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.
Melanie
Love this pizza crust recipe super easy to make and delicious.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much for your review, Melanie! We’re so happy the crust turned out so well for you ❤
Nuraida
Hi.. Thank you for the great recipe. I almost give up on prpearing my home made pizza until i tried yours.. The dough turn out so perfect that i cant wait to serve my family again.. Thanks for sharing
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you found our recipe, Nuraida! We hope your family loves the pizza dough ❤
Julie
I haven’t made yet but can’t wait to try. Can you tell us how you freeze it? In the ball? If so, how long do you defrost? In pizza crust shape? Cooked?
Sam
Hi Julie! I would let the dough rise, deflate it, wrap it in plastic wrap or freezer bag and freeze it. I’m not sure how long it will take to defrost it really depends on a lot of things there. You could freeze the cooked dough if you’d like. I hope this helps. 🙂
Linda
Easy recipe. My husband says it’s better than store bought! He just suggested to add a bit more olive oil. I thought the original recipe was fine!
Is there a way to make the crust a bit stiffer?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you both enjoyed it, Linda! You can try using bread flour next time, as all-purpose usually yields a softer crust. You can also try baking it just a little longer. Hope that helps! 😊
Adam Rockwell
This is a great recipe, thanks for putting it out there!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much, Adam! We’re so happy you enjoyed it 😊
Jen
My family and I love this recipe but every time I make it I can’t help but think I’m doing something wrong, and it could be even better. When I mix in the additional 1 C of flour, it always ends up seeming dry and looking more like a brain than nice and smooth. Has anyone needed not quite 1 C additional flour? I also have softened water…could that be the issue?
Sam
Hi Jen! Your softened water shouldn’t be an issue. I recommend adding the flour in gradually so that it doesn’t become too dry. 🙂
Ronald
Hello I’ve made this recipe twice now and found it really easy to make. Both times I’ve made this it turned out perfectly best recipe I’ve found so far my family enjoyed it. This will be my go to recipe when I want to make pizza I did modify a little I added 1/ teaspoon of aregano for flavor. Thank you
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you found our recipe, Ronald! It sounds like it was exactly what you were looking for. Thanks so much for your review–enjoy! 😊
Martin
Great and easy recipe!!
I added the garlic powder and dry basil for flavor, but also made it with crushed peppers and it was really good too!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds delicious, Martin! Thanks for trying our recipe 😊
Carol
Works well in the bread machine on dough setting. So easy.
I agree with reviewers who have said the total flour is lightly less than recipe calls for. And we increase the garlic and Italian herbs.
This is the family favorite. Makes a great cheesy bread too.
Mary
Hello! I have a couple of questions and would love to hear your opinion if possible:)
I am having a pizza making party with the kids I work with, in total there will 15 kids. If I wanted to make enough dough so they could each have a personal pizza (maybe 6 inches in diameter?) to add toppings to, how many batches do you think I should make? Can I make multiple batches together or will it do something weird to the dough?
Thanks so much!!
Sam
Hi Mary! I would think one recipe could be split into 2 pizzas, maybbbeee 3? Making that many batches at one time may be slightly difficult but I can’t see there being any issues doing so. I would try doing it in probably 4 double batches.
Pickle lover
Amazing dough, mine needed a bit less than two cups, but other than that, I definitely will be making this again!
andrea fielding
This is a seriously good recipe, it came out perfectly (I used bread flour)….I also added a little dry oregano and a little onion powder, the taste and texture were perfect, thank you 🙂
Kat
Hi, can I leave the dough to rise on the counter for 2 hours without having to put it in the fridge afterwards (i.e., proceed to baking in the oven after 2 hours)?
Sam
Hi Kat! That may be a long time for the dough and it may overproof at that point.
Barbara
My crust was quite thick and chewy. I prefer a thin crisp crust. Did I do something wrong?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Barbara! We’re so sorry your crust wasn’t as expected. It sounds like it may have needed to be rolled out a little more. Try that next time, and let us know how it goes ❤
Monnie
This has become my go to . Only thing I do differently is preheat a pizza stone in the heating oven . Then , I take the pizza stone and quickly put my stretched out disc on it , I quickly continue to stretch the dough on the hot stone with my (Sicilian ) finger tips. Be careful .Top it and Back in the oven .It comes out delicious and authentic looking.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for the tip, Monnie! Enjoy your pizza 😊
Nat
The pizza turned out really well. I did change it a little though. At the part of the recipe where you add 1 cup of flour to the mixture, I added less than half a cup.
Liz MG
Really good pizza dough and super easy to make. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
Zack
I totally agree with you Liz MG. Some call me the Pizza King, so you know what’s up😎🍕👑