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.
Virginia Coulter
Very nice recipe fir pizza dough
Earl
Make this dough all the time and it’s great.
Ashley @ Sugar Spun Run
So happy that you have enjoyed it, Earl! 🙂
Mary Kay
This is a great pizza dough. My grandkids are sometimes picky eaters. But this was simple, they could help and they loved it. I forgot to prick the dough with a fork but it didn’t seem to matter.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy everyone loved it! Thanks for trying our recipe and letting us know how it went for you 😊
Lori
I could not believe how easy this was and it turned out fantastic! First time trying homemade pizza and it was spot on very first time. I found the video very helpful on how to make it. I picked up a premade dough one day when I was short on time and not only did everyone say it wasn’t as good as my previous pizzas (with the same toppings), I had leftovers that I had to throw away…that was a first! Thank you!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds like your family loves homemade as much as we do, Lori! 🙂 We’re so happy this recipe was a hit for you and your family. Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review!
June
I have been using this recipe since I first found it and it’s great. But I keep trying to duplicate the Italian Family Restaurant’s town famous pizza. It was a little less bread like but not flat bread exactly. How would one achieve that?
Sam
Hi June! Without having tried the other dough it’s going to be very tough for me to know how to alter this one.
Ruth Taylor
Looks simple enough. Do you ever make the dough to freeze? Any tips?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Ruth! Many people have frozen it with success. We provide instructions on how to do this in the recipe notes. Enjoy! 🙂
Jo
What a great recipe! So easy and the dough had such a great feel. I’d make it again and toss out my other recipe. I did add the garlic salt and more salt, but wow! What a great pizza dough recipe. You may need a tad bit more flour as suggested. I did!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you like our pizza dough recipe, Jo! It’s one of our most popular recipes. Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review 🙂
L.L
Amazing!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you liked it! Thanks for coming back to let us know how it went for you 😊
Craig C
Is the parchment paper on pan necessary?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
It helps prevent sticking, but you don’t have to use it. If you’d like, you could use a little olive oil or dust the pan with a thin layer of cornmeal. 😊
Matt Allen
Great recipe! I doubled it and made a small pizza for my daughter and filled a large pampered chef pizza stone with the rest. It was light and fluffy (I used all purpose flour). Edges were nice and crisp. Super easy recipe that delivered a great pizza.
cheryl
Wait, does 2-2 1/3 just mean 2 & 2/3 of a cup?
Sam
Hi Cheryl! That’s somewhere between 2 cups and 2 and 1/3 cups of flour. 🙂
Jane HP
I don’t have rapid rising yeast. Can I use the original active dry yeast?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jane! We actually cover this in the recipe notes. Enjoy! 🙂
Karla
My 8 year old son and I made two pizza doughs together. We had a great time together and he did fabulous job stirring, blending and kneading. Plus the pizza tasted great! Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds like you two made some wonderful memories, Karla! We’re so happy it tasted great too–enjoy 😊
Malissa
Can I use vegetable oil instead of olive oil?
Sam
That will work fine. 🙂
Sarah H
I’m going to make ahead. When I use the dough tomorrow okay to use it cold or pull it out of the fridge for awhile? Thanks!!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Sarah! You can just let it sit for a few minutes before using. Enjoy! 🙂
Liz
Excellent basic pizza dough recipe! I used it to make breakfast pizza this morning 😊
Mary Beth Caplan
Love this recipe. I doubled it and had it in the refrigerator for a few hours before baking, and it turned out great. My grandsons had a fun time making their own pizzas from scratch! Definitely a keeper!
Ian K
Hi Sam is it possible to use this recipe in a bread maker using the dough setting? Regardless i intend to try it. First in the bread machine as allegedly I’m a messy chef… My better half states bread machine is a much cleaner process with equally good results.
Ian
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Ian! We don’t have much experience with a bread makers, so we’re not quite sure how that would work. If you try it, will you let us know how it turns out?
Trish
I made this recipe with my bread maker a couple of weeks ago and it turned out perfect. Making it again today. I used the dough setting.
Ian
Hi Trish thats how i have made my dough previously. Always works out really good. I will definitely give this recipe a go. Thank you and Merry Christmas.
Chastity Resendiz
Love this recipe! Definitely gonna try this! You talk about a barbecue chicken pizza, and it sounds amazing! What would you use for toppings? Gonna try to use up what’s left of our Christmas turkey tonight 😂
Sam
Hi Chastity! I would probably use BBQ sauce, some shredded chicken, monterrey jack cheese, and a few scallions. 🙂