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.
Tiffany
Made this yesterday!! First time making pizza dough and it was a hit!! Family loved the pizza and the homemade sauce per your recipe!! This will be done again! Thank you for the easy recipes, dough and sauce! 👍👍😊
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed everything so much, Tiffany! 🙂
Ella
This pizza dough is amazing. This will be my second time making it and had a question about it. Could i make the recipe then once the doughs risen store it in the refrigerator?
Sam
Hi Ella! I’m glad you enjoyed it! I actually cover making this in advance below the recipe. 🙂
Tanya Shekhar
Simply superb
Cheyge
Hi! I just made the dough and am letting it rise, thanks for making such an easy and fun recipe to follow! I was wondering if you can freeze this dough to save for later use, or is refrigerating it better? If so how long can you keep it in the fridge for? Thanks again 😊
Sam
Others have reported keeping it in the refrigerator for several days. It can also be frozen. Once it has risen punch it down and wrap tightly to store in the freezer. 🙂
Mary
Hello. Can I use my kitchen aid? And how long should I let it mix?
Sam
Hi Mary! You can use your kitchen aid if you’d like. You’ll just want to mix it to the same consistency you would without using a mixer. You can see the consistency in the video. 🙂
Clyde
Hi
Have you used this dough on a pizza stone inside an oven or grill?
Thanks in advance
Sam
Hi Clyde! While I have not done it personally, several commenters have reported doing so with success. 🙂
ej
First time ever making pizza dough and it worked! Thanks so much for the recipe and the pride that came with it 😀
Bernadette Albrighton
I put dried chives and dried basil in the dough. It really was the lightest fluffiest pizza base. Our guests all commented on how yummy it was.
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Bernadette! 🙂
Heather C.
I’ve used this recipe a number of times for pizza but was planning on trying to for calzones. Any luck trying that? Or any suggestions?
Sam
Hi Heather! I’m glad you have enjoyed it! I haven’t made a calzone with it so unfortunately I don’t have any good tips for you. 🙁
Linnea
This is my go to pizza recipe. I’ve also used the same recipe when making calzone twice, and they came out amazing! I’d say go for it 👌
Heather
Easy and tasty
Ella
Amazing!
This is by far the best pizza dough I’ve ever made..
we use a pizza stone to bake it on, and it’s absolutely delicious. A family favourite.
Made this recipe at least 10 times now.. highly recommend.
It’s a success every time!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Ella! 🙂
Kristy
Thank you very much for this recipe. Usually you get a recipe and something goes wrong because an ingredient is missing but not this one!
Made this for family dinner and everyone made their own personal pan. The crust came out perfectly for both thin and thick crusts.
Thank you very much for sharing!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it os much, Kristy! 🙂
Clyde
What temp did you cook using the pizza stone? Thanks
Ella
I preheated the oven to 200 degrees Celsius with the stone in it. On the bottom rack until the oven hit that temp.
Then used the stone.
Although we were able to speed things up by inc the temp to 250 degrees C
Mary
I’ve made this pizza crust several times; it’s great every time! Our new favorite! Thanks for sharing!
Nazira
Came out amazing! Thanks making this again tonight.
Sheri
Hi. Does anyone know if this recipe can be doubled? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Sheri! Many people have doubled or even tripled it with success. 🙂
Virtuenow
Hi, when you double the recipe do you add a 2nd packet of yeast? Or is one packet enough? I ask because I make rolls regularly w/4.5 c flour & one packet of yeast and it turns out perfect.
Sam
For this recipe, everyone that has tried it has doubled the yeast when doubling the recipe. 🙂
Erica
I made this last night and it was delicious! My husband is a bit picky when is comes to homemade pizza and he loved it. I let it rise longer than 30 minutes- maybe an hour. And I also split it into two 12” pizzas since we prefer thin crust. It was perfect. I will definitely be making this again.
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Erica! 🙂
Lisa
I used this yesterday and the dough came out beautifully. My only change was I let it sit for 60 minutes instead of 30. I added dried Basel. I wish the review would allow me to post a pic! My husband loved the crust. Thanks for sharing.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Lisa! Unfortunately there isn’t a way to add a picture here, but you can always tag me on instagram @sugarspun_sam. 🙂
Allison
I would advise two things to make it better.
1) 30 minutes is two short of a rising time, make it 1hr.
2) if you use garlic olive oil for the oil while it rises it adds so much great flavour.
Other wise the recipe is wonderful and my kids love it!
Cat darr
Agree on the rising time being 1 hour. By 30 minutes mine had not doubled in size, but I used regular yeast so maybe that was the issue.
Sam
Yes, regular yeast takes quite a bit longer.
Tejal
Awesome recipe. Works everytime.