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.
Jenni
Absolutely perfect! I added a little more salt than called for based on some of the reviews, but I don’t think it needed it. Skipped the optional garlic powder/herbs and didn’t miss them. Elastic, soft, and browned up very nicely.
Patricia
My go to pizza dough recipe. It always turns put wonderful.
KAZ317
This recipe never fails and is great as is or with custom spices! Thank you for sharing!
June L Meier
love the recipe. can’t believe I can now .make 🍕 pizza.
Nancy
Terrible pizza dough. It doesn’t rise much and doesn’t have a good flavor. I’ve tried 3 different times based on the reviews being so good but each time it’s been a flop. It’s so dry! I’ve thrown out the dough each time but this will be my last. there are so many GOOD pizza dough recipes – this on doesn’t work
Sam
Hi Nancy! I’m very surprised to see this comment. Have you watched the video to see how it comes together? It shouldn’t be dry…
M
i make this pizza dough every 4 weeks. never fails. you have to have good active yeast. after a few tries i bet youll get it right
Thomas
I think you just aren’t very good at making pizza.
Kit
learn to read a recipe nancy 🙄
Teri Weisberger
I found this recipe tasteless. I used the garlic & basil!
Creven
Can I use wheat flour? If so is it the same amount? Do I need to change anything else?
Sam
Wheat flour could potentially work, but just know that wheat flour is slightly “thirstier” so you may need to make adjustments to the amount of flour or liquid in the recipe. 🙂
Mangan Tayun
I would love to try this and cold ferment for 2 to 3 days so it can develop more flavor. would I use the same amount of yeast or should I decrease? I’m worried of it over proofing.
Sam
I haven’t tried proofing it that long so I can’t say for sure if you’d need to decrease the yeast. I wouldn’t think so, but I haven’t experimented with it. Let me know how it goes if you try it. 🙂
Rachel Tanner
this was my first time making pizza dough and it was so delicious! I just sprinkled italian seasoning and garlic powder in my “measuring with the heart” and used a bread maker with the dough setting. the whole process with the dough setting from throwing the ingredients into the machine to ready to roll was an hour 15 minutes. thanks for this recipe, it was delicious and easy!
Casey @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you loved it, Rachel!
Debra
I can’t believe how good this is. I tried to halve it, got distracted and added too much sugar. It turns out – I love it the sweeter crust. So, now, I add about 1.5-1.75x the sugar stated. Absolutely delicious.
I need to work on creating an actual circle, and I’ve forgotten to add the olive oil and/or the garlic powder before in a few batches, yet it still tastes great. I’ve never remembered to poke holes in the crust before baking, and it’s never mattered.
The only thing I’d recommend doing differently is cook at 475 degrees. The crust is browner like that you find in a restaurant. I found 425 gave me great tasting but pale-looking crust.
Thank you for a great and forgiving recipe.
Traci
I love this recipe! I can prepare it ahead of time into individual sizes, partially cook it, and freeze it so anyone in my family can make their own pizza whenever they want.
J
Can’t count how many times I’ve made this recipe. I’ve cooked it fresh, or par-cooked the dough into the shape of a pizza and put 3-5 of those in the freezer for work nights. Better and cheaper than the premade stuff at the store. Thank you!
Melanie
loved my first attempt! If I double to make extra to freeze – what steps are there to use frozen? does it have to rise again? defrost in fridge overnight or on the counter?
Sam
Hi Melanie! After it has risen, you have deflated and frozen it, you can just thaw it, roll it out, and use it. No need to rise again after thawing. 🙂
Julianna
Best pizza crust recipe I have used yet! The basil is actually a hit with my picky eaters! Thank you for a great recipe.
Deb
Such a quick and easy recipe. I didn’t think it was going to turn out as well as it did because I used all-purpose flour rather than bread flour, but it was amazing! Definitely a keeper. 🙂
Dave
Any thoughts on using this recipe for a deep dish pizza, which is a family favorite?
Thanks,
Sam
Hi Dave! I have not personally done it as a deep dish pizza, but I know others have with success. 🙂
Autumn
easy but the recipe shows for to much flour
Mari
This is the “BEST” pizza dough! I used King Arthur OO pizza flour and it was delicious! Thank you for sharing this and I look forward to making more of your recipes.
Brenda
Wonderful and not complicated!!
Katie
Tried it today and instead of one pizza I rolled it up and cut into slices, put in a muffin tin and made some pizza pinwheels. So good and very easy dough recipe!