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.
SA
I used active dry yeast and not instant and it worked perfectly! I just mixed it right in with everything as stated in the recipe. Great recipe! And the fastest I’ve seen!
Virginia Ciaraldi
Great instructions and taste delicious
Marissa Kassten
I’ve tried many pizza dough recipes and I must say by far your recipe is my favorite. I do add a bit of vinager. But I season my doughs like you do as well so I knew you were a perfect fit for me. Well done, Sugar Spun Run, well done 👏 thank you 😊 🙏 👏
DJ
Hi I tried twice this recipe and the dough just does not get tacky. It keeps staying wet and sticky no matter how much more flour i add. Any suggestions?
Jennie C
Hi, I just made this a couple of days ago and everyone loved it. I used bread flour. I liked how the pizza bread was so soft 🙂
I made all 3 dough, with being the other 2 I just left in the fridge but I will use them tonight.
Best pizza dough recipe! Thank you so much for sharing it.
Trena C Zapata
Can dough be shaped before refrigerating or freezing?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
Trena C Zapata
😀😀😀😀😀
Ashley
My favorite pizza dough recipe
Delores Flanagan
my dough didn’t rise. What did I do wrong?
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this! Is your yeast still good? Was your water too hot when you added it to the dough? Is it really cold in your kitchen?
JENNIFER JONES
Can you freeze the pizza dough for a later time use?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jennifer! Yes you can. We provide instructions for this in the recipe notes 😊
Susan
This recipe will be the only pizza recipe you will need! It was easy and the taste was amazing! I added all recommended ingredients. I am going to try this recipe to make wiener wraps. Thank you for sharing, trying to cook more from scratch with the high food prices!
Mark McCracken
I followed the recipe exactly to the measurements and the steps provided. I couldn’t get it to form a ball at the end and it was way too dry to even work with so I added a little bit more warm water to try to salvage my first try here. I have made pizza dough in the past so we will see what I end up with. Mark
Shelley
Same happened to me Mark, and I used the same remedy as you, a bit extra warm water. So far so good. We will see how it rolls out and cooks!
Paula
I love this recipe. When doubling the recipe or even quadrupling it, do I have to double, triple or quadruple the yeast. I’m thinking that could be to much yeast.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Paula! You will want to double, triple, or quadruple all ingredients, including the yeast. Enjoy!
Nikki
My family loves this recipe! Question: Have you tried this recipe in a bread machine? If so, how did it come out?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Nikki! We haven’t personally tried it, but several others have with success 😊
DONNA JOHNSTON
MADE IT TURNED OUT PERFECT AND DELIOUS.
Tammy chapman
I love this recipe very easy and delicious
Sheila Reed
Excellent recipe, light fluffy, and flavorful. I used a deep dish pan and brushed the crust with butter, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Fire!!!!
Lorena
Hey, I was wondering what kind of cheese I should be using. What do you recomend?
Sam
Shredded mozzarella is a classic choice and what I’d recommend. Enjoy! 🙂
Rusty smith
hello can I use this recipe for pepperoni rolls as well ??
Sam
Hi Rusty! I haven’t personally tried it, but I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work. 🙂
Blaire
Absolutely delicious!! This dough has become my go-to recipe for pizzas at my house. I typically make the dough, portion it into two containers, and toss it in the fridge for at least two days. On pizza night, I’ll let it warm up to room temp while I get the table set. We use one of the doughs for pizza and the other for garlic bread and its perfect every single time.
PRO TIP: The flavor is at least 100X better the longer it proofs in the fridge — I learned this by accidentally forgetting about our dough one time. Now, I make it a point to “forget” about it for a few days.
THANKS A MILLION FOR THIS RECIPE!! I think I’m going to make your pizza sauce next time!!!