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
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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.
Ines
Is the whole pizza dough 113 calories?
Sam
Hi Ines! Each slice of dough is. Toppings of course will be extra. 🙂
Jack
I just made this dough today. It turned out perfect. I made a pesto chicken pizza with red onions, green peppers and mozzarella cheese with fresh basil on top. Family absolutely loved it. Thanks for the recipe!😁👍
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jack! 🙂
Cassandra Calleros-Ineichen
Can we double the recipe without the consistency changing?
Sam
Definitely! 🙂
Eleanor
If allergic to yeast, could sour dough starter used in its place?
Sam
Hi Eleanor! I haven’t used sourdough starter but it looks like it does require some other alterations to the recipe to work as intended.
Olivia
I just made this a few minutes ago. I made one pizza thinking that it wouldn’t turn out good. My brother and I loved it. I told him if he cleaned the kitchen I would make another one. The crust is the softest most delicious thing I’ve had in a while. It was absolutely perfect.
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Olivia! 🙂
Deepa
Hi… I’ve already made several pizzas using your Holy Grail recipe. Although I would like to ask if there’s an alternative to not using yeast for the dough? Cz my husband is allergic.
Sam
Unfortunately I don’t know of a good substitute for yeast. 🙁
Kathy Murrer
Have you tried using self rising flour? I think this recipe is wonderful, but not all can have yeast. There’s a recipe with self rising flour and Greek yogurt,(not fat free) that’s good too. It’s just those two ingredients, but you can add the garlic and sweet basil for more flavor.
Deepa
Thank you. Will definitely try that way.
Doll
Thanks for the recipe! It yields a very decent pizza dough. I used pizza yeast and added a couple of tablespoons of diastatic malt for flavor and oven spring. And two extra tablespoons of water due to that. I also added a generous amount of garlic powder from Costco, tyme, dried sweet basil, and oregano directly into the all-purpose flour, then whisked before adding the liquid.
I used the KitchenAid stand to mixer on speed 2 (using dough hook) and let it knead for me for about 20 minutes. Let it rise for an hour in a bowl sprayed with avocado oil (my olive oil runs on the bitter side, no thanks). And then rolled it out into a rectangle, divided in half, then dusted with cornmeal. There is enough dough to make 2 oversized Domino’s stuffed cheesy bread dupes, or one XL pizza. Make sure you put cheese all the way to the edge of the dough for the best flavour and aesthetic 😉
Cheers
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Cameron
Is this recipe easily doubled?
Sam
Hi Cameron! Many commenters do it frequently. 🙂
Karla
Good stuff! I used 1 Tablespoon active yeast in place of the instant yeast. I also used this yummy olive and oregano salt I had in the cupboard for the salt in the recipe.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Karla! 🙂
Rhonda
I’d like to try this in my grill on a pizza stone…do you have any suggestions on the time and temperature?
Sam
Hi Rhonda! Unfortunately I haven’t tried doing this on a grill so I’m not sure how to adjust. 🙁
Lois
My husband dislikes thick crust but this recipe was so light he said it was the best he ever had!
Sam
I’m so glad he enjoyed it so much, Lois! 🙂
Aves
I loved it! Though I couldn’t taste the crust much. My brother has approved!
Charmaine Banks
Since I found your pizza 3 weeks ago , I have made it every week ! It is a big hit in my family. I’m amazed at its simplicity and delisiousness. Thanks for this.
Sam
I am so glad you have enjoyed it so much, Charmaine! 🙂
Lynnette I Harris
Can you use the pizza dough for garlic knots or bread sticks as well?
Sam
Hi Lynette! You definitely can! I actually have a garlic knots recipe that uses this dough. 🙂
Christine
I’ve tried so many recipes and they were always a flop but this pizza dough was incredible!
If I were to make extra dough, would it freeze ok? I make pinwheels and mini pizzas for the husband or kids lunches/ snacks and during the week I have less time to make my own dough but I absolutely hate using store bought because it’s not as versatile.
Are there any instructions to freezing or refrigerating that would help the dough keep for future use?
Sam
Hi Christine! To refrigerate the dough just let it rise then punch it down and place in a bowl and cover it tightly. To freeze, allow it to rise then deflate and wrap tightly and stick in the refrigerator. 🙂
Suzie
Hey Sam,
My family loved this recipe and we couldn’t wait till dinner. We are it “all” for lunch.
Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Suzie! 🙂
Kayla
This is an awesome recipe thank you for sharing. Question, I plan on using the dough later in the evening. Do I still put it in the fridge? And if so do I let it come back to room temp before baking? Thank you again!
Sam
Hi Kayla! Yes I would refrigerate it to use later. You can take it from the refrigerator and roll it out and bake it. 🙂
Trish
Looking forward to trying your recipe! If I wanted to make it the size of a cookie sheet, would you just double the recipe? And should I do two separate balls of dough or just double to make one?
Sam
Hi Trish! You would probably need to increase the recipe by 50%. You can do it all at once. 🙂
Suzie
Hey Sam,
After having tried innumerable types of recipes, this is the only one that worked so well. Thank you. My family loved this recipe and we couldn’t wait till dinner. We are it “all” for lunch.
Thank you for sharing this great recipe.
Sam
I’m so happy to hear it, Suzie! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Lis
If I am making the pizza dough to freeze for later, do I still brush the olive oil before freezing? Or simply poke holes and freeze?
Sam
I wouldn’t brush the olive oil on before freezing. You can do that once you have thawed it out. 🙂