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.
Mike
For the yeast packet, would it be best to use ActiveDry Yeast or RapidRise Yeast Insant Fast Acting?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Mike! You’ll want to use instant yeast here, so the RapidRise 😊
Ann Man
The dough turned out great!
Zarina
Hi I wanted to try this recipe. I was wondering if I could leave the dough out overnight?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Zarina! The dough will need to go in the fridge. We cover how to make it in advance in the recipe notes 😊
S
I have made this recipe ten times now with all purpose flour and always end up adding almost 3/4 to 1 cup water in addition. Why is this happening? I’ve proofed the yeast before and not and same results. I’ve tested it with new and old flour, same results.
Sam
Hmmm are you gradually adding your flour? You’ll want to start with 1 cup, mix up all of the dry ingredients, add the water and then gradually add the second cup of flour.
S
So here’s how this recipe works for me in the south. Add ALL the flour and then the liquid after proofing the yeast and doubling the liquid.
Isabelle
I had the exact same thing happen even though I added the flour gradually.
Sam
Hi Isabelle! You don’t have to add all of the flour if it is not necessary. You should stop adding flour when you reach the right consistency. 🙂
Ben
Are you sifting your flour or just scooping with a measuring cup? To get accurate ratios you need to sift it, otherwise you may be adding almost twice as much flour than it calls for because it packs down when you scoop. I usually double the batch and do 1 1/2 cups water to 4 cups sifted flour. 2 cups in bowl first then add another cup until it’s incorporated and again with the final cup.
Karen Keen
Doubled the recipe and was able to make a sheet pan pizza and a10″ pizza. We then tried a store bought mix to make pizza to compare… this recipe is like 110% better!!! Really easy to make. I will be making it early today and then using it tonight, so I hope it’s with the same results. If so… well when ever I make bread I’ll make pizza dough and freeze it for a later date. A real money saver as well!
Brandie S
I have made this at least a dozen times and it’s so quick and easy. My go to from now on!
Lori Budreau
This dough turned out great. I used it to make a taco pizza! Could you use it to make cinnamon rolls??
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yum! We’d actually recommend our cinnamon rolls recipe instead 🙂
Madison
So easy turned out amazing
Lori
I mad this dough and it turned out great! Could you use it for cinnamon rolls?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Lori! We’d actually recommend our cinnamon rolls recipe instead 🙂
Madeline Verdi
I tried your recipe and I can’t tell you how great it turned out.
I did add Parm cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder to the dough the second time and it definitely made the crust fantastic.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you loved it, Madeline! Thanks for coming back to leave feedback 🥰
Ni
Can we let the dough rise slowly overnight in the fridge and then use next day for pizza? How long do we keep it out in that case, i heard that a slower rise is better for digestion
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Ni! We cover this in the recipe notes 😊
Maggie
I love this recipe! I have made it several times and it always comes out great. I substitute 1 cup whole wheat flour, 2 tbsp ground flax seeds, and 1 tadpoles super seeds and it’s delicious!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you enjoyed, Maggie ❤️
Vicky Murray-Friend
I am so glad that I found this recipe for Pizza Dough, it was exactly what I was hoping to find and it came out fantastic!! I did use the Garlic Powder and Dried Basil in the dough as well for change of pace. Thank you 🙂
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you found our recipe too, Vicky! Enjoy ❤️
Jessica
Thank you for this receipe! Was a great hit with my family…have made it twice and will continue to use this receipe. I added the garlic and dried basil and love the flavor 😋
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you love it, Jessica! Thanks for coming back to leave a review 🥰
Ro
This is my default go to recipe for pizza dough. It’s the best, I substitute 1/2 cup spent grain flour from brewing beer and it’s perfection!
Jenifer
Thank you or this delicious pizza dough recipe. My husband, and my son both absolutely loved it. Very delicious, thank you 😊
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
So happy everyone enjoyed, Jennifer! Thanks for commenting 😊
Chefmum
Amazing. The best pizza dough recipe I have ever tried. The pizza base was Devine. I will be using this receipt to make focaccia next. Bravo to the chef!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you loved it! 😊
Sanfi
Excellent! Better than any store bought
Deirdre
We use this recipe weekly in our house!
Ophelia
I was so scared of home made pizza after eating my mums awful pizzas growing up (sorry mum<3) but after trying this recipe it's been my favourite thing to make at home! It's so airy and crunchy
LITERALLY PERFECT EVERY TIME