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.
Tim
3/4 cup of water did not seem to make the dough as easy to stir as you video, even with the 1 cup flour. Adding another cup flour slowly was next to impossible to combine all of it. Wonder if more water would be needed?
Sam
Hi Tim! If needed you can add more water. Are you by chance baking at high altitude? That will cause you some issues as well. I hope this helps! 🙂
Hoomalanglang
Me and my kiddos have had a Friday night, pizza/movie ritual for years—it is sacrosanct! We had wonderful New York style pizza place for year…then had to move into a rural area. We tried everything, even went back to the dreaded chains! Last night, we found pizza salvation—your crust recipe! It really was the best pizza we’ve had since eating at an authentic New York style pie. SOLD! Thank you so much.
PS—I made a few balls of dough in case one didn’t work…so we ended up making DELICIOUS home-made bread! Can’t wait until next Friday!
Matt, Tara and Tristan
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the pizza! I hope you continue enjoying it for years to come. 🙂
Dave
Better than I expected. Turned out very well. Thx Sam……..
Sam is there a group through sugar spun run to post what meals we cook for regular food or is the baker’s club the only interacting group
Sam
Hi Dave! I don’t have another group unfortunately. Most food posts are welcome in the group even if they aren’t sweets. 🙂
Alexandra
I’ve always ‘thought’ about making my own pizza’s but never really looked into it. I mean, if I can make my own soaps, organic body butters, etc …. I thought I’d give this a try! I’m sooo glad I found your recipe! It was sooo easy & the first bite was the best pizza I’ve ever had! I ate one last night & now making another one tonight as well! Love it! Thank you so much!
Thanx again! Alexandra
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough, Alexandra! 🙂
Caleb
Made this exactly as written. My wife says it’s her favorite pizza! I found the dough incredibly easy to work with. It really is foolproof.
I decided to try it out for hand pies and you really can’t go wrong. Rolled it out in strips, pinched the sides to make pockets, and filled them with beef stew. My mother-in-law not only got the recipe but asked me to make a big batch for the weekend. I’m buying a pasta roller so I can mass-produce them for quick lunches. They refrigerate extremely well.
It’s fair to say this recipe improved my life and will surely become a family tradition. 😊
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy the dough so much, Caleb! I haven’t tried it as a hand pie, but that sounds like a great idea! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Steven Gadley
Try using beer instead of water! Zap in microwave to proper temperature. Makes a great dough
Gloria Campbell
I want to make this for Stromboli and I want to know if I can freeze it?
Thank You
Gloria
Sam
Hi Gloria! The dough should do be just fine in the freezer. Make sure it’s wrapped tightly so air cannot get to it. When defrosting, you will want to let it defrost in the refrigerator. 🙂
Gloria Campbell
Thank You
I want to know if I can make the Stromboli and freeze it . I have company coming in and it would be so much easier if I can make this ahead of time.
Sam
I haven’t tried freezing a stromboli with this dough, but it should be fine as long as your stromboli ingredients are fine in the freezer. 🙂
Laurie Jewell
Just made this recipe using bread floor. Delicious!! I made a healthy veggie forward pizza and it was so good my teenage sons ate it!! Thank you!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it, Laurie! 🙂
Jamin
Very easy recipe. I ended up making it a stuffed crust since I love cheese. Came out great and flakey. Highly recommend this recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the pizza, Jamin! 🙂
Tracey
I just ate your pizza crust with 1/2 white and 1/2 Graham wheat flour. It was delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the dough, Tracey! 🙂
Amy
I used bread flour with 12.7% protein. It required at least a quarter cup less flour. Then cooked it on a pizza stone. It was great! Thank you so much !!!!!
Sam
Thanks for the feedback, Amy! I am so glad everyone enjoyed it! 🙂
Jen A.
Our dough turned out very well. I used the minimal amount of flour (2 cups) and the dough rose quite nicely. We made 4 personal pizzas from it. Thanks!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the dough, Jen! 🙂
Tia
We made this as a family!! It was so fun and tasted delicious! Thank you. We will be making again. ☺️
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the dough, Tia! 🙂
Teri
Does this dough store well in the frig for future use? My grandchildren love to make little personal pizzas for an after school snack. I thought it would be nice to have the dough ready to go for the week. 🙂
Sam
Hi Teri! I have heard others keeping it about 24 hours in the refrigerator. I don’t know how much longer it will last not baked. You could bake the pizza and keep it refrigerated for 3 days. After that, I would recommend freezing it. 🙂
Niki
It would definitely last 5-7 days in the fridge. Longer than that and you can throw it in the freezer.
Angelina
You could always like package it into separate mini baggies probably and then freeze them and just defrost them while you’re kids are away like each baggy can have the amount you need for the pizzas that way the rest doesnt spoil and you can still have it ready
Idk
Just a suggestion!!
I’m not a cook or anything lol
Debbie A Monce
Hi! I have now made this pizza dough 3x and every time it has turned out FANTASTIC!! In fact, I shared a couple of slices with a roommate, and he said this was honestly the best pizza he has ever had. It is fail safe and soft and fluffy (I used bread dough). I went one step further and put cheese into the crust ;0) Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!
Sam
So happy to hear you enjoyed! My husband just made us a stuffed crust pizza last weekend with this recipe, too, so I love the way you think! Thank you for commenting, Debbie!
Bobbi
Perfect results. Doubled it and made two 16″ pies. Not as deep as your pic but we prefer a thinner crust.
Sam
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed, Bobbi!