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.
Tash
Simply the best!!!! A definite winner 🏆
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
So glad you think so, Tash! Thanks for the review ❤️
Deborah
The best pizza Dough. I tried about 6 different recipes we love yours. Love the way you explain everything. Thanks Sam for all your wonderful recipes.
Laura
I usually make “pizza” using pre-made flatbread from the store. Tonight I realized a little too late that I didn’t have flatbread so I decided to make actual pizza dough instead. It was easy to make, delicious and for a first time making pizza dough, I was super impressed! I’m saving this recipe for sure. I used mozza and old cheddar for the cheese, bologna and Calabrese salami for the meat and pizza sauce of course. 100% recommend your recipe ! thank you 🙂
Erin
I used 3/4 c of warm water (at 109F) and mine came out dry. I could barely get the 2nd cup of flour to incorporate… 🙁 I had to damped it to keep it from crumbling.
Not sure what I did wrong. I mixed the first cup by hand with a wooden spoon, then I used a Kitchenaid with dough hook; measured the water before adding yeast (preproofed, bubbly.)
Rising now. Might be fine. First timer. I’ll reply later. Thanks!
ayyah
Different flours can absorb liquid differently. if you used bread/high gluten flour, it usually requires a bit more water.
Erin
It turned out ok. A little undercooked on the bottom compared to store-bought dough, but God knows what sort of “dough conditioner” and chemicals they add.
I think the more I repeat this, the better it’ll get. Love it!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Erin! It sounds like your dough might have needed a bit more time in the oven. Practice really does make perfect here, so definitely give it another try and let us know how it goes! Enjoy ☺️
AK
depends also how you measured your flour. did you spoon and level or scoop it from the bag? Did you use a kitchen scale and go by the weighted grams on your bag? I have found the estimates on this site for grams to always be higher for flour than the actual bag has listed. (I’ve check multiple brands/types of flour)
The humidity where you live can also make a huge difference. I have made it perfectly when I lived in New York, but in Georgia it has to be adjusted.
I would recommend spoon and level method if you don’t have a scale as it comes the closest to weighted measurements. I hope you have better luck next time around!
Jennifer
How many pounds of dough does this make? Thanks!!
Sam
Unfortunately I have never weighed it.
Mary Scheel
What kind of olive oil do you use? I used regular extra virgin and it turned out fine. Should I have used extra light?
Sam
Honestly you could use either with this recipe 🙂
The Chemist
Slight mod- I’ve been baking at 450F. I may go to 500F next time. I’m using a perforated non stick round pizza pan. I can get two 12”-14” pizzas out of this recipe. Result is somewhere between a cracker crust type and New York style. Proofing the yeast beforehand and using bread flour 🙂
Thanks for the recipe Sam, great start point !
Christopher Riccardino
Great and easy dough, but *ONE* 10-12 in pizza? I make two 14″ pies with this. How thick do you like your crust?!
Sam
You can see how thick I make mine in the photos and video, it’s not very thick 🙂
Maria Ramirez
Never made pizza before in my life nor do I have any experience in baking bread or pastries but this dough turned out so good! I added in some cheese sticks for a stuffed crust and it turned out perfect! Definitely will be using this again thanks!
Juz Me
Tried making pizza for the first time today. I have some basic experience with baking simple breads and cakes but somehow never tried pizza. Like the simplicity of this recipe + the homemade pizza sauce that comes with it – don’t even need the stove to prep the sauce! My pan is 8” so I split the dough into 4 and rolled out super thin for a thin and crispy pizza crust instead 👍🏻
Brian Henricksen
made it for the first time today, It was Delicious, Ty for a great tasty fast recipe. I used bread flour.
Ty
Amy Dunn
Just made this and it was absolutely outstanding! It went just like the helpful video and my cheesy breadsticks turned out perfectly! Thank you so much!
Brittany
So, so good! Insanely easy to throw together and the best homemade crust I’ve had. I was out of olive oil and apparently garlic powder also so I subbed canola and lowered the salt and added garlic salt and it is an easy 10/10! Soft, fluffy, and wonderful flavor with the basil & garlic!
We use so many of your recipes in our house, I always see if you have a recipe for something before checking anywhere else and they’ve never let us down!
Sam
Thank you so much for the kind words, Brittany! I really appreciate you trusting and using my recipes! ❤
Tina Kaufman
How much would I need of each ingredient for a 16″ pizza?
thanks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Tina! You could try rolling the crust out to 16″ if you like a thinner pizza; otherwise, we’d recommend doubling the recipe.
Sal Maranzano
Let it rise the second time for 24hrs for best results
Sarah Navaid
I love your recipe And will definitely try it tomorrow, I am super excited lets see how it will turn out for me. I will take pictures of it & will upload it. Thank you for sharing it.
Bekah
I’ve tried several pizza dough recipes but this one is by far the BEST! Thanks so much for sharing!!! This will be my go to recipe now!!!
Genna
Can I make it in a stand mixer and dough hook???
Sam
That would work. It’s a relatively easy dough to bring together, which is why I don’t use one here. 🙂
Genna
Could I make this the night before, so I could use it for a breakfast pizza.
Sam
I actually provide notes for making in advance below the recipe. 🙂