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.
Jen
Easy as advertised and made a perfect base for a breakfast pizza on the fly. Will definitely make this again!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for the review, Jen! Enjoy your pizza 😊
Steven Dufford
Delicious And as easy as indicated. I added a little bit of the no salt seasoning from Costco to my dough and it was absolutely delicious great Thursday night football treat!
Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yum! So glad our recipe was a hit for you, Steven 🥰
Jenn
Easiest dough ever. I used instant yeast to speed up the process and added some rosemary powder to the mix. Best pizza ever!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jenn! 🙂
It's Just My Middle Name
Tired this pizza dough recipe tonight and I love it. Thank you
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed it 😊
Liz B.
So easy and yummy!!! My family loves this pizza crust!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy it’s a hit for your family, Liz 🥰
Mariam
Hello! I just made my dough I was wondering if I can use air fryer and for how long??
Sam
Hi Mariam! I have not tried it in an air fryer so I can’t say for sure if it would work/how long it would take. Let me know how it goes if you try it. 🙂
Heather
I haven’t tried any other recipes, but I don’t think I’m going to because this is perfection. Thank you very much!!!
Jenny Garfias
This is delicious and very easy to make! Thank you for sharing this!
Cindy B
Worked perfect! My new go to
Wanda
Best pizza dough ever, the only one I go to now.
Joyce
Very simple and easy to make. The dough was soft and delicious. This will be a keeper for my family.
Mike Jones
Can we get a recipe without the novels?
Sam
Not for this price! Unless you click that big ol’ “jump to recipe” button, that is.
Laura
Is there a sub for the sugar? I don’t use sugar and would love to try this recipe
Sam
Hi Laura! You can use honey or coconut sugar. Enjoy!
Bryan Cullison
I used Monkfruit Sugar, which is a 1:1 sub with no calories and no after taste.
Jenia
I’ve used this recipe many times. It’s delicious!!! An easy crowd pleaser
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for the review, Jenia! We’re so happy our recipe is such a hit for you 🩷
Jacobs mom
100% WINNER! my picky autistic eater gave 2 thumbs up. trust me we’ve tried 6 other dough recipes, this one is soft and foldable, just like the pizza restaurants! Delicious !
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yay! We’re so happy our recipe was a success 🥰
JoAnne Dorow
can I use whole wheat flower? This is my go to recipe for last several years it’s Great, but I am trying to get better whole grains into my diet for better health.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Whole wheat flour tends to be a bit “thirstier” so you may need to make some other adjustments with the liquid as well, but we think it could work 🙂
Becky Trella
Super easy. Used half all purpose and half bread flour. Yielded 2 flatbreads spread on sheet pans brushed with olive oil. Put on toppings and baked at 500° to desired crispness.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for letting us know how it went for you, Becky!
Beth Palmer
For some reason, the dough was very dry- and I only used two cups of flour I would add more than 3/4 cup water. I think it would be better with at least one cup or more of water. I liked that it wasn’t too thin or thick. Perfect in that regard.
Jeff Tschampion
So fast! 5 min or less to make, and 30min rise? 1 hour pizzas for the win!
Vern P.
I made this recipe using active dry yeast twice, once by proofing yeast and once by adding straight to other dry ingredients, the proofing method was better pizza all the way around..It was delicious both ways though….
Kayla
I’ve made this pizza dough multiple times and I love it and so does my family. Making calzones with it this week.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy it’s such a hit for you, Kayla! 😊
Ernesto
Super soft.