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.
MRB
Wanted to make a pizza as a creative way to use up leftover pulled pork, but didn’t want to spend the money to get premade dough at Trader Joe’s. I followed the recipe for the dough itself pretty closely, adding 1/4 tsp garlic powder to the dough as suggested. I found that 2 cups of flour total was plenty for me, and somehow I did not have any issues with dough being overly sticky throughout the process. When it came time to knead, I didn’t use a lightly floured surface– my dough was so oily from the proofing bowl that I was able to knead directly on my silicone baking sheet and did not add more oil to the top of the crust before poking holes in it. Topped with BBQ sauce, leftover pulled pork, diced jalapeño, picked red onion slices, shredded cheddar/mozzarella mix, and a sprinkling of garlic salt and black pepper. Baked for 15 mins and really hit the spot, for cheap!
Les
made this for a pizza night with a couple of friends and it was fantastic! I used all purpose flour, and made sure to proof my yeast before incorporating it into the flour.
I used rapid rise yeast, which I suggest using quickly after the proof time because it will overflow sometimes!
will be using it tonight since I’m too lazy to cook lol!
definitely putting in my personal recipe book!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy it was a hit, Les! Thanks for the review 🩷
Yana
Made the perfect fluffy pizza dough! Trying a second batch to make breadsticks!
Brittney
Can I make this with 00 flour instead of all purpose flour?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes! Enjoy 😊
Tim Barlow
First time making pizza crust came out really good thanks
Dino
I have a slightly different recipe, but two things that may help is to use agave syrup in stead of sugar, since it’s a liquid, and I also like to let the finished dough sit in a covered bowl overnight, in the refrigerator. It can actually sit for two days in the fridge.
Joel
Recipe did not work at all. Dough never firmed up. Such a disappointment
Sam
Hi Joel! I’m so sorry to hear this happened? What do you mean by the dough didn’t firm up? You may have just needed a bit more flour if it wasn’t to your desired consistency. 🙁
Violet
I have used this pizza dough recipe repeatedly and it works like magic, my family can’t seem to get enough Really love it
Kellie
First time I tried this recipe. I doubled it and mixed in it my bread machine and then proofed it in a glass bowl. It was amazing! The pizzas turned out beautiful and delicious!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Kellie! 🙂
Tracy
My favourite by far. I even bookmark it!
Diane Benway
Beat pizza crust …tender and light. Mmmm
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Diane! 🙂
Sean F.
Ok, I love cooking but I’m strictly anti-baking. I just hate having to use exact measurements. This recipe is idiot proof and turns out perfect. It was so easy, I made a second batch and added it to the same bowl as the first batch to rise since it literally only took 3 minutes. Amazing dough that’s almost impossible to mess up. Thank you!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Sean! 🙂
B
Amazing recipe! Added the garlic powder as suggested, so soft and flavorful. The whole family loved it. Thanks for another great recipe!
Kendra
I made this pizza and put it in the oven for the time you said in the recipe. The bottom of the pizza did not brown, unsure if it was cooked I left it in for about another 30 minutes and the bottom still didn’t brown but cheese was starting to burn so I took it out. Is it suppose to turn brown on the bottom to indicate it is cooked?
Thank you
Sam
Hi Kendra! The bottom doesn’t necessarily have to brown as long as the dough isn’t under-baked when you remove it from the oven. If your cheese is burning you likely have baked it enough. 🙂
Emily
Fantastic crust, held up great. I’m going to double this from now on – it’d be great to hand on hand in the freezer. I’ve made a lot of pizza crust recipes and this one is my favorite by far!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Emily! 🙂
Abbey
The best I’ve tried making. The only thing I did different was using 3/4 bread and 1/4 00 flours. The crust was so easy to handle and shape. The dough baked up crunchy and tender soft. So delicious .
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Abbey! 🙂
Ariane
Great pizza dough recipe! So quick, easy and tasty. Thank you!