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.
Anthea
Easy and yummy
Brittany Bujacich
I made this recipe with active yeast instead of instant because that’s what I had–it came out great! I followed the recipe exactly without any issues. The only step I forgot was to brush the dough with olive oil and I’ll definitely remember to do that next time because it tasted just a tiny bit dry without that step. I made two batches of this recipe and the two 12″ pizzas could easily feed four people. This recipe is a keeper!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Brittany! 🙂
Zuzu
Can I use vegetable oil instead of olive oil
Sam
Yes that will be fine, enjoy!
Kim Green
Love it! Doubled the recipe so we could use it for your garlic knot recipe as well. I had some pizza sauce leftover (your recipe), and found it to be more flavorful after sitting a few days! I have made the dough with both types of yeast and both types of flour and it all worked out great. Thank You!
Scotty
Great recipe! I made it into a stuffed crust because I’m a fatty and it turned out perfect. Best homemade pizza crust recipe I have ever tried. Thank you.
Emily
always turns out really good when i make it!
Tia
Best dough ever!!!! We have tried many bit this one is our favorite!!
jim
How do you make this a thinner crust?
Sam
Hi Jim! You can roll it as thin as you’d like. 🙂
Kelsey
This is so simple, perfect texture, foolproof, abs only required one quick rise. It’s officially ear marked as the only dough we will use ever again!
Carly
My family got a pizza oven a few years back, and this is by far our favorite pizza dough recipe to use! The dough is so flavorful and cooks wonderfully in the oven. We use cornmeal underneath the pizzas to keep it from sticking. 10/10 would recommend this dough! I do have on caveat, its not a complaint, so much, as just something to note. We often have friends over and do homemade pizza parties- but even among just my family of five, we’ve found that even doubling the recipe doesn’t yield a lot of dough. If you’re making pizzas for a large family or a group, I would recommend at LEAST quadrupling the recipe!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoys it so much, Carly! Sounds like everyone is eating lots and lots of pizza! 🙂
Ana
Hi! Made this dough before, love it!
However I wanted to make the dough this afternoon, let it rise and place in the pizza pans to bake for dinner. So they would be ready to go in the pans for 4-5 hrs, just dough without toppings. Can I leave at room temperature? Do I have to place in fridge? Should I just prebake them and then add toppings later? What do you recommend?
Thanks!
Sam
Hi Ana! I would recommend not rolling them out until ready to go. You will definitely want to refrigerate the dough, but if you roll it out that far in advance it’s going to continue to rise while you are waiting. I hope you love the dough. 🙂
Leilah
Hello, I am excited to try this recipe out. I am wanting to make three pizza’s. Would I just add triple the ingredients? I am unsure if I would need to use that much yeast. Any help appreciated 🙂
Sam
Hi Leilah! Yes you will want to triple all of the ingredients including the yeast here. 🙂
Elodge
The dough recipe was great but It’s stuck to the parchment paper. Should I have put oil on the parchment paper? I baked it for 14 minutes.
Sam
Hi Elodge! No need to oil the parchment, I’ve never had it stick but if you’d like you can sprinkle the parchment (or the ungreased pan directly) with a bit of cornmeal to keep from sticking. I hope that helps!
Mary
I don’t use the parchment paper, I rub olive oil on a pizza pan and that’s it!
Clori Ley
Hi, really good pizza dough.
Would I be able to make individual sized pizza shells – already rolled out and frozen- with cheeze and pepperoni toppings?
If yes, what would be the best way to do this?
Sam
Hi Clori! That should work just fine. I would just make the pizzas and wrap them individually. 🙂
Jim
Perfect!!! EZ to follow and the flavor of the dough was awesome. Thank you