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.
Bill Sloan
great recipe turned out great, no need to buy pizza anymore
Al
I recommend pre-baking the crust 5-6 minutes before adding sauce and toppings, otherwise the crust will be pretty soft. Good flavor!
Ricardo
I did this after following the recipe and it makes a HUGE difference!! Def bake before adding topping!!
EdVoltz
I’ve tried and tried to make pizza crust and failed so many times that I got discouraged and quit. My children wanted pizza so bad that I looked and found this recipe and tried again. Glad I did because it turned out great and my children enjoyed it! So easy and quick. It doesn’t require the day before prep like other recipes. I will definitely be using this again.
Kat Wilson
I absolutely love this recipe and use it regularly for “garbage bread” variations.
it’s fast and super easy to throw together!
thanks so much for sharing!
Janice Dsa
Awesome recipe that makes me look like a pro at baking! Big hit in my family!
Angela
Can this be made with 00 flour?
Sam
Hi Angela! I haven’t personally tried it, but others have reported doing so with success. 🙂
karen
It was so good i ate the whole entire thing by myself
Carole
Sounds like a 5 star recipe. I need to make several crusts for a party. Do you know how this recipe will react to a par bake and then finished in an outdoor pizza oven? Also how long would you recommend I par bake for. My home oven is a Viking that heats up to 500 degrees convection bake.
Sam
Hi Carole! It will do great parbaked and then placed in a pizza oven. I haven’t done it in a pizza oven to say for sure how long to par-bake it before adding to that pizza oven.
Debbie
My new go to pizza dough. I’ve made it a few times and my daughter requests “can you make the pizza you made last time?” She my fussy one so it’s a real hit in our home
Sam
This is so wonderful to hear, Debbie! Thank you for trying my recipe, and I’m so thrilled it’s been such a success with the family! <3
Kirsten
Unfortunately I did not have the 5 star experience, it was way too dry and I had to add extra water and oil. I triple checked the recipe and am sure on the amounts I added, so I have to wonder if most people don’t pack their flour? I think I will be using recipes that go by weight in the future.
Sam
Hi Kirsten! I am sorry to hear it. Definitely do not pack the flour, that would most likely be why it was too dry (I do have a post on how to properly measure flour, if that is helpful). Also, make sure to add the flour gradually as described. I would recommend using weights, they are listed in the recipe as well and what I recommend. I hope that helps!
Angela
I made this recipe for the first time yesterday. The tastiest pizza dough I have ever made it is a keeper for sure. As a tip I always grease my mixing bowl with olive oil before I start the process and that eliminates having two bowls on the go. That works for me every time I make dough recipes.
Kirsten S
10/10 recommend. My go-to recipe for pizza, calzone, and Stromboli dough.
Barbara
Can this be made with gluten free flour?
Sam
Hi Barbara! I have had many commenters tell me that Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour works well here. 🙂
Barbara
Thank you, I just happen to have that on hand and will definitely try this recipe. It sounds so delicious!!
Snails
Made a delicious pizza for my family, though if you are feeding 6 people i would double the recipe like i did. I recommend baking for longer than the recommended time for a less doughey crust, but it was overall a delicious recipe and I will make it again!
Donna
I think the baking time may vary according to your oven. I baked for 20min and the crust was a little too brown. So I’d check at 15min and watch it from there on.
Tim
Great recipe, thank you! Make a lot of homemade pizzas but have always cheated with dough balls from a local bakery. Yesterday was my first time making pizza dough, watched your video and followed your recipe and it turned out great. Used bread flour, made a double batch and made two pizzas about 14” each. The crust was fairly thick, great texture and tasted great. We generally like thinner crust, so will try a single batch next time and attempt two crusts out of it and see how that goes. Thank you!
Crystal
Super easy recipe. Everything came together to perfection. I cooked my pizza for 15 min to have a crispier crust. Definitely love the ease which this dough recipe delivered. I mixed by hand with a wooden spoon. I’ll use this recipe in the future. Thank you for sharing.
CAROL
I have made this many, many times. I make it in bread machine using the dough setting. I add fresh basil and oregano from the garden (finely chopped) and garlic powder or minced garlic.
We use this recipe for making garlic cheese sticks as well as pizza crust.
Always top it with the linked recipe for homemade pizza sauce.
I agree with those who have commented about the dough freezing well. I often make a double batch and freeze half.
Adam
I made it today; along with dough from Trader Joe’s and this one beat it with ease! Thank you perfecting it and sharing!