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)
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.
Elisma Erasmus
This is by far the best pizza dough and probably one of the easiest ones I have ever had the pleasure of following. Thank you for sharing this. I don’t know how to make dough appealing in pictures but I sure know how to make that perfect recipe into a pizza that the whole family enjoys. Thanks again 👌🏻
Scotty
This is a solid recipe.(I mean solid!)I have a few suggestions. When it comes to any kind of dough wets before dry. (This includes desserts/ quick breads. Brown sugar is a wet ingredient.)
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Scotty! I’m not sure what you mean by wet before dry in this particular recipe as that’s not a rule I would recommend applying universally, but you are correct that sugar is considered a wet ingredient.
Colleen
Hi what temo is it for fan oven please
Sam
Hi Colleen! Unfortunately I haven’t tried with a fan oven so I can’t say for sure what the temperature would need to be.
Barbara
The only pizza dough recipe I’ll ever need! Simple ingredients and detailed instructions. Made 2 pizzas with my 4-year-old granddaughter–fun afternoon activity. One dough was whole wheat with half cheese and half veggies for the vegetarian family members, and the other was all purpose white flour with half sausage and mushroom and half pepperoni. Shaped each as rectangles and put them next to each other on one very large sheet pan (shaped as 2 rectangular pizzas) and baked for 15 minutes. Easy for a gathering of 8-10 people, served with a big salad.
Retta
Excellent! Texture & flavor were super..
Vickie
I was all set to make pizza and was following another recipe. I had to throw the dry dough away and start over. Being desperate for an easy recipe I found this one, it is fantastic, The dough was so easy and quick. The very detailed directions are fool proof. I can’t wait to try other toppings. No other recipe needed.
Chris Bohlman
Absolutely delicious!!!
Teresa Joyce Mullins
The best pizza dough recipe I have tried
Lorraine
I tried the pizza dough recipe and liked it it turned out great. I made my own pizza sauce but used what I had in the pantry because mine was frozen but it tasted 😋
Trish
I tried out this recipe and it came out great. I used bread flour and added the optional garlic powder and dried basil to the dough mix to get a nice flavor and crisp texture. The family loved it. I’m absolutely using this recipe again. I was skeptical about the name “best pizza dough” but it really is best! Thank you for the recipe.
Richela
Hi Sam, loved this pizza dough recipe! Turned out well everytime. But may I ask if I make this ahead and store in the refrigerator, do I need to thaw it before using? Thank you so much❤️
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Richela! We’re so happy you love this recipe! You will want your dough to sit at room temperature for a few minutes after pulling it out of the refrigerator so that it is easier to work with, otherwise, it is not needed. Enjoy! 😊
Lorraine Schuell
This is now my go to recipe! Have made it once with APF and another with bread flour.You’re absolutely right about the apf being softer and the bread flour being crispier.Today I made the dough with bread flour and made fried dough! It was so good! Thank you very much for this recipe.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Lorraine! Thank you for trying my recipe! 🙂
Mildred
This recipe is a new family hit. Thanks for sharing! It turned out perfectly.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy to hear that, Mildred! Enjoy the pizza ❤️
H R
Excellent recipe, and so easy! The dough rolled out beautifully and the crust was crisp but tender.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you liked it! Thanks so much for your review ❤️
Cathy
I used margarine instead of olive oil. Will it be okay?
Mildred
We didn’t use parchment paper. We sprayed the skillet with PAM Baking made with flour and it worked well. It didn’t stick at all..
Carla
I was afraid it wasn’t going to turn out well because I didn’t use any additional flour (opt 1/3 cup). It turned out GREAT! I’m not a big Pampered Chef lover but I bought one of their pizza stones years back. Per their recommendation, I baked the crust for 12 minutes (golden brown) THEN added my toppings and baked an add’l 10 minutes. IT. WAS. AMAZING! No more store bought crusts for this girl. Thanks for a great recipe.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you loved the pizza dough, Carla! Thanks so much for reviewing ❤️
Tom Wilson
Over several decades I have easily tried a couple dozen pizza crust recipes. This is the by far the best. It’s even better than crust recipes that require refrigeration overnight.
The only modifications I made were using half whole wheat pastry flour and half AP, and using a stand mixer rather than mixing by hand. Worked great!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you love the pizza dough, Tom! Thanks so much for commenting and reviewing 🙂
Ann
Greetings from Trinidad,
I must say this pizza dough was the easiest and the best we have made before in the past. This is a keeper.
Ina
Seriously so good and so easy!! Excited to make it again. Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you like the pizza dough, Ina! Thanks so much for your review ❤️
Casey
When doubling or tripling the recipe, do I need to double the yeast as well?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes, you’ll want to double/triple all of the ingredients. We hope you love the pizza, Casey! 😊
Marilyn
Great Recipe turns out everytime…
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy to hear that, Marilyn! Thanks so much for commenting ❤️
Brigitte
Best ever….will be using this dough recipe forevernow…..Thanks.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We love hearing that, Brigitte! Thanks so much for your review and rating 😊