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.
Vafa
Thank you for a great recipe dear! Me and my family are loving it
KP
Thank you, dear ! It turned out good , really good !
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Sharon
This pizza dough is easy & delicious. Thank you. This is my second time making it & both times I’ve needed quite a bit less flour than the recipe calls for. Used only about 1 1/2 cups.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy the pizza dough Sharon! 🙂
Connie Peterson
I’m teaching my daughter to cook and we used this dough recipe to make Stromboli. I wanted a simple recipe for her to make by hand, not with a Kitchenaid mixer. The dough turned out to be easy and yummy! However, we kneaded the dough for a few minutes because, how can you make dough without kneading? Kneading is what makes it worth the effort, IMHO! 🙂 Thank you for developing such a good crust This recipe will go in my daughter’s recipe box.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the crust, Connie! What a great way to start teaching someone how to cook. 🙂
Felicia
Can I refrigerate the dough after it’s risen?
Sam
Hi Felicia! I know others have refrigerated it for 24 hours before using after it has risen and have had success. I have not tried it myself, so I can’t comment on how it will affect the dough. I hope you love it! 🙂
Kevin M
I’m trying out your pizza dough right now. Can’t wait to see how it turns out. Too bad we can’t share pictures on here for you to see.
Sam
I hope you love it, Kevin! I know unfortunately it is tough to share pictures here, but if you have a facebook account I do have a Facebook Group that allows for easy sharing of pictures. 🙂
Kevin M
So I tried it and it was delicious! Unfortunately I’m off of social media but the pictures as good as they look were nothing compared to the taste. Great recipe!
Larry
Kids went nuts and i am saving this recipe. I actually doubled the batch and made almost 3 pizzas! Thank you for sharing this! I definitely missed my calling!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it, Larry! 🙂
Will
Absolutely amazing pizza dough! The pizza taste so good, especially with a little bit of garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough, Will! 🙂
Kelly
So easy and delicious! My husband and kids were acting like I was a fancy chef! Thanks for great recipes!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the pizza dough, Kelly! 🙂
Blondell Brown
Hi
Can I use King Arthur Artisan flour to make pizza dough?
Sam
Hi Blondell! It should work fine in this recipe. 🙂
Zoey
For some reason, my dough is never sticky. I find I’m adding a lot more water to achieve the texture in the video. Can we freeze the dough?
Sam
Hi Zoey! It sounds like there may be too much flour from the start if you have to keep adding water. I would try starting with a little less flour. I have not frozen it, but I know others have with success. 🙂
Zaki Jääskeläinen
Very nice and easy recipe. In the time it takes to order a pizza and getting it delivered you’ll have made your own!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy the dough, Zaki! 🙂
Heather
I tried buying a Boboli crust at the grocery store today, but they were out, so I thought I’d attempt making one from scratch (which I’ve never done). I really appreciate how your recipe didn’t require a stand mixer (many online did) and love your trick to easily mix by hand! I made the dough earlier and we just finished eating the pizza and it was delicious! We loved the fluffy texture inside and crisp outside and the garlic powder and good olive oil made it really tasty! I never realized it was so easy to make and much less preservatives than pre-made crust! I’m making this dough from now on! Thanks!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the pizza dough, Heather! Homemade is always better if you ask me. 🙂
Marie
Havent cooked the dough yet still in the process of letting it rise but it smells amazing cant wait to eat!!!
Sam
I hope you love it, Marie! 🙂
Shaz
Hi I’m using this recipe for 6 kids too and made 6 mini Nutella rolls as well as 6 mini pizzas. Turned out excellent. Thanks
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the dough, Shaz! 🙂
Laurie
I love your pizza dough but…I have 6 kids and a special needs 19yo going wild and I used the teaspoon instead of the 3/4. I am making 4 recipes as always and the dough is too salty even though I tried to take some of the salt out. HELP!
Sam
I’m so glad you and your kids are enjoying the pizza dough, Laurie! By any chance are you using self-rising flour? That’s the only thing I could think of that would make the dough so salty.
Barry
Are you using garlic powder or garlic salt?