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.
The Food Buff
Incredible consistency!
Great texture!
Cynthia
I’ve used this recipe for a long time and it never fails
Amie
Can I make this ahead of time and leave in the refrigerator for a few days before baking?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Amie! We cover how to make this dough in advance in the recipe notes. 😊
Ed
Loved this dough recipe! Next time I’ll stretch the crust a bit more, as it did rise quite a bit and I prefer a thinner crust. A+++
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
So happy to hear you loved the crust, Ed! Thanks so much for your five star review ❤️
Stefanie
Just tried the recipe with bread flour and it tasted very good. Pizzas were wiped out very quickly and cleanly. This pizza dough recipe is a keeper.
Shae
There is no way the amount of water you wrote is the amount of water you used in the video. I followed the recipe and ended only needing 1 1/3 cups of flour total to make the dough. It will probably work but it’s going to be much smaller than what I need.
Sam
Hi Shae! The way the recipe is written and shown is literally exactly how I (and over 6400 others who have rated the recipe) make it, not only do I show it in video, but I make this about once a week in my own home without issue. I would double check that your ingredients were measured properly, it’s also possible that if you are baking at high altitude you may need to make some adjustments but I don’t think it would be quite as great as what you are describing.
Andrea
I definitely needed to add another 1/4 cup of water just now, in Denver. The dough was too dry otherwise, but again, it’s our legendary arid climate.
Monica
This is my go to pizza crust recipe. I have had no complaints just request for more.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for your five star review, Monica! We’re so happy everyone loved it.
Arlene
This pizza dough recipe was absolutely amazing and our vegetarian pizza was delicious. Thank you!
Mary
Two things, do you recommend baking the crust a couple minutes before topping it? Could I just lightly oil the pizza pan?
I do love this recipe though. It is now our favourite. You do good cooking!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Mary! No need to bake beforehand unless you like an extra crispy crust or plan to use a lot of toppings. Lightly oiling the pan or spraying with a non-stick spray should work fine too! Thanks so much for letting us know how you like this recipe ❤️
Dee Lee
It seems like I use a different recipie every time I make pizza. This one is now bookmarked. Was wonderful on the pizza stone.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We love hearing that Dee Lee! Thanks so much for leaving a five star rating and letting us know how it turned out for you. ❤️
kal
hello! planning to make homemade pizza for the fam in the weekends, i think your recipe is the easiest ive seen 🙂 one question though, i dont always have olive oil on hand, but i do have canola and vegetable oil, can i substitute either canola or vegetable oil? and which is better? thanks in advance!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Kal! Either should work fine. We hope you love the pizza! ❤️
Anne
Sooooo good. My mum demanded this recipe go into our family book. I can’t begin to describe to you how high that bar is!! Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wow, what an honor! We’re so happy our recipe made the cut ❤️ Enjoy, Anne!
Nina
What we did is 1 cup of AP Flour and another cup of Bread Flour 🙂 we loved it
Ana
Emily,
I just wanted to thank you for such a great pizza dough recipe.
I made it for lunch today and my family loved it so much I made it for supper, this time including your sauce 😉
I think you got a fan!!!
Thanks a lot!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wonderful! Thank you so much for letting us know how it turned out for you–we’re so happy to hear that everyone loved it. Please let us know if you try any of our other recipes, Ana! ❤️
Jamie
If you make the pizza dough in advance, do you need to let it get to room temperature before it is ready to use?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jamie! You should be able to just take it from the refrigerator and roll it out. If it doesn’t roll out easily, you can let it warm up a little bit. 😊
Jen
I have always been so intimated baking pretty much anything, especially when yeast is involved. Happy to say that following your recipe helped me gain a lot of confidence and I hope to use that boost to make an attempt at making overnight buns. (family recipe I seem to screw up once a year when I try yet again to make them)
At any rate, I thought I would recommend the pizza we made. We made the crust, baked it w/o toppings, just olive oil and salt and pepper for a bit. We then wiped a bit more olive oil, added cheese,Prosciutto, and sliced tomatoes. Smoked it on our pellet smoker, and then added a spinach and kale mix lightly drizzled with EVOO, salt and pepper, and Parmeson cheese. 😁😍
Thank you for sharing your recipe with us.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We totally get that, Jen! It’s wonderful to hear that our recipes have been so helpful for you. Your pizza sounds absolutely amazing! Keep on baking and letting us know how it turns out for you ❤️
Lisa
I couldn’t find my old comment, so I just wanted to say thank you for answering my question. I wasn’t sure if the saran wrap was just for fridge or freezer as well. The pizza turned out amazing. I usdd mini San Marzano tomatos, fresh mozzarella and baby spinach. The proof setting on my air fryer worked like a dream, and the crust came out better than I could have hoped. My daughter wants to do mini heart pizzas now for dinner and this makes it a breeze. Thanks again.
June
Thanks Sam for a great pizza dough recipe. Picked the end of the garden today and made an end of the garden, cheese and pepperoni pizza. Growing up in an Irish/Italian neighborhood I’ve had some wonderful pizza. Can never make it like Tess’s. Her crust was so crisp on the bottom without being over cooked. Any suggestions?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi June! That sounds delicious–what a great way to use up summer veggies. To get an extra crisp crust, you can always par bake the dough. Enjoy! 😊
Janet Abramson
Use a pizza stone for crispy crust
Nallely
The video shows you putting 1 3/4 cups water and the written recipe says 3/4cups did I miss something???
Sam
Hi Nallely! I only use 3/4 cup in both the video and in the written recipe. I hope you love the pizza dough!
Greg
I tried this recipe for the first time tonight and it was a HUGE hit around here. So easy to make and the flavor is awesome! This will definitely be my go to recipe from now on. Thanks for sharing such an amazing recipe!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you loved it, Greg! Thanks for trying our recipe and leaving such a wonderful review. Enjoy!
Lisa S.
Thank you for this quick and easy recipe. Just started it with my 3 year old and she loved mixing everything.
How do you store it in the freezer? Saran wrap? Ziploc containers? My family is getting into meal prep, and I would love to have some dough on hand for quick and easy pizza nights.
I am also using the proofing setting on my air fryer, so I will let you know how it turns out.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Lisa! We’re so happy you are enjoying this recipe. It’s perfect for making with little ones!
We cover storage in the recipe notes; after rising and deflating, you’ll want to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap before placing in the freezer for up to one month. If you want to put it in a container or plastic bag after wrapping, that’s fine too! 😊