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 1/4 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 1/3 cups all-purpose flour OR bread flour¹ divided (250-295g)
- 1 packet instant yeast² (2 1/4 teaspoon)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and/or dried basil leaves optional
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil + additional
- 3/4 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 1/3 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.
Courtney says
Sam! This was my first time ever making homemade pizza dough.. I realized after combining all the dry ingredients that I was using active dry yeast and not instant yeast! I let the dough rise for an extra hour hoping that would help it double in size and it did! I baked the pizza in a sheet pan until brown and bubbly (since I don’t have a pizza pan) and it was perfectly crispy and chewy. This turned out to be a great go-to pizza dough! Thank you 🙂
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough so much, Courtney! 🙂
Vanessa W. says
Hello, I just made the dough and it is rising. Is it possible to freeze the dough to use later? If so, how long can it be frozen for?
Thanks
Sam says
Hi Vanessa! I know others have frozen the dough with success. I’m not really sure how long it will keep since I haven’t tried it myself, and I don’t regularly freeze things for later use.
Vanessa W. says
Thank you. I froze half and will probably use the other half in a few days. I’ll let you know how it comes out. BTW, it’s a great recipe, I followed it exactly and it tasted great!!
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Vanessa! 🙂
Amanda says
Would it be possible to substitute the all-purpose flour with oat flour instead for a gluten free version?
Sam says
Hi Amanda! Unfortunately I don’t think that would work. 🙁
Andrew says
I tried this recipe for the first time tonight; it makes a very serviceable dough, though at the recommended size (12″) it’s quite thick for anyone who’s used to thinner crust pizzas; I’d probably divide it next time into two dough balls. Altitude (I’m in Denver) didn’t seem to affect my bake much.
I tried folding over the crust; I think next time I’ll brush it with some butter first, to try and add some moisture back in – it wound up very floury and dense. I might also try giving the yeast some more sugar and a longer proof to get more rise and crisp from the crust.
That said – a recipe I’ll have in my back pocket for when I can’t do my normal 24-hour proof dough.
Cheers.
Christa says
Thank you for sharing your recipe! The step by step directions are so straight forward and simple to follow. I can’t wait to try it out. I’m wanting to make the dough in advance, to have on hand when I want to make pizza. How long would it last in the fridge, uncooked, until I want to use it?
Sam says
Hi Christa! I have had others report keeping it for 24 hours without an issue, but I am not sure how much longer it would keep. 🙂
Dyanna says
Hi, trying this recipe now. Sounded so good and so easy. I’ve been about 20mi s in to the rose phase and it hasnt done anything.:( I was very careful to test the temp of my water b4 adding. Suggestions??
Sam says
Hi Dyanna! I am so sorry this happened. Is it drafty where the dough is? If not the yeast may be bad or expired.
Joseph Cristofaro says
Hi, I’m making the dough right now, I will let you how it comes out.
Sam says
I hope you love the pizza dough, Joseph! 🙂
Hanisah says
I’ve just tried this and my family loves it! Thank you for the recipe!
Sam says
I’m so happy to hear the pizza dough was such a hit! Thank you for commenting, Hanisah! 🙂
ESTER says
Thank you so much for the recipe. I actually used 1 TBSP of honey instead of sugar and 1 TBSP of olive oil and came out great! I enjoyed the method you used. Letting it rise once and for 30 minuets works for me and my family. God bless!
Sam says
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the pizza dough, Ester! 🙂
Daniel Oswald says
This recipe sounds amazing, I am going to make it tonight! I will let you know how it turns out 👍🏻
Sam says
I hope you love the pizza dough, Daniel! 🙂
Natalie Minott says
Made this with 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white flour! It was a big hit in my family!!! This is my new pizza recipe!! Thank you!!
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough, Natalie! 🙂
olive knapp says
hi, if you want to know how to make pizza dough look fun, do nothing. just make shape of the pizza you want to make. not all pizza has to be a curcle.
Sam says
Hi Olive! You can make it into whatever shape you’d like. 🙂
Lawrence says
I’m having some trouble getting the crust to crisp up or it sometimes does not cook all the way through before the top starts to burn. Should i precook the crust?
Sam says
Hi Lawrence! I’m so sorry this is happening. You can certainly pre-bake the crust. Is your oven temperature accurate? It may be running a little warm causing the burning before it’s done. I hope this helps. 🙂
Leigh says
This is a great and easy recipe! Light and crispy pizza!
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you so much, Leigh! I am so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough! 🙂
Misty says
Can this dough be made ahead of time and frozen?
Sugar Spun Run says
Hello, Misty! I personally have not tried it, however, others have and have had success. I hope you enjoy the pizza dough! 🙂
Rebecca Potter says
Can’t wait to try this. Try it with onion and bacon!
Sugar Spun Run says
Let me know how it turns out, Rebbeca! I hope that you enjoy the pizza dough! 🙂