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.
Arlene
Can I par bake the pizza crust? I like to make several crusts, wrap and freeze until ready to put toppings on and bake.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Arlene! You can par bake the dough if you would like, but we find it’s not necessary unless you are using lots of toppings or want a particularly crispy crust. This dough freezes well; we cover instructions for that in the recipe notes. Enjoy! 🙂
Miles
I have tried it, and it works but I prefer it otherwise. It does have a crisper crust, but I don’t like that it is crunchy on the inside.
Mark Showah
We tired this recipe. It turned out amazing. I didn’t have the courage to not pitch the yeast first with the water and sugar. But followed everything else and it was amazing. Best Pizza weve made at home so far.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you loved it, Mark! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Susan M Sinkowski
Excellent recipe- can’t mess it up!
Liz
Tastes good but is really more like bread than crust. It was just really soft and squishy. Did one with bread flour and the other all purpose. No difference. Any ideas on how to make it crispy on the bottom?
Bill
I brushed the bottom with oil as well and instead of using a pan I put it on tin foil directly on the rack.
Shanti
I used a pizza pan that has holes on the bottom for this purpose. I don’t normally like a crispy crust but this one turned out great!
Nora Dereli
I notice that you don’t knead the dough much. Is that because you don’t want the gluten to develope?
Dee
Thanks so much for posting this recipe – 10/10! it turned out perfect!
My go to pizza base from now on.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you loved it, Dee! ❤️
Katelynn
So when i did this it turned out to be a really fluffy crust, is that normal?
Sam
Hi Katelynn! It should not be particularly fluffy, it should be pretty traditional in pizza dough texture/consistency.
Annie
Hii! Can I make this dough the night before?
Also just to clarify instant yeast is the blue packet from the Fleischmann brand?
Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Annie! We cover how to make this dough ahead of time in the recipe notes. Instant yeast is any type of yeast that says “instant” or sometimes “rapid rise” on the package. We’ve had many reviewers make this recipe with active dry yeast (not instant) successfully though. We hope you love this recipe ❤️
Jean Ann Scott-Weeden
I made pizza today and it was great! Thank you!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for letting us know how it turned out for you, Jean! 🙂
Patti
This is the best recipe for dough I’ve come across! I use it for garlic knots, pepperoni rolls, calzone, pizza, and my specialty, pepperoni puffs. Thank you for sharing this!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy to hear you love this pizza dough, Patti! It’s a great base for so many recipes 😊
Christine
Decided to try and make a pizza because I had the ingredients on hand even though the yeast was at least 3 years old (kept in the fridge). I used less than 2 cups of flour though and 50/50 olive and canola oil. Miraculously the end result was amazing. The dough was firm enough to hold the many toppings yet easy to chew. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad it turned out for you, Christine! Enjoy! ❤️
Jessica McIntosh
I’m making this pizza crust, but dont have olive oil. Can I use veg oil or coconut oil or even shortening?.. thanks
Sam
Hi Jessica! Yes vegetable oil will work just fine. Enjoy!
Bailey Wakefield
I’ve used this recipe a few times and I’m new to pizza dough and I found this receipt easy and very yummy.
Fancyfrancy
Oh My God!!!! I am an everyday cook, and wanted to try a new pizza dough since I’ve tried so many and cannot get the right crunch or consistency. Well, I have to say, this recipe is THE ULTIMATE pizza dough ever. I used a pizza stone, sautéed mushrooms with garlic, used red onions and fresh mozzarella. I have never tasted pizza this good since my trips to NYC! My husband and son ate 3 pies!!!! Yes, I made 2 doughs, convinced them, then cut it into 3rds, making 3 pizzas. They are driving me crazy!!!! They are asking when I will be making them again. I made my own sauce, as well. Hot and spicy. Thank you so very much for sharing this recipe. I will use it as my go to for pizza dough and sausage bread, forever!!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you and your family loved it! Our garlic knots recipe uses the same base, so be sure to try them out too! ❤️
Sarah C.
My husband and I have a weekly pizza night, and I’ve spent the last two months trying to find the right dough recipe. I found this from a quick Google search and decided to try it because I was in a bit of a rush and didn’t want to have to wait 3 hours for dough to rise.
I’ve finally found my dough recipe! All the other recipes I used didn’t work out the way they intended– the dough was too sticky or it wouldn’t rise. I didn’t have either problem with this recipe! The ingredient balance is perfect. It rose beautifully, conformed effortlessly to my pans, and tasted warm and soft. This is my go-to pizza dough recipe from now on!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you found “the one” Sarah! Thanks for commenting and leaving a review. ❤️
Maxine
This receipe was fantastic. The dough base was lovely and soft and I had two 6 year old critics aswell. We all loved it. It was my first attempt ever making my own pizza 🍕 base but it will definitely be made again. I preferred this from any bought 🍕!
Ashlea
I used Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 flour and it turned out great!
Julia
I made the recipe as written. For some reason it did not rise. Got any suggestions?
Sam
Hi Julia! Typically this is a matter of the yeast being dead or the water being too cold or much too hot.
Amayrani Hinojosa
I love how simple the recipie is and it is my go to recipie now . Im able to cook for my family 😊 thank you
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you love this recipe, Amayrani! It’s a fun one to make 🙂
Dina Sparks
Excellent
Robyn
This is such a good recipe..I use it frequently! Our garden is full of fresh veggies…so I love pizza ! Homemade sauce, with veggies and a bit of cheese…delicious!
Kb
So good! Made it earlier in the day and stored in the fridge after letting it raise until we were ready for it. I’m honestly kind of shocked the crust turned out so crispy on the bottom. I think it must have been the addition of olive oil. I had regular yeast so I proofed it first. I also didn’t brush the dough with more oil before baking it to save a few calories and I didn’t miss it at all. If I decide to make dough from scratch again I will most def use this recipe again.
Jessica
How much flour am I suppose to use? 2 2/3 cup?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jessica! You will need at least 2 cups of flour, and depending on your dough/the weather, you may need an additional 1/3 cup.
lol
your yeast may be old and that could be what prevented it from rising
Tris
The recipe would work for me, I just have a question if I can use self-rasing flour instead of your two options!?
Thank you.
Sam
I would not recommend a self-rising flour with this dough, unfortunately.
Wil
You have a bad yeast.
Peter
Worked a charm… great pizza!!
Trina
Made this and the whole family loved it. Simple, quick, and tasty!!
Andria
Can I make this the day before ? And let it rise before I make the pizza?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Andria! We cover how to make this pizza dough in advance in the recipe notes. You can 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.