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.
Jason H
Excellent dough recipe! where have you been all my life??! Seriously, I was in a jam for time and just took a chance and ‘googled’ for an easy pizza dough recipe.
This turned out great, even good left over – and that’s a real test.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough, Jason!
Zoe Skaggs
Made this for dinner tonight and it was FANTASTIC! My family was raving about it. Definitely making again!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the pizza dough, Zoe! 🙂
Lisa
This is my go-to pizza dough recipe. I make it with a mix of wheat and white flours. I’ve used this recipe many times now and every time it’s a hit. Thank you so much for sharing!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys the pizza dough, Lisa! 🙂
James
Great easy to follow recipe!! End result was a fluffy crispy crust. Thanks!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the pizza dough, James! 🙂
salina
this is hands down the best pizza dough recipe in the world! came out amazing! thank you! even my picky 2 year old approved. question, can i use active.yeast instead of the instant yeast as i am sadly out of instant yeast now? thanks
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough, Salina! You can use active dry yeast, you will just have a much longer rise time. 🙂
Anna
This pizza recipe is very easy to make and you get at the end a delicious – tasting pizza!
I made it earlier today and it was gone in a flash! The pizza dough is not too thick and not too thin when done-just perfect to our taste..I did not have basil but added dry oregano leaves and it was just great!
Made it with tomatoes and green pepper cut in small pieces, and now going to make another one pizza as per my family’s request :).
Thanks for sharing such a great pizza recipe-its a keeeeeper! 🙂
Anna from Mississauga, Ontario – Canada
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough Anna! 🙂
Valarie N
AMAZING!!! Was a HUGE family hit! Just made this last week and family is already asking for it again!!! Followed recipe fairly close… we like lots of garlic, so added more. Also did Oregano instead (couldn’t find the Basil at the time). Fantastic! Thanks for this recipe!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the pizza dough Valarie! I like to say you always measure the amount of garlic with your heart not a measuring spoon! 😂 You can never have enough.
Alexander
Love ur Dough I’ve try others and ur was amazing… I live here in Florida and it’s very hard to enjoy pizza here like New York however your Dough reminds me of New York but however even better you’re down FLORIDA … Thank you very much …
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy the pizza dough, Alexander! It’s always nice to have a good homemade pizza. 🙂
Tutu
I add my thanks with the others
I use organic non-GMO flour, high quality sugar and salt and all of a sudden pizza is guilt free!
Add garden goodies and you have healthy food that tastes great
I used this yeasty dough to wrap some cooked bratwurst squirted with mustard and baked it
Pigs in a blanket for Hubby-pleasing game day!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the dough. I like the sound of wrapping bratwurst in it! 🙂
Julie
Great pizza dough! Making it again for dinner tonight!
Love your recipes that I’ve tried so far.
Sam
Thank you so much, Julie! 🙂
Johnny
I’ve worked in many restaurants and dealt with many doughs, this is some great stuff!
I love the way it performs after the rise; it doesn’t fight, its soft and supple, like a baby tush, and rolls out so nicely and easily.
I usually don’t like pizza cooked on a cookie sheet,but I pressed it out and precooked it for about 5 minutes and then sauced it etc.
I also did a smaller round one on the stone.
My roomy and I then proceeded to argue over which was better, but both were great.
I’m actually saving this recipe, its a keeper.
I recommend doubling the recipe because why the heck not?
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy the pizza dough so much, Johnny! You can never have too much pizza. 😉
Justin
Works perfectly with bread flower. The warm water works great at activating the yeast. I’ve found that using a small bowl with warm water, pouring the yeast in, stirring with a finger and letting sit for a few minutes before adding to the 1 cup flower, salt, and sugar dry mix works great in waking them up nice and hungry. Using bottled spring water from a karst system (limestone aquifer, slightly alkaline water) makes it explode with all its natural flavor. Usually let it rise for half an hour at room temp and then split it into two folded balls after kneading with flower and wrap with cellophane, place in the refrigerator for uses in the next 2-3 days. Amazin.
Sam
I am so glad to hear you enjoyed the pizza dough, Justin! Thank you for commenting 🙂
Christine
Thank you so much for this recipe – it is absolutely fantastic! I have used it several times to make pizza, calzones, etc. and this recipe is consistently great! There is no need to go to the store to buy dough anymore!
Sam
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the pizza dough, Christine! Thank you so much for commenting, I appreciate it 🙂
Richard Winter
I have made dough on Tuesday, and let it sit in a plastic bag in the fridge until Sunday before forming the crust. Make a thin slurry of olive oil and garlic in a mini food processor and spread thinly over the dough. Dust with parmiagano/reggiano, bake (450-500°}). Cut in small bite sized pieces. (I like diamonds.) Makes a great hors d’oerve. The time in the fridge imparts a nice “sour” character to the.crust.
Sam
Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing, Richard!
Marielle
This is now our favorite pizza recipe! No more eating out because of severe allergies in our family. But, this is so much more fun than ordering a pizza. Everyone picks their favorite toppings and it makes for quality family time! At first I baked it on a cookie sheet, but now I bought a stone. Thank you for this easy, delicious, fun recipe!
Sam
I’m so happy to hear that it has been such a success for you, Marielle! Thank you for commenting, I really appreciate it 🙂