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.
Jaxon
The best made it and the family loved it im the cool uncle now thanks
Joanns
I’ve made this countless times and it always turns out great! My experience is that I have to add a little extra water rather than a little extra flour. For reference, I’m using all purpose flour and active dry yeast. Love this recipe!
Monica
This is a great recipe. I use half bread flour and half ap flour. I get a crispy and chewy crust that my family loves.
Bailey
I don’t know why everyone is saying its bad but as long as you follow directions and read everything she has put under this recipe it turns out perfect. It’s actually my go to to freeze and bake pizza dough.
Cat
I found this recipe about a year ago and haven’t bought pizza – fresh OR frozen – since! It is so easy and delicious, and comes out perfect every time. Thank you so much for sharing!
Kim
I am trying this for the first time. I usually just buy pizza dough.
I followed the recipe as is but the dough didn’t come out smooth. It was kinda cracked looking, it is currently rising so I hope it turns out good.
I am not sure what I did wrong. Do you have any suggestions on to fix my error for next time? This really is a simple recipe.
Sam
Hi Kim! It may have just a touch too much flour in it or it could have needed to be worked together just a bit longer. Try adding your flour a little more gradually next time. I hope you love the pizza dough! 🙂
AH
I was actually surprised how good this was. It’s so simple and easy, but actually pretty good. Will make again.
Jenn
I make this for my partner and I every other week. Yummy, fast, and easy to follow.
Ann
This is our go-to recipe that I’ve shared with so many family and friends! I love it! My toddlers and farmer husband love it, too. The negative comments on here can only be from those who did not follow the recipe properly or are just commenting to be rude/troll because this recipe is so good, even at altitude where we live (5,280!). Super easy recipe and tastes DeLISCious!
Doug
It works. I Use a little more olive oil in dough. Also use active yeast. Basil and garlic used to flavor dough.
Carla
I have been making our family’s Friday night pizzas with this recipe for years and absolutely LOVE it! It is so simple and fast. Sometimes I stretch it out to make 2 thin crust pizzas.
Kailey
So easy and turned out great! Will definitely be making again! Thank you!
Linda
Love this recipie. It creates a very nice soft dough. Definitely a keeper. Thank you
Robin
Yeah I came here looking for this comment. I followed the recipe perfectly and was left with a very dried out ball of dough covered in flour, not even close to enough water. Would not form a ball, just dry and unable to put together into something cohesive. Waste of flour, too late to add more water.
Sam
Hi Robin! I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. This is why it’s important to add the flour gradually and not all at one time. 🙁
Gaby
I’ve added the flour both slowly and all at once and definitely adding it all at once results in questionable texture. I’m still going to try to use that batch but the one where i incorporated slowly worked perfectly . Thanks for the recipe.
Toni
I seen as I was going this recipe only uses 1 1/2 cups of flour or the dough will be too tough.. I let it go for 90 min ride and it was nice and airy 👍
Ty
Marcus W.
This recipe has so many flaws. Do not mix salt with yeast at same time; this will kill the yeast. Research on the net. Also, it doesn’t show in the recipe that the water, yeast, and sugar should be mixed first and let set for roughly 5 min. I’ve cooked this multiple times and it comes out in consistent and have lead my hand to look at other recipes. This recipe has too many errors. Look elsewhere.
Sam
Hi Marcus! I don’t mean to be too negative or come off as rude, but I fear that may be inevitable here. Everything you said is wrong. When added as indicated, you do NOT have to worry about the salt having any impact on the yeast. If you just combined active dry yeast, water and salt, yes you could kill the yeast, not so here (you’d have to add so much salt the pizza dough wouldn’t even be palatable to kill it).
The yeast, sugar and water do not need to be mixed first and rested, the recipe is accurate in its instruction (you can even watch me make it in my own kitchen in the video and see the results). If the recipe called for using active dry yeast (this one does not), then you would need the resting period you described.
Based off of your comment, I believe the issues you’re running into may have a bit more to do with the reader comprehending the recipe and its instructions, rather than the recipe itself.
I just would hate for anyone else to see this comment and think what you are saying is accurate so I want to be clear, and I hope this helps anyone who might be wondering!
Just a baker
Heck yeah, Sam! Some people have the ability to work with yeast dough. Others do not. 🤣
Love, a crabby, near-menopausal baker who has made this recipe successfully COUNTLESS times.
Megan
I have made this pizza dough now dozens of times and it is truly flawless! I always receive so many compliments on it and have passed the recipe on to anyone who asks. So so easy to whip up in the stand mixer, have also done it by hand with no issues. Works beautifully in the oven using a pizza stone or outside on the smoker or in a pizza grill. So grateful for this recipe, we will never use another!!
Sam
This is so wonderful to hear, Megan! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and letting me know how it turned out for you, I really appreciate it! I hope that you find more recipes on my website that you love just as much!