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.
Rachel
We make this dough ALLLL the time. It had been my intro to bread making. I’m not a baker and not once has this recipe failed me!
Jim
Bread flour will be more airy but tougher to work with, general purpose flour works ok but not as fluffy as bread flour, 00 flour is the easiest to work with and gives the crust I like best cooked on a cookie sheet that has been greased with olive oil.
Chris R.
Tried it out. Worked out great!!!! I’m hooked for sure.
Tricia
Made this tonight and it was excellent. Very easy and I was impressed by the taste and texture. Used bread flour and had a perfect NY crust. Will make often.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We appreciate the review, Tricia! Thanks for trying our recipe 😍
Barbra-Anne
My family loves this pizza dough so much!! I’ve made it at least 9 times now – it is very easy to make and tastes sooo good! Thank you for sharing this with us all.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy to hear that! Thanks for the review, Barbra-Anne 😌
Sam
I made this tonight with half regular flour and half bread flour. I also added 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning. This rocks.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you loved it, Sam! ❤️
Jim
Bread flour will be more airy but tougher to work with, general purpose flour works ok but not as fluffy as bread flour, 00 flour is the easiest to work with and gives the crust I like best cooked on a cookie sheet that has been greased with olive oil.
Tammy
Absolutely amazing crust. It was so good and very easy to make.
Jacob
Good recipe! I’ve made this several times and it always worked well. Once I forgot the oil until I’d mixed everything already, so I mixed it in at the end (before letting it rise). This had the unintended benefits of making it much easier to flatten out by hand, and made the crust a little crispier. Now I do it every time.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you like it, Jacob! Enjoy 😊
Glenys
Curious is this 2 and a quarter teaspoons of yeast or 2, quarter teaspoons and similarly with the sugar, 1 and a half or 1, half teaspoons. Thanks!
Sam
2 and a quarter and 1 and a half. 🙂
Jay
It’s 2 and 1/4 teaspoons. It’s written just like all the others measurements. 2 quarter teaspoons would be 1/2 teaspoons. That’s clearly not enough.
Frank
I added the exact amount of ingredients but after I added 1/2 cup of the 2nd cup flour the dough was too dry?
Sam
Hi Frank! When working with dough it is best to add the flour in parts so this doesn’t happen. The amount won’t always be exactly the same in everyone’s kitchen every time. It’s just the nature of working with dough. I hope this helps! 🙂
Lillian Agosto
I just want to thank you for your homemade pizza recipe,I made it today and I loved it. I felt like I was eating a New York pizza.
Sam
You’re welcome, Lillian! I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Misty
Perfect everytime( and easy)!
I double the recipie so I have one handy in the freezer! There’s something rewarding about home made pizza!
Marilyn Tyler
I am seventy years old and just made my first pizza from this recipe. I have never been a bread eater but this crust was so fluffy and flavorful. Thank you for sharing this. I must say it was very easy to make. I am all about easy. I will definitely be using it again. It is a save for me.
Howard
Everything is wonderful about this recipe the ease of making it, shaping it, the way it bakes up and the raves the pizza got. Thank you so much for this recipe I can stop searching for the perfect one, I found it.
Nicole
My dough was very dry, even using the water and 2 cups flour as stated in the recipe. As a result, my pizza dough did not form properly even after allowing to rise for over an hour and broke upon stretching.
Sam
I’m so sorry this happened, Nicole! It’s best to add the flour gradually to obtain the right consistency and to make sure it all gets worked in. 🙁
Rebekah
From my few times baking bread, and pizzas, I realized that the amounts can change based on the weather. If your air is very dry then you might need to add a bit more liquid, and if your weather is very humid then you’d need to add less liquid. Because of that, I never add the total amount or if my dough ends up to wet, I just add a bit more flour or more liquid for the opposite. You need to play around with it a bit since the air and altitude is different depending on where you live and may affect the way the dough turns out.
Andreas
Use AP Flour – Bread Flour has more gluten and sucks up moisture – at least that’s been my experience when baking goods.
If your going to use bread flour omit about 1/2 cup, you can always add flour, not as easy adding moisture to a dough
RonD
This Happened to me as well. I think the 3/4 Cup water (as stated in recipe) might do better at: 1 1/4 Cup for the given Flour Amount. After simply adding another approx. 1/2 Cup of water, I had excellent results.
Anne
It is great to find a pizza dough recipe that is so simple….no stand mixer, done in one bowl and perfect size. Everyone loved this pizza! Love your recipes❤️
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for the review, Anne! We really appreciate it 🥰
clennie
Great recipe. We added oregano, garlic and rosemary to the crust recipe.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds delicious! Enjoy, Clennie 🥰
Amanda Bailey
I experimented with many different pizza crust recipes and I loved this one the most for it’s simplicity to make. So I was thrilled that, in a blind test, my family unanimously voted as the best for flavor and consistency as well! I never plan to try another recipe again!
K. Anderson
I tried it today using a pizza stone and a 500 degree oven. Let rise a little longer than 40 min and used 1/2 and half bread and all purpose flour. Used the garlic salt and liberal corn meal. It ce out great.
Lisa
We’ve been looking for an easy, delicious pizza crust and this one was great! I thought it was delicious and easy.
Jim
I got a big, dry, flakey mess. I followed the directions, did it twice. What went wrong?
Sam
I’m so sorry this happened, Jim! It sounds like it could have potentially needed to be kneaded a little bit to work in all of the flour, or there was just too much flour added. It’s best to add it gradually so you can stop when you get to the right consistency. I hope this helps. 🙂
Jess
This crust recipe is so good! My husband and I loved it. It was very flavorful!
Kimberlee Williamson
This crust recipe was DELICIOUS 😋 I added the garlic, basil, and Pampered Chef everything but the pizza spice. I also put cornmeal on my pizza stone before baking. This will be my new go to pizza crust recipe. Thank-you for sharing.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy it was a hit for you, Kimberlee! Enjoy ❤️