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
If you enjoy watching these videos, please subscribe to my YouTube Channel to be notified every time I publish a video!
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.
Kc
Rapid rise yeast or active dry yeast?
Gunther
Any . I used active dry yeast, I just added a little water ( like your supposed to) to they active dry yeast, and mines turned out perfectly!
Racheal
This turned out soooo well! Thanks so much ! love it !😇
Nettie
I’ve made this 3 times now, and it’s perfect every time. I upsize it slightly and divide the dough between 2 cake pans that I’ve greased with olive oil. I then top with sauce, cheese and meats and bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe 😊
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Racheal
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU SO SO SO SO MUCH ! Really! This was such a great recipe ! I am going to go explore some of the other things you have made because I believe that it will be really truly awesome just like this one! ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️😇😇😇😇😇
Sam
Thank you so much Racheal! I am so glad you enjoyed the dough and I hope you love everything you try. 🙂
Stacey
Do you know how long I could store the dough in the fridge or freezer? I want to make it ahead of time and eaither refrigerate or freeze.
Sam
Hi Stacey! I wouldn’t keep it in the refrigerator longer than a couple of days and in the freezer I think it should be fine for a month. 🙂
Sean
Great recipe! I add a cup of my sourdough starter and increase the flour by 1/2 to 3/4 cup more and it works great as a sourdough pizza crust recipe
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy the crust, Sean! 🙂
Susan
I’m on my third attempt… super dry and doesn’t rise…. not sure what I’m doing wrong….
Sam
Hi Susan! I have never come across this problem. Maybe try using a little less flour. Add it gradually and stop when it starts reaching the right consistency. 🙂
K man
Rating it one star isn’t fair if you can’t make it!?
If it’s not rising you’ve got a yeast issue not an issue with the product.
Shiliela Wesch
Love the simpleness of this and that no mixer is needed. Just have one question.. Instead of a pizza pan, what about using a pizza stone? What changes would I need to make if any?
Sam
Hi Shiliela! I do not have a stone so I am not familiar with baking with one. I believe others have commented with how they were able to use a stone. They may have more insight for you. I’m sorry. 🙁
Theresa Norman
I use a stone and it works perfectly! Go for it!
Angie
Can this recipe be used to make mini pizzas? I want it to make mini pizzas at my daughter’s birthday party.
Sam
Hi Angie! You can certainly make mini pizzas with this dough. They would have to bake for less time. 🙂
kathleen
All time favorite! Ive used this recipe several times. Quick easy yummy
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the dough, Kathleen! 🙂
Anita
Can you refrigerate the dough for later use?
Sam
Hi Anita! You can refrigerate it after it rises. Make sure the cover it tightly so it doesn’t dry out, and for best results I don’t know if I would keep it much longer than 24 hours, unless you freeze it. 🙂
D
It’s fine in the fridge for several days. It actually, in my opinion, comes out better when you let it sit in the fridge for 24 before using it.
Great recipe, btw
Sam
So glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Nikki
This really is the best pizza dough recipe. I’ve made it 3 times for my kids and I. Even let my 15 yo and her friend make their own pizzas with it. At first, I loved it because it whips up super quick and is done in a jiffy, then I tasted it and it sent me (and even my picky eaters) to tastebud heaven. Super flavorful and our new family pizza night recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the pizza dough, Nikki! 🙂
Julian Opificius
The recipe is fine, but your video didn’t show the most important thing you talked about: the consistency of the dough and its pulling away from the sides of the bowl. That was the one thing beginners needed to see!
Sam
Hi Julian, please see 2:00-2:02 of the video. I hope that helps and am glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Duffy Hughes
THANK YOU!!! I have been struggling with my pizza dough for quite sometime now and I think this put me on the right track. I’m a cook at winery and I refuse to serve what I haven’t mastered. I’m eating this as I write to you and this is the best dough recipe I’ve had yet- I’m definitely presenting this to the meal planners..thank you again!!!
Sam
I am so thrilled to hear this, Duffy! Thank you so much for letting me know how much you enjoyed it 🙂
“Chef” Dave
Thanks for the SIMPLE pizza dough recipe share! Finding this simple recipe with no special ingredients got me to try it and then of course as a “Chef” I experimented a bit and am having fun making slight changes as I make new batches. This simple recipe is just the ticket to get a person having fun and making some great pizza!
Really, just thanks so much! PS: We are all “Chefs” LOL
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough, Dave! 🙂