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.
Michael Huber
Followed recipe to the T and do did not rise.
Sam
Hi Michael! It sounds like either the water was too cold or too warm or the yeast was dead 🙁
goddess
recipe never ever fails.. this is my go to for pizza dough and garlic bread it comes out fantastic every time
Destiny
Oh. My. Word. This recipe was amazing!
It was easy. The instant yeast worked wonders as far as a quickie rise, the resiliency of this dough was incredible! I let it rise for about 1-2 hours because time got away from me, and then stuck it in the fridge for a day, then the freezer, then back to the fridge for a few hours to thaw and finally to the counter as I prepared the toppings and readied the oven. (We had some food filled church events, so we ended up not needing it until last night.) Yet it retained its beautiful gluten strands, structure, and rising ability.
No frozen pizza could compare to the smell and perfection of that evenly risen crust, crisp pepperonis, and melted mozzarella.. I baked it for 14 minutes at 425F in a 12” round pan with about 3” tall sides, so it ended up as a delicious deep dish pie (exactly like I wanted).
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Destiny! 🙂
Jade
This is the only recipe I use! I do add bbq, garlic, and cilantro to change things up. Thanks for such easy steps!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jade! 🙂
nia
since when did pizza became a part of an american cuisine..? as far as i remember, pizza is an italian dish. maybe burrito is also an american dish, huh?
Sam
Hi Nia! It seems I can’t quite win with this one! I originally labeled it Italian and had many angry Italian food aficionados tell me my version was American and not appropriate to call it Italian, so I changed it. Call it what you will but I think you’ll enjoy it 🙂
jj
Sounds like a H8er to me! great recipe
Tom Miller
Brilliant recipe! Now I’m eating too much pizza 😋
Lisa J Reid
Tried this tonight. I left out the salt but that was on me. Crust turned out great. I baked it in my grill. I have a smaller square pizza stone and I put that on the grill and then made the pizza in a regular round pizza pan which I placed on the pizza stone. The temp was likely a little more than 425 and I cooked for just a little more than 10 minutes. Thanks for the recipe.
Michelle
I’ve made this several times and it always comes out great! Don’t over think the recipe…it’s perfect.
Samantha
my favorite! i double it and use 4c flour, and a bit of extra olive oil. we bake as hot as the oven will go! (245 c)
YumFactor
Seriously THE BEST pizza dough I have ever had. All my “favourite pizza” places have now been trumped by this pizza base. Thank you SO MUCH.
We made three 8 inch (X-large dinner plate size) pizzas.
I can’t explain how HAPPY we were as we took every bite… THANK YOU
Danny
Why don’t you like Oregano? Im curious
Sam
I just don’t like the flavor.
Kathleen Cramer
Used this dough for calzones. I tripled the recipe and got 9 calzones and a 8″ pizza. 1/4″ thick rolled out dough. Tasted awesome and will use this recipe again!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Kathleen! 🙂
Mark Berry
This has become my go-to pizza dough recipe. So simple, yet so easy to customize. Thanks for sharing it!
Rochelle
Great receipe except for the fact that the flour measurements are a little confusing. I read it as 2 cups of flour twice, instructions do not read that way. Also used honey to substitute sugar.
David
I must be doing something wrong, 1/3 cup of water leaves the dough so dry it falls apart….Is anyone else having this problem?
Sam
Hi David, the recipe calls for 3/4 cup of water 🙂
Albert
Thanks for the recipe. Will try it out tonight. I grew up in Italian South Philadelphia. Oregano was used (sparingly) on pizza and hoagies (grinder and subs are illegal in Philly). So thank you for the loathing oregano comment. I too, hate oregano (the Greek one isn’t so bad). Thyme is the only other herb on my nasty tasting herb list.
We used to buy pizza at the bread bakery store. Classically, it was square with either crushed tomatoes and I believe basil and/or parsley. It was dusted with a light coating of romano cheese after baking. The other was a white pizza with olive oil, salt, rosemary and sometimes a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. In Italy, they make it with only olive oil and salt and sometimes slice it in half flat side, put ham and mozzarella in it and toast it. OMG it’s so good.
Buon appetito!
Sam
I hope you love it, Albert! 🙂
Hillarie
This is an easy recipe to fix and the tastes great!