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)
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.
Jessica
Am excited to try this recipe out since it does seem fairly simple! However, am thinking of making the dough ahead of time (while kids are at school) and then letting the kids make their own little pizzas for dinner. Will it be ok to let the dough rise for more than the recommended 30 min or will I encounter issues like over-proofing of the dough if I make it 3-4 hours ahead of time?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jessica! This sounds so fun–we bet your kids will love it! We actually provide instructions on how to successfully make this dough in advance in the recipe notes 😊
Jason
Can this dough recipe be used in an Ooni pizza oven?
Sam
I have never used one before, so unfortunately I can’t say for sure if it would work or not. 🙁
Anne
Best and easiest crust ever. I left mine in the oven longer to crisp it up more. Husband approved and will definitely make again. I only needed 1.5 cups of dlourand was worried it would make a big enough crust. It was the perfect size. Thanks
Kara
Came out bomb! Thank you!
Belinda
Love this pizza dough!
Lots of compliments!
BJ
At what point can these be frozen for best taste when served? And can they be cooked/reheated from frozen or do they have to be thawed?
Sam
Hi BJ! This can be frozen after it has risen. You can either roll it out or just deflate it and freeze it as a dough ball. I haven’t tried baking it from frozen so I can’t advise how that would work. I think it could, but may just need to be par baked a little bit before adding toppings, and may take an extra few minutes. 🙂
Amber
This recipe is super easy and delicious. I change up the Italian seasoning variations I throw in every time.. and it always comes out a winner. I make this at least once a week and right now my jam is topped in fresh pesto and tomatoes from the garden!
Amy
This is easy to make and so fricken good! Don’t judge us…I made this last night and tonight!! I had to hide leftovers so my kid can take some to school tomorrow. Definitely a new family fav!
Trish Earley
So good! I usually take off toppings from pizza and leave the crust but I ate every bite. It was super easy to make and absolutely delicious. Great recipe, thank you!
Svennik
my bf and his friends loved this! we (I) made four pizza’s and we couldn’t even finish them all. they were loaded with good stuff and it was almost even better the next day. thank you!
Alma
Best recipe and very easy to make.
Thank you so much 😊
Christi
I don’t have much experience with making any type of bread or dough, and it was so helpful to actually watch you make it. I am about to try this recipe now, and feel pretty confident that I will actually be able to do it since you showed us on your video. Thank you for posting!
Marina
Best pizaa dough ive EVER had, none of the other recipes i have used even compare
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for trying our recipe, Marina 🥰
Rebecca
This was amazing 👌
Chris
Definitely saving this recipe, the dough was light, fluffy, and delicious.
Danielle
I did this and ended up adding a little more water because it was a little dry. Could you tell me what I’m doing wrong please ??
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Danielle! The first step is to make sure you’re measuring your flour properly. We only add flour until the dough reaches the right consistency, so just add a little at a time and then stop when your dough looks right. You may not need all the flour listed. 😊
Crystal
This really is the best recipe out there. Thank you!
Zulu
Single bachelor who wants to cook more here. Perfect recipe! I love the ease and how quick it is. Thank you for posting this ^-^!