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.
Tiff
Just made this for my family & as a first time pizza dough maker was amazed by how easy it was & how well the pizza base turned out! Thanks for the great recipe, will be using it going forward!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you liked the recipe, Tiff! It really is simple. Enjoy your pizza 😊
Irek
Hello Everyone!
Although the recipe was published in 2018 I am happy to see current comments as I need an advice. I made my pizza following this recipe strictly, and really like it, but my dough grew 1 inch thick (used all purpose flower, yeasts as much as in recipe) and it is twice too thick for me :(… Is it because I let my dough rise in the bowl for 45 minutes instead of 30? Or what can be the reason? What can I do to make it thinner? Please advise!
Irek
*edit: when pizza was ready, crust was 1 inch thick.
Sam
Hi Irek! You can just roll the dough to the thickness you’d like. The 45 minutes may have given it a little too much time to rise, but you should still be able to roll it out to whatever thickness you desire. I hope that helps. 🙂
Rebecca W
My granddaughter and I just made this for her siblings and papa. Its a hit with all of them and they’re hard to please.
Ginny
Love this recipe. So easy to make by hand, and delicious. My family loves it. Thank you!
Mickey
Have you tried making this recipe for a stuffed pepperoni bread? I’m thinking about trying it for Christmas. We used to use store bought pizza dough so I’m assuming this will work but I’d love to know if anyone has tried this.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
It should work just fine. Please let us know how it turns out for you, Mickey! 🙂
irish plant
Hi, Mickey!
We use this dough for many things, and I think it would be perfect for your stuffed pepperoni bread! = ) irish
Alan
I used Caputo 00 flour and the recipe produced outstanding results! Thanks
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thank you for letting us know, Alan! Enjoy the pizza 😊
John Frise
I’ve made this recipe with modification at least eight times now. I get rave reviews. I double the recipe and go half bread flour, half all purpose. Fantastic! I also use her pizza sauce recipe with no modifications.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wow, that’s wonderful to hear John! Thanks so much for using our recipe again and again–it means a lot to us!
Annette Barbasch
I recently bought some 001 flour, which I heard is the best for pizza dough. Can I use it with your recipe? If so, should I use the same proportions?
Sam
Hi Annette! I haven’t tried it myself, but others have reported using it with success. I’m not sure exactly how much you’ll need though. 🙂
Connie
I have always used bread machine for my “doughs”. Finally, decided to do it myself. This is a great recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you liked it, Connie! Thanks for commenting 😊
Kathie
This is the fourth time I have used this recipe. My grandchildren can’t get enough. Terrific recipe.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We love hearing that, Kathie! Thanks so much for trusting our recipe and sharing it with your grandkids 😊
Crystal
Have you ever tried to make this with whole wheat flour?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We have not, but others have substituted some in successfully. Because whole wheat flour tends to be a bit “thirstier” we don’t recommend substituting all of it (only 1/3-1/2 substitution); otherwise the dough might get too dry. Let us know how it turns out for you! 🙂
Reeti
Came out great! Better than I could have expected. I even let it rise for longer on accident and it didn’t mess anything up 🙂
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wonderful! We’re so happy it turned out well for you, Reeti! Enjoy ❤️
CC
This is an easy to follow recipe for a great pizza crust. Tried it for the very first time and it turned out perfect. Thanks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you liked it! Enjoy 😊
Jackie Weinberger
This crust turned out perfect and delicious!
Nick
This is a wonderful and very easy recipe! I’ve made it twice now and both times the crust has turned out in a manner that could stand up to any restaurant’s crust! The only difference I incorporate from this recipe when I proof the dough I place it in a cold oven on the top shelf and on the bottom shelf I place a glass Pyrex and fill with boiling water. I close the oven and come back 35 minutes later and it’s perfect. Thanks Sam!