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.
Anna
I’m making this now with the same measurements and the dough is so dry it won’t attract all the flour. I’ll add more oil and water. Never made pizza crust before so I have no clue what I’m doing wrong.
Sam
Hi Anna! I’m so sorry to hear this! Did you add your flour gradually? You should add flour until you reach the proper consistency. 🙁
Anna
Yes, I’m following the recipe exactly. I’ve made it at least 4 times now, and I typically need 1.25-1.5 cups of water to get the right ratio so that it forms a ball of decent consistency.
It has almost the right consistency when I reach the step of 1 cup flour + 0.75 cup water. Adding the 2nd cup of flour makes it too dry to form into a ball, so more water is needed.
Also, it’s very difficult to roll the dough (after it sits/rises/kneaded). It won’t maintain it’s shape. It’s very elastic and retracts back into itself a few inches after each roll of the pin. Is this right how it’s supposed to act?
I’m using basic, cheap, white, bleached flour from Aldi.
Sam
It should pull back in a little bit when it’s rolled out. The dough should have a good elasticity. 🙂
Bernadette Dickson
Great recipe. I 4 times the recipe and made a lot of calzones. The dough is very nice to work with.
Thank you!
Valerie
WOW!!! I am just thrilled with how good this pizza turned out. The dough is truly fantastic, your sauce divine. I am so very happy to have found you Sam and look forward to many more amazing recipes. Thank You!
Carolyn
I have made this 8 times and it has been great every time.Thank you so much.
Jo
The dough did not double in size when rising, however, I was able to poke and spread on my pizza pan. Delicious!!
Belle
does this recipe for a 12″ pizza pan make it a thin crust or thicker crust? I like thicker crust. Thank you. I have made this before but it’s been a while. it’s also a very yummy recipe!
Sam
Hi Belle! You can kind of see it in the pictures in the post. It’s not going to be a super thin crust, but it’s also not going to really thick.
____
ive made this recipe about 5 times and it always comes out great
Nancy Eddins
Made a trial run this morning since I had to proof my yeast. I used bread flour but missed the measurement for that adjustment. Because I’ve worked with yeast breads beforeso I knew when to stop adding the 2 1/3 cup measurement for Allpurpose flour. My dough was getting dry at approx 1 3/4 cup so I added a bit more Olive oil. This dough turned out delicious!!! Best of all it’s so easy to make!!
KD
I have not bought pizza dough since discovering this recipe and I’m SO happy about that. It is so delicious and easy. I like making at least three batches at a time and freezing two.
Seems like I should pre-bake before ingredients, because my only issue has been the dough being a bit doughy, but GAH, so good! I go crazy with the garlic powder.
Prep
It tasted pretty good! Kinda hard to work with tho, a little stiff. But it didn’t break when I was rolling it out, so not bad.
Nancy
If using bread flour make sure to adjust measurements. Bread flour absorbs liquids more. I made the mistake of not adjusting the bread flour but knew when to stop adding the flour as it was getting dry. I added a bit extra olive oil and the crust turned out very good.
Anna
Amazing pizza dough loved it
Palwisha Nadeem
I tried this recipe tonight and man oh man! I didn’t think i had it in me but i did it. The dough came out so good! Coming from someone who sucks in everything related to baking and kneading and everything of that sort, i did a pretty good job thanks to this recipe. It was easy to follow and super simple. The only thing i did differently was that i proofed my yeast and pre baked the crust before putting any toppings on it. Amazing! This recipe is definitely going in my recipe book! Loved it
Tina B
Absolutely awesome recipe! My husband made bread sticks last night and we made a delicious pizza today. Thank you so much for sharing. This recipe is now hanging on our fridge as our “go-to”.
Mckensie Shiner
Super super good!$! I put it in the oven for a few while it preheated to get it extra crispy. It didn’t look too brown when I pulled it out but when I bit into it it was nice and crispy!! Love this recipe and will use it for years to come. Thank you!!!!!
Rosie Sprynczynatyk
I’ve made this dough many times. So simple and delicious.
Karen
Really good dough! The only thing I would do Different next time is bake it for a few minutes before I add the sauce and cheese! I’ll try it again! Definitely!