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)
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.
Maddie
I am trying to plan for a “build your own pizza” night and was wondering if it would be possible to shape and pre bake the crust to make things easier. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thank you!
Sam
Hi Maddie! Pre-baking this crust will work just fine. 🙂
Alex
Hi maddie, that’s a great idea. If you’re going to pre bake the crust, I would recommend cooking at rather low heat (300F or 150C) for around 10 minutes and let it cool. The dough should be stiff enough to hold the ingredients but not fully cooked yet.
Then if you have a fancy oven, you can use the broiler setting at high temperature and put your pizzas on the top rack for cook the ingredient but not overcook the bottom of the crust.
This will of course depend on the thickness of the crust so you might have to sacrifice a few pizzas and adjust to make it great!
Howard Bain
I’m a 77 year old man who is just learning to cook. I added too much flour on the first try but the second try turned out fantastic. I divided the dough in two and refrigerated the dough. I used 1 for dinner and left the second five days later. who knew an old man could cook if he tried and had access to the internet
Leon
If it turns out dry, ad water slowly by wetting your hands when needing until it reaches the consistancy you are looking for.
Christina
My family liked this pizza crust a lot! It got a nice crisp using the pizza stone, and was delightfully soft on a regular baking sheet. I’m definitely going to use it in the future.
Trinity Grey
I impressed my Italian boyfriend with a homemade pizza for Valentine’s Day and he was quite impressed. Very good!
Sandra J
Can this recipe work in a bread machine on dough setting?
Sam
Hi Sandra! I’m not familiar with using a bread machine so I can’t say for sure how it would work.
Derek
I doubled the recipe for 2 pizzas and both came out very puffy, why and how do I fix this? thank you!
Sam
Hi Derek! Is it possible it needed to be rolled out a bit more? Did it have big bubbles in it? It could have needed to be pierced a few more times with a fork.
Nicole
Best pizza dough we have ever made! Comes together easily and the taste is fantastic. I love how the bottom is crispy and light and fluffy in the middle.
Kathleen
Can this be doubled? Made it two weeks ago with my cousin’s little ones and I couldn’t stop eating! So good! Want to make it now for a bigger group.
Sam
Hi Kathleen! You should have no issues doubling this. 🙂
Teresa
Great recipe! I’m not a baker and this was very doable for someone who’s not a pro. Thanks so much for sharing it’s a keeper.
John T
The mix is GREAT. Very surprised at how a small bit of basil really brought out the flavor. LOVE the garlic powder trick! The only thing I disagree with is letting the dough rise for 30 minutes. I tried it and, even though the dough ball doubled in size, it didn’t have enough tension. I did the window test and the light looked good, so I went with the plan. The final cooked pizza looked beautiful, the rise was photo worthy. But it didn’t chew right. I had better results next time with the more common punch down after one hour, then give it another 30-40 minute rise. But this is “THE” mix from now on. Love it.
Mel
Can i make this dough ahead and freeze portioned and proof when needed or will the quality lack? ?
Sam
Hi Mel! Several others have frozen this with success. They typically let it rise, deflate and then freeze. 🙂
Mo
Thank you so much for your response. 🤗
Gilly
literally the best, and easiest, pizza dough…ever! the addition of garlic powder is the key.
Sarah Romero
Hi Sam! I just gave it the taste test. I use anchovy paste in my pizza sauce, and the salt in the dough is just perfect to balance that out. It’s a very light dough, and tastes great. I had to use self-rising flour with some yeast because that’s what I have, but it turned out great anyway! Thanks for your recipe.
Dani
This was a very well-rated recipe in my search. And for good reason! I used King Arthur 00 flour and it worked just fine. I also added a VERY generous pour of the “Aglio Olio” seasoning blend from Trader Joe’s to the dry mix. I decided it needed more and added some after the dough was wet, and everything mixed perfectly in my stand mixer with hook attachment. I did use a little more water during this process even though I live in a high humidity climate. I have had issues in the past with dough getting super sticky.
I added a lot of oil to the glass bowl I used to let the dough rise. It rose so beautifully that I almost didn’t want to punch it down and work it. I was able to work this dough so EASILY. I couldn’t believe it.
I sprinkled some flour across my pizza stone and transferred my dough there. I also took some softened butter mixed with garlic paste (the concentrated stuff in the tube) and brushed that across the crust before parbaking for about 8 minutes.
Then, I topped it and baked for 14 minutes.
This was SUCH an easy recipe. Don’t shy away from seasoning the crust. I’m serious. I added SO much and could probably have still added more.
Thank you for such an easy recipe that’s also easy to personalize.
Suzanne Larlham
Can I double this recipe.
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
Diane
I made this, the crust, and everything is amazing! Wonderful job!
Akosua
Tried it! I made pizza for the first time this evening using your pizza dough recipe. It was delicious. My son’s choice of toppings was Chicken Alfredo with jalapeno, red, and white onions. Yum!
K
this crust doesn’t rise much when I make it
Sam
Hmmm is your yeast good? Is it in a warmer, draft free place?