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)
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.
Tom M
This is a perfect pizza dough. I’ve made it several times, once with vegetable oil and once with butter instead of olive oil, both worked fine. One tip: don’t use too much sauce, it makes the dough soggy. About half a cup is good. I also brushed the crust with butter to get a golden crust.
Honestly, I could eat this every night. Tonight I’m going to try calzone with this dough. Oh baby! Can’t wait!!!
Sam
I’m so glad to hear it was such a hit for you, Tom! Thanks for commenting!
Courtney
I have made this dough twice and its a hit ! The dough is perfect and makes an excellent crust ! So good !
Sam
Thank you so much, Courtney! I am so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough! 🙂
Rebecca
Hi. I almost never cook. I tried to make this because I was out of groceries for the kids but had the necessary ingredients. Once I figured out how to turn the oven on, it wasn’t too bad. Thanks for making the impossible seem quite possible! You rock!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed the dough, Rebecca! 🙂
Lynn pearson
I used 1/2 cup warm milk, with 1/4 warm water, added fresh garlic….grandkids loved it
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the dough, Lynn! 🙂
Diana Montoya
I was wondering if I can let this dough rest over night?
Sam
Hi Diana! The dough would probably end up over-rising if you let it sit all night. If you can’t use it right away, I would let it rise, punch it down, and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator over night. 🙂
Michelle Ross
I left it rose over night in a really big bowl and it was so so good because it was like a sour dough recipe hope this helps
Sam
I’m glad it turned out! 🙂
Robin
Thank you, I made from your instructions, added the garlic powder and turned out good.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the dough, Robin! 🙂
Christie
I never write recipe reviews, but this is such a good pizza crust! It is super easy and comes out perfectly! I used white whole wheat flour. It made a very soft, but crispy-on-the-outside crust that was delicious! I’m going to roll mine a little thinner next time because an 11-12 inch pizza produced a pretty thick crust. I think I could make an even bigger pizza with this recipe, which is great! Learning to make my own crust was a barrier for me and now I feel like I’ve been freed from needing delivery! It was so easy! I can enjoy pizza AND feel good about the quality of what I’m eating! I can’t wait to make it again!
Sam
I am so thrilled to hear the pizza dough was such a success for you, Christie! Thank you so much for commenting, I really appreciate it! 🙂
Diana
Wow! I love the ease of this recipe, and it turned out so delicious. I used 1 cup of bread flour, but accidentally grabbed my wheat flour for the next cup– it still came out great!! I’m wondering if you have tried freezing the dough? We would like to keep it in stock 😉
Sam
Hi Diana! I am so glad you enjoyed the dough! I have not tried freezing it, but I know others have done so with success. 🙂
Phyllis
LOVED this recipe! My kids enjoyed making the dough – super easy and super tasty!
Sam
I’m so glad to hear this! Thanks for commenting, Phyllis! 🙂
Reannen
The Best pizza dough. I have tried many “easy” dough recipes that never turn out quite right. This is by far the easiest and the best. The dough is so versatile and easy to work with. Will use this recipe for all my home pizza needs. So good! I cooked with a cast iron pizza stone and it was amazing!
Sam
Thank you so much, Reannen! I am so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough. 🙂
Jon Fischer
Thank you Sam!
I’ve been using this recipe for about the last six months now. My family and I love it! We opened up the recipe today to use it to make calzones. The wife made it for the first time and loved how easy it is to make. Thanks for sharing! We will be adding this to the recipe box!
Sam
I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you for commenting and letting me know how you liked the recipe, Jon, I appreciate it!
Marina
This recipe is absolutely wonderful!! Its easy, ingredients are simple and it turns out delicious. This was my first time making pizza dough and I’m definitely sticking to this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing Sam!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough, Marina! Thank you for commenting 🙂
Candace
We loved it! We made 2 yummy pizzas, a large and small. I probably could have rolled out the smaller pizza to match the larger one but it was a smaller pizza pan, hehe. It was nice and had a thick crust, which I prefer. However, I did doubled the recipe so I probably should have added more time for it to rise?! This is a definite keeper; it was so easy to do. Try it out. You won’t be disappointed!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough, Candace! Thank you for the feedback. 🙂
Jake Blackfeather
Made this tonight. Pretty easy, ans quite good! A real keeper!
Sam
So glad to hear everyone enjoyed the pizza dough! 🙂
Laila Taslimi
The children at our school watched your video this morning, then we made the pizzas today for lunch. And their comment is, “That was good!” Thank you for the simple recipe and video 🙂
Sam
That’s so cool! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for everyone, Laila! 🙂