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.
Telma
The best pizza Doug recipe that I’ve ever made, crispy outside and soft inside. I skip the parchment paper because it sometimes prevents the Doug from crispyness and another thing is that I pre backed the Doug for 7 minutes in the oven 425 F and my pizza turned out the best! Thank you so much!
Sylvia Adams
I am thinking this dough would be great for homemade calzones too?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
Kate Nash
The best pizza dough ever! This is the first time I made this and wow…the best ever. No more buying pizza bases and this pizza dough is better than the pizza that you would buy for delivery. Honestly you can’t go wrong and when you make this once, you will always make it.
Liz
Ive made this twice. Once as written and once cooked up in a cast iron skillet. Came out better as written. Cast iron had a crispier crust but it was thick and didnt cook all the way through before the cheese started to over cook. And that was after a pre-heat on the stove top. Will continue to use this recipe and tweak it for the cast iron….Maybe. Its pretty darn good as written!
Deepika
The bestest pizza dough recipe. We have legit stopped buying pizza only and only because of you. Thank you soooooo much for this amazing recipe.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for your review, Deepika! Enjoy your pizza ❤️
GILLIAN BRUCE
I love this pizza crust recipe. I’ve used this so many times. Actually using it right now lol. So quick and easy. While the dough is resting, I cut up all my veggies. Thanks much.
Berta
I can’t remember if I told you before but this is such an easy and flavorful crust. I am no longer afraid to make homemade pizza with your recipe! My family loves it! Thank you!
Hailie
I’m going to make this pizza, but can I substitute the sugar with brown sugar or coconut sugar?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That should be fine. Enjoy Hailie!
Danny
I’ve made this recipe with my boys about 10 times now. It’s become our Sunday tradition. They love it! Best and easiest pizza recipe we’ve found.
David Adamson
First pizza recipe that actually worked and was great.
Tom Gillespie
Novice pizza maker
Thank you for the crust recipes
Donna
Have made this a few times. My babies and neighbors babies love love this. I even use the homemade pizza sauce recipe. There’s never enough to go around. Guess I’ll have to cook a few.
Sheila
My dough kept tearing when I was rolling it out. What could I have missed?
Sam
Hmm was it a little bit dry? There may have been a little too much flour in the dough. 🙁
Meg Adams
I’d guess I’d wasn’t kneaded long enough. It’s done when you can stretch it until it’s transparent when held in front of a window.
Tzara
If I want to make this dough at noon for dinner, can it proof for 4 hours? Or should I deflate it and refrigerate for the 3 remaining hours? Will it rise back up in 3 hours refrigerated?
Sam
Hi Tzara! It will continue to rise in the refrigerator, but it will be a much slower rise. You may want to just let it proof in the refrigerator and punch it down if it gets too big while in the refrigerator. 🙂
Ivy
The good:
My daughter, the world’s biggest 10 year old homemade pizza critic loved, loved this pizza dough pizza. She even ate the pounds of cheese she added, which she never eats.
The (not so) bad: It was a bit thicker for my taste, but it was still good! I might try to use this recipe to make a version of deep dish pizza.
The (not so) ugly: The shape of my pizza. Otherwise, excellent pizza dough that was easy to make.
SA
Made 2 batches today to prep for a dinner in 2 days and the durn things won’t stop rising in the fridge! I’m needing to punch them down every time I open the fridge door. Is this okay? What is proper to keep them in the fridge?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi there! Storing in the fridge is most definitely correct. Did you have them tightly wrapped?
Ita
So easy everyone loves it.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy it was a hit for you, Ita!
Audrey
I need to make 3 batches, can I just triple the recipe or do I have to do separate batches?
Sam
Hi Audrey! You should just be able to triple the recipe. I just caution you that it may get a little tough to mix that much dough. Enjoy!