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.
Eilis
How much bread flour do I use?
Sam
It’s listed in the ingredients. 🙂
Ada
We loved this recipe.. was so easy to follow. I had made dough in different pizza parlors with already measured out ingredients for many years before being disabled and I missed doing that job so decided to do it at home instead of getting frozen pizza and now this is what we do. I swapped out the active yeast for a mix packet of yeast and sourdough and it worked very well.
Hubby says he missed my pizzas and is very happy to have me back at it so thank you!
wanda
I have made this an my man loves it. Now when I made pizza he said to use this dough nothing else will do. Thank you.
Wanda Lane.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy our recipe is a winner for you, Wanda! Thanks for sharing ❤️
Kirsten
This crust was very good. I used gluten free 1:1 flour and it came out perfectly!
Chantelle
SO HAPPY I FOUND THIIISSS!! My husband and I have been very keen on making everything homemade. So when we tried this dough it was PERFECT! Now we make a batch, split it and freeze half!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you found our recipe too, Chantelle! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment 🥰
Sherri May
Disappointed in the crust results…more like biscuit dough. Flavor was fine but not chewy or even crisp like pizza should be. It wa easy to make but it won’t be my go to crust.
Lori Dooley
Make the recipe by using the 3/4cup warm water and yeast in separate bowl add sugar to it let dissolve then add to your flour mixture, once u got the sticky dough forming add 1tbsp oil and garlic 1tsp roll it pretty thin I use a 16in pan and I make it stretch across plus I let my proll for 45mins and my crust comes out like pizza crust, I also brush my dough with a little garlic oil before adding the marinara and cheese then once at 400 for 18 mins then comes out perfect if u want more crunchy bites try leaving it a Lilongwe in oven once again I add another lil bit garlic oil on edges as it is out and serve my kids and I end up making like four in one night. Only got one slice and it was good each time.
Pam
Excited to try this! Can the recipe be doubled or even tripled or should I make separate batches?
Sam
Hi Pam! Several others have doubled and even tripled this with success. 🙂
Molly
This is a fabulous pizza dough recipe.. I’ve tried several before over the years, but this is the keeper!! I did add some more herbs, a little bit of Parmesan & some red pepper flakes to the dough before rising, but that’s just my preference. We ended up cooking it on our pizza stone on our gas BBQ because my oven was on the fritz. Only had to cook for 7 minutes and it came out perfect. Thanks so much for the truly best pizza dough recipe !!
Hi
What do you mean by warm place in step five?
Sam
The top of your stove is normally a pretty good spot. 🙂
Samantha Jane Jhambaldhini
Can this be prepared and then frozen for use at a later date
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Samantha! Yes it can. We provide instructions for this in the recipe notes 😊
Marilyn B
Excellent pizza dough recipe. I have been using this one for years@
Danae
Thank you! This is my go to pizza dough recipe for every birthday party! My family loves it!
Deb
Wowza, this really is the best ever pizza dough recipe.
Everyone was so impressed, thanks for sharing this awesome recipe.
Autumn
Beat pizza crust ive ever made! Amazing!
Julia N.
I have been making my own pizza since I was 14 and worked at a pizza place in Texas. I kind of made up my own recipe for the dough which is very similar to yours. I mix in lots of garlic (because we love it!), also parmesan, Italian seasoning, basil from the garden, and red pepper flakes for a little kick. Also, after I take the pizza out of the oven, I brush the crust with either olive oil or butter, then a sprinkling of garlic powder around the crust. Sometimes I add mozzarella to the dough when I knead it (or stuff the crust with it). It’s always delicious!! You have a great recipe here, and your instructions are spot-on! One hint if you like a crispy crust is to sprinkle the pan (or parchment paper) with cornmeal just before you roll it out. If you don’t have cornmeal, you can pre-bake the crust for about 5 minutes, then take it out and put the sauce and toppings on and put it back in for 10 min. or until the cheese is bubbly and brown. I bake mine on a stone at 450-500 degrees, the hotter the better. In the pizza place I worked at, we baked at 650 degrees for 7 to 10 min. depending on the toppings. Making this again tomorrow! I can’t wait!!
Anne
This dough was so good!! I followed the recipe exactly as instructed. Super easy and turned out perfect. Hubby and kids loved it too. Thanks for sharing!!!
Jen
I’ve made this crust multiple times and it always turns out perfectly. Tonight’s is with fresh mozzarella, homemade sauce, jalepeno and prosciutto (added immediately after baking).
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yummm, that sounds SO good Jen! Enjoy 😋
Valerie
The first time I made this dough was on 7/1. I followed the recipe to a “T”, all exact measurements and while it turned out, it was thick and okay, not the best. But I didn’t give up, tried it again tonight and BAM! PERFECTION! I used bread flour but only 1 1/2 cups. It was delicious. Needless to say this recipe is the best and helped me find my best dough.
MichaelLynch
How where they
Jenn
Does this work using a bread maker?
Sam
Hi Jenn! I’m not familiar with using a bread maker so unfortunately I wouldn’t be able to advise. 🙁