time and it was absolutely incredible. This is not the first pizza dough recipe that I have made from scratch, but it is absolutely the best one I have made. The outside was so crisp in your mouth to the touch, and the inside was moist and soft. I used it to make a deep-dish Chicago-style pizza where as my boyfriend used the exact same recipe to make a thinner hand tossed pizza recipe and both of us absolutely loved it. Great job
Sam
Thank you so much for trying my recipe and sharing how it turned out, Marijane! I appreciate it!
Michelle
Could I double this recipe, or should I do two seperate batches for two pizza’s? Can’t wait to try this
Thanks!
Sam
Hi Michelle! This recipe does great when doubling! 🙂