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.
Mike
First try, and it Came out great! I could have made the crust a bit thinner, but was awesome with your no cook sauce. Will definitely make again. Had to save this site to remember it.
Sowji
Delicious! Thank you for teaching this amazing one. It turned out great!
George Moffat
Just made my first pizza and it was a major success–thank you! Had a bit of bother rolling it out but that was probably just me; I was trying to get a really thin base. BTW I’m surprised you categorise your recipe as “American” cuisine. 🙂
Kripa
Yummy! Thank you so much for this recipe! This is sure a keeper….
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy it’s a hit for you, Kripa! Enjoy ❤️
Khadija
First time making pizza, I followed the whole recipe but when I mixed in the rest of the flour the dough became really dry 😞 I just added more water fingers crossed it works
Robert
I didn’t have packets of instant yeast as the recipe said so I substituted bread maker yeast and the result was wonderful. Best pizza dough recipe I’ve tried. Only thing I may add next time is sprinkle parmesan on the outer crust for added flavor.
Kim
Love this dough it is my favorite.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you love it, Kim! Thanks for the review 😊
Tammy
My husband is a pizza connoisseur and normally makes the best homemade pizza…that is until I discovered this recipe for the dough and sauce. It was better than his and better than the pizza from our local Italian restaurant. I did proof the yeast in the warm water with sugar, then added the oil. I placed the remaining dry ingredients in my stand mixer. I slowly added the wet to the dry until a nice dough ball formed.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wow, we love this Tammy! So glad you found our recipe 🥰
Rick Peterson
My pizza dough never rose.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Oh no! It sounds like your yeast was bad 🙁
Randy
Probably old yeast
Tracy
Looking to double this – should we double the yeast or just the other ingredients?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Tracy! You’ll want to double everything if you double the recipe 🙂
Steffie
If I wanted to make 2 big pizzas, can I double the entire recipe or do I need to make 2 separate batches? Also, do you know why so many other recipes call for 10-12 min kneads?
Sam
Hi Steffie! You can double the entire recipe. And this duration of kneading is often necessary for gluten development, but when I set out to develop mine I wanted a recipe that didn’t require that at all (and feel this one was successful with that). I hope that helps!
Kirk
Turns out great every time
Lisa
Hi,
If we only have regular yeast available, how long do we need to let rise/knead?
Thank you!
Sam
Hi Lisa! The only thing that will change is how long it takes to rise. I haven’t done it myself so I can’t say exactly how long, but you’ll want the dough to double in size. 🙂
Lisa
I was able to find instant yeast 🙂
I’ve tried countless pizza dough recipes that never turned out right and this one was perfect! Thank you so much!
Mary
First time ever making pizza from scratch and this was so easy and everyone loved it! I can’t believe how fast it all came together. Thank you so much!
Veronica
Delicious recipe
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for giving it a shot, Veronica! 😍
kris
Very good recipe. Make sure you read ALL the instructions before making. Don’t be like me on my first try and impulsively start mixing! You’ll end up with a dense ball that doesn’t rise.
I made this a few times and each attempt gets better and better. Definitely something to play with and perfect.