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)
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.
Tricia Weeks
This was my first time making home made pizza dough. Very easy! This dough is so soft – very tasty. I think I would make 2 12” pizzas next time (since we like thin crust). Recipe is definitely a keeper.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Tricia! 🙂
Angelina
I tried this and it didn’t work, maybe you could post a video on YouTube.
Sam
Hi Angelina! Here is the video on YouTube!
Angelina
Hi, I added x2 ingredients but it needed more flour, so I kept adding flour but it looked really liquidy.
Daphne
Your pizza dough recipe is my new favorite! Its just perfect and easy for me. I’ve been using your recipe for the fifth time now. Thanks so much for sharing!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Daphne! 🙂
Fam Brar
Best dough yet – followed the recipe exactly, doubled it up as we have 5 kids. Cooked in our Fontana Woodfired Pizza oven at 750 degrees until cheese on surface blistered. SO Good!!!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoys it so much! That pizza oven sounds amazing! 🙂
Callie
Can this recipe be doubled?
Sam
Definitely! 🙂
Jake
Hi Sam! Thank you for the great recipe! Just tried it for pizza night with the family and it was the easiest crust I’ve tried to date. Loved the addition of the garlic powder. I did also use some dried basil too, with just a simple pepperoni & mushroom. Delicious!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jake! 🙂
Emelia
Super easy and all of our kids love this crust. We divide a double batch into six smaller balls to use on our 8″ individual pizza stones. Make your own pizza night is a hit!!
Thank you for sharing.
Em
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoys it so much, Emelia! 🙂
Andrea
Crap! I forgot the sugar! I’ll update you when done lol
baker by heart
how did it go
Bald Papa
I have made homemade pizza dough for years, and have a reputation for making great pizzas, especially on the grill. This is a delightful recipe !! It is now my go to favorite!
Sam
I’m so thrilled to hear it was such a hit for you! Thank you so much for commenting and letting me know how it turned out, I appreciate it! 🙂
Thea
This was so easy and tasted delicious. I added a lot of garlic powder and oregano to mine. So cool not to have to use the mixer and love that it rises so quickly. Made a sausage and cheese for my son and a sausage, peppers and mushroom without cheese for my daughter. Will definitely make this again. Thanks for an awesome recipe ☺️
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Thea! 🙂
Rilou
Great recipe, easy to make and tasty!
Linda
I love this recipe and have used it many times!! Thank you!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Linda! 🙂
Susan
This dough looks like a good candidate to attempt stuffed crust pizza dough. I don’t usually buy stuffed crust because I usually eat very thin crust. But now I am wondering what cheese might be fun to stuff the crust.
I just bought and entire hard cover cookbook about pizza. It was a tad intimidating on knowing just where to start (he talks about the huge array of pizza dough types). He probably discusses the best cheese for stuffing dough too.
But I just ordered a pizza steel to cook pizza and bread on in my oven, a pizza stone to heat above my pizza to better emulate a brick oven, a pizza peel and a very cool pizza cutter (on amazon). I love kitchen wares and gadgets! This recipe gives me an easy place to start. Thanks!
Sam
I hope you love it Susan! I like to make stuffed crust with string cheese. It’s easy to peel into pieces and then wrap in the crust. 🙂
Susan
I did wonder if string cheese would work. It’s already the right shape! I will try it whenever I try your dough. Thanks!
Terri Heyntsen
Great crust! My first try at pizza dough and it came out crispy and delicious!
Thank you 🙂
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Terri! 🙂
granny Norma
hi I have never enjoyed anything this much, it was honestly the best thing in my life so far! hope to make it for the grandkids some day!!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Deb Dorst
Hi, why do u use parchment paper, love this recipe but was curious, I’ve never tried it with the paper?
Sam
Hi Deb! It just makes clean up easier for me. You don’t have to use it if you don’t want. 🙂
Jaime
I have never been good with bread recipes but this was a success! I am low on all purpose flour, can I use whole wheat?
Sam
Hi Jaime! You can get away with substituting some whole wheat flour but not all. Whole wheat flour is a little bit “thirstier” so it could dry out your dough a little bit. 🙂