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)
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.
Ashley
Hi! I’m making this ahead of time, should I let it rise on the counter and then place in the fridge til later tonight?
Casey @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Ashley, you should let it rise covered on the counter, then deflate it, cover it tightly, and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Hope that helps!
Andrew J Roth
I’ve been using this recipe for over a year now. I do like crispier crust and lots of sauce, I pre bake the crust for 10 mins then add my toppings before putting it back in the oven. love it.
Casey @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you love it, Andrew!
Heather
Made this me for work, let it rise and then wrapped it in the plastic wrap and the leftover oil in the bowl to prep later. Made them into calzones and they turned out thin and crispy. Loved this so much! Thank you.
Casey @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad it worked for your calzones, Heather! Thank you for using this recipe!
Cindy
Excellent crust! So easy! Making it for the second time in one week.
Jenna
I’ve tried a lot of recipes and this one is the best and easiest of all of them
Jeff
I’ve tried dozens of recipes and this is the best one I have found. Ty
Irene
Really good and very easy!
Maria Gallo
my go-to pizza dough recipes! Excellent soft beautiful dough, easy for the kids to work with too. Thanks for sharing!
Casey @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you love the pizza dough, Maria! Thanks so much for using our recipe! 😁
Christopher
Such a Nice simple recipe.. the only difference you do that I have never done before was kneading the dough after rising. I use pizza dough to make different types of recipes.. most often its to make a Pull-apart Pizza bread in a bundt pan, a great snacketizer for football parties or holiday open houses etc.. I use instant yeast simply because i dont want to wait the 60-90 minutes to rise.. but I have always done it in my mixer with the dough hook where I kneaded my dough for about 5 minutes before rising in an oiled bowl. then I make my recipe and rise it again in the pan for about 15 minutes just before baking, makes the best soft pizza pull apart bread.. MUCH better than recipes that call for canned biscuit dough, I use king arthur general purpose flour , is there a downside to me kneading it with the mixer before the first rise?
Sam Merritt
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Christopher. This is meant to be a low lift pizza dough that tastes good. You could knead it before rising. 🙂
Christopher
I tried your recipe and it turned out wonderfully. Thank you for sharing.
Lisa
Best one I found thus far. Love, love, love it…
Joely
Can I freeze this?
Sam Merritt
Sure thing! 🙂
Katie
I mixed everything together in my stand mixer. Let it rise on my hot oven top for an hour and then baked it! It is the best quick recipe I’ve tried! Thank you!
Erin
My kiddos said it was better than takeout! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Seva
I am making this ahead of time and I was wondering if I should wrap it in just plastic wrap, or put it in a bowl and then wrap it before it goes in the fridge
Sam Merritt
Hi Seva! You can wrap the bowl in plastic wrap and let it rise slowly in the refrigerator. 🙂
Elle Kaye Arr
Hi, Seva!
I’m not the author, but I also plan on making this ahead of time. I would suggest putting the dough into a bowl before wrapping the top with plastic. The dough might continue to rise/expand a bit in the fridge and it could burst through your plastic wrap if wrapped too tightly.
Seva
Hi Elle! Thank you for the advice. I find this funny that you suggest that because I have made this before I put it in a Tupperware with a lid and the next day the lid had SNAPPED in half!!
Susan
wonderful recipe
Courtney
This was really fun and easy to make with my 2.5 and 4 year old! They had so much fun! We used bread flour, active yeast, and had delicious pizza as the outcome! I could eat this entire thing myself! Nothing beats home made! I will probably add some more garlic powder the next go around for the dough (garlic lover here!) great find!
Verona
I’m curious what separates a 4 from a 5 star review?