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.
Adrienne Foxx
it is really dry right now and breaking apart. i think i put too much dough with the second cup. is there a way too fix it?
Sam
Hi Adrienne! Unfortunately I don’t have a good way to make it less dry. Adding the flour in parts is the best way to make sure this doesn’t happen. You can stop adding flour when you reach the right consistency.
Matt
If I wanted to double this recipe can I just add 2x the ingredients or should I use the standard recipe in 2 bowls? Looking forward to trying out the recipe. Thanks!
Sam
Hi Matt! Several people have doubled or even tripled this recipe in one bowl with success. 🙂
Patricia
I have been coming back to this recipe every time I make my BBQ Chicken pizza (or any pizza) for the past three/four years. I use the 1/4 tea spoon of garlic, basil, oregano AND thyme each. I get so many compliments on my pizzas and I blame it on this crust recipe. Thank you so much.
Averionna
This was one of the easiest and most successful pizza doughs ive ever made. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Karen
I plan on making this later today. If I proof the active dry yeast, is this 3/4 c. of water instead of or in addition to the 3/4 c. water included in the recipe? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Karen! You will only want to use 3/4 c of water total for this recipe. You will want to proof your yeast in that 3/4 c of water and then add it in to your flour. 🙂
Elizabeth
I’m a 15 year old learning to be a good house chef (because I love food) and this recipe was easy, delicious, and fun to make with my little brother. So glad I can do this instead of ordering PaPa Johns every other week! Much healthier!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That’s wonderful, Elizabeth! Keep on baking and let us know if you two try any of our other recipes 😊
Stella
Easy and lovely pizza dough recipe.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much, Stella! Enjoy 😊
Kameryn
This recipe is amazing! The pizza dough I normally make takes two and a half to three hours all together with rises and such, but I didn’t want to wait that long and today found this recipe. I’m glad I did because it turned out great! I was even afraid I overworked it but it turned out super fluffy. Definitely going to use this recipe again!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy our recipe was a hit for you, Kameryn! 😊
Akosua Ofewaa Opoku
Such a very easy recipe to follow! I fell in love with it at first reading… lol.
Anyways, I was wondering, how much does the dough weigh after it has doubled in size (before it is shaped into a pizza), if you can share? I totally forgot to measure mine in all the excitement of a simple yet flavour-able recipe.
Sam
Honestly I have never weighed the dough so I can’t say for sure how much it will weigh. 🙁
Frank
weigh the flour and water separately, the rest of the dry ingredients are at most 1oz if that. Here’s a start… a cup of water weighs about 235 grams, a cup of flour weighs about 125 grams. there are about 28 grams per ounce.
Lorina
Sooo good! After yet another disappointed, expensive pizza delivery, I decided no more and found your recipe! We’ve made it twice and appreciate how fast and easy it is for pennies! Also, your pizza sauce is absolutely PERFECT and really makes the pizza delicious. Thank you so much for great recipes to add into our weeknight meals!
Chris
It came out crispy the crust time top was brown 30 minuts any suggestions for crispy chewy?? Not just crispy??
Sam
Hi Chris! 30 minutes is a really long time to bake this dough. You could try adding a couple of minutes to the bake time, but I don’t recommend doubling the time. Getting a crisp to the crust will also be easier if you pre-bake the crust without any toppings on it, add some toppings and finish baking. 🙂
Timbo
So easy, and a great feel to the dough. Easy to work with, also. It’s now my favorite and I appreciate that it uses regular flour! I do add a bit more salt to the dough! That’s the only thing I change, except I double the recipe and put one pizza in the freezer raw for another pizza nite!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy our recipe is such a hit for you, Timbo! Thanks for your review 😊
Myra
My picky-eater kids love it!
Super easy instructions for someone that doesn’t cook that often. Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy to hear that, Myra! Thanks for giving our recipe a try. Enjoy 😊
Bruna Villagra
My go to recipe when we want to make pizza. Easy, works every time and it tastes amazing! Thanks for sharing it with us!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much, Bruna! We are so happy our recipe is such a hit for you ❤
Debbie
First time making a homemade pizza crust. Turned out fantastic!! We loved it!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for commenting, Debbie! We’re so happy your pizza turned out so nicely 😊
Caroline
Great recipe! I added some Italian seasoning to my crust and it smelled so good while it cooked. Crust came out great and had a really nice texture.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Caroline 😊
Kat
Worked great, was easy, and the instructions were clear. Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for your review, Kat! Enjoy 😊