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)
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.
Kaybee
We made this as written and it turned out perfect and tasted wonderful! Everyone loved it. Thank you so much for this easy, fast pizza dough recipe.
Gianna
I have made this 3 times for my family, and each time it has come out fantasticly! A well loved recipie in my house
Penelope
Really easy and delicious. Will definitely make this again.
Jim Moll
Pizza dough was very good and very easy to make. I think the amount of water in the recipe is too little and the video seems to show much more. I had to add more water when I was adding the additional cup of flour.
Crystal
I was thinking the same but me being a dummy just added less flour. Loll opps.
Jim
Yea silly me for just following the recipe 😀
Tess
This was my first time making pizza dough and it turned out perfect! Everyone loved it . I can’t believe how easy it was thanks for making me look like a pro!!
Heather Peek
Made classic pizza dough just right!
I saved half my dough to use the following day and both pizza’s were great
Vanessa
I want to make this tonight, but I only have vegetable oil. Will this alter the recipe or make a huge difference? Either way, I’m so excited to try it!
Sam
Hi Vanessa! Vegetable oil will work here. 🙂
Jeff H
Only 3/4 cup warm water? This seems way low. I tried this and I created a brick.
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this happened, Jeff! Did you add your flour gradually to avoid it becoming too dry too quickly?
Casey
Can you use this for calzones, pepperoni rolls and etc?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
Annette
I have to add more water to any bread recipe during low humidity times of the year, especially in winter. my house humidity is lucky to be in the 30s. I just add water by bits till it looks right.
Cion T
Love this recipe for making homemade pizza dough; thank you so much! Only thing I add before placing the dough on the pan is dusting the parchment paper with cornmeal!
Shannan
This was the first time I ever tried making pizza dough at home and it turned out delicious! I followed the recipe almost exactly and it turned out really well. After making the dough, I cooked it in my cast iron pan for about 10 minutes before adding toppings. I then added the toppings and cooked an additional 5-10 minutes. The crust turned out fluffy and the bottom was just crispy enough! I am making this again tonight & will try adding a few different slices to the dough like some onion powder.
Linda Tyndorf
Made this twice and have tried others also. I come back to this. You are a blessing. Love that you had the video also as it definitely helps for those of us who need to have a hands-on experience. Top notch. Told it was the best by those who love take-out pizza. Thank you.
Marquis
to much yeast. most dry yeast packs are made for 500g of four, so using almost twice the needed amount might cause sickness
Sam
This recipe uses a single dry yeast packet.
Griffosoyyo
I think he’s referring to the flour to yeast ratio. typically you want to use 1% yeast multiplied by total weight of flour. 1.4% to play safe, 500 grams x .01 = 5grams. Your packet of yeast is 7 grams.
Sam
Where did you get this ratio? Different style of pizza crust use different ratios, so a very thin crust or different style could use less, but you’ll find quite a range across recipes trying to achieve different results. The amount listed is correct for this recipe 🙂
Casey Panezott
When freezing this, or storing it in the fridge… how long do you let it sit out before using it ?
Sam
Hi Casey! You just need the dough to be workable so you can roll it out. How long that is going to take is going to be dependent on a few variables. You should be able to roll it out straight from the refrigerator. 🙂
Tayler
My family loved this recipe so I prepped and froze some dough do I just let thaw on the counter then shape and bake?
Rezvan Lindsay
Best pizza dough I made. I substituted the suger with honey. Next time I let it sit longer than 30 minutes and see if it rises more.
Julia W
This a perfect home pizza frust. I added a skoch more salt, used Italian herbs. onion powder and the garlic powder. came out tender bur crispy on the bottom..Ummmoo!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Julia, thank you so much for trying my recipe!
Casey
Can I substitute raw honey for the sugar?
Sam
Hi Casey! I haven’t tried it, but I think it could work. 🙂
Amy
I’ll never buy pizza dough again! I used bread flour and can’t believe how easy that dough was to shape into a crust.
Linda Tyndorf
Felt the same way. It was so darn easy and she explained everything so well. The dough was easy to work with and glad it only took 30 minutes to rise rather than many others that want 2 hours or in the fridge overnight. A blessing.
Natasha
I’ve made this dough twice, and each time it rips and doesn’t stretch into a circle. The first time I followed the instructions exactly and this time I allowed it to prove for 3.5 hours at room temp. Any idea what I’m doing wrong?! 🙁
Sam
Hi Natasha! There may have just been a bit too much flour in the dough. 🙁
Diane T
Very good, will be using this recipe weekly now. The garlic brought a lot of flavor to it, and since I didn’t have just Basil-I used an Italian herb blend that complimented it.
Thanks for making my first attempt at pizza dough a success, easy to follow directions, and appreciated the “notes” and making in advance section, super helpful.
Thank you!