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 and bake in a 425F (215C) preheated oven for 13-15 minutes or until toppings are golden brown. Slice and serve.
Kajal says
Easy and simple recipe with incredible result. …I made this yday with double the quantity minus the basil though.
And we had pizzas to our heart’s content ….😍
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you so much, Kajal! I am happy that you enjoyed the pizza dough. 🙂
Marly Geurkink says
Currently making pizza dough (waiting for it to rise) following your recipe and using bread flour. This is my first time doing it from scratch. Hopefully it will turn out well. Thanks!
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you for trying my recipe, Marly! I hope that you enjoy the pizza dough. 🙂
Esther says
I made the pizza dough tonight & doubled the recipe. My family really liked the pizza. I didn’t add the basil though. Thank you for the recipe!
Sugar Spun Run says
Hello, Esther! I am so happy that your pizza dough turned out so well and your family enjoyed it! 🙂
BubuBebe says
Thank you so so much for this recipe. It was my first time making homemade pizza dough and it turned out so good, really nice texture and crust. Everyone in my family loved it and I will make it again for sure instead of buying premade pizza. xx
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you so much! I am so glad that you and your family enjoyed the pizza dough. 🙂
Sandra says
Absolutely perfect! I used Organic all purpose flour and followed the recipe made two pizzas in two separate bowls!
Sugar Spun Run says
That is awesome, Sandra! I am so glad that your pizza dough turned out well. Thanks! 🙂
Anne says
Yep this is the easiest yummiest Home pizza crust I have ever made. Thank you so much.
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you, Anne! I am so happy that you found the pizza dough recipe easy and delicious. Enjoy! 🙂
Natalia says
I’ve tried several recipes before and this one is by far the easiest I’ve made, plus the taste is great, my family really enjoyed the pizza.
Can you provide guidance on the adjustments needed to make a 16-inch pizza dough?
Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run says
Hello, Natalia! I am so happy that you and your family enjoyed the pizza dough. It really depends on how thick or thin you’d like your trust. You can use the recipe as-is for a 16″, it will just be a thin crust. If you want it a little thicker, I would increase the recipe by half. I hope that helps. Enjoy! 🙂
LeAnna says
Loved this recipe. It was my first time making pizza dough and have very little yeast recipe experience. I didn’t have instant yeast so I used active dry bloomed in the same amount of water and it worked perfectly. My kids were so impressed and I feel confident that I can whip up homemade pizza anytime! Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run says
LeAnna, I am so glad that you and your family enjoyed the homemade pizza dough. Thanks for leaving a comment. Enjoy! 🙂
LeAnna says
I’d like to make a couple more batches for the freezer…Does it freeze well? Any tips?
Sugar Spun Run says
Hi, LeAnna! I have had others report success with freezing the dough, but since I personally tried it, I can’t give recommendations. I am hoping those that have, will chime in. 🙂
Dave says
Sam, second time for your pizza recipe. Better than the first time this time I cooked it on a pizza stone at 450. Added oregano and wife and I loved it. Fantastic recipe, great and simple!
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you so much, Dave! I am so glad you and your wife enjoyed the pizza dough. 🙂
jeff says
I’ll use this tonight. I’ll leave the sugar and spices out, and probably pre-bake the crust for about 5min, pull it out then add the toppings. That should make it a bit more crisp. Thanks for the base recipe.
Sugar Spun Run says
I hope that you enjoy the pizza dough, Jeff! 🙂
Bonnie Mehan says
I have used the same pizza dough recipe for years. I tried this one today, and it is the best! I use bread flour because I like the crispy crust. Great recipe!!
Sam says
Hi Bonnie! I’m so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough! Thank you so much for commenting, I appreciate it 🙂
Cristle Wodarski says
Just made pizza with this recipe and everyone loves it! I didn’t have olive oil so I used vegetable oil though. I will definitely be using this recipe again! Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you so much, Cristie! I’m so glad that you liked the pizza dough. Enjoy! 🙂
walter grochmal says
This is the first time I made pizza dough. I only made a few minor changes to the recipe. I forgot to coat the dough with olive oil and used the yeast I had on hand (active dry yeast) which was a concern to me, but I used it anyway. I added a generous amount of garlic powder, oregano, and basil leaves to the mix.
This resulted in the best pizza dough that I have had. It was easy to make, rolled out well, and most importantly tasted great. I have purchased my last pizza dough from the supermarket. Thanks for this great recipe.
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so happy that you enjoyed the pizza dough, Walter. Thank you for your feedback. 🙂
Hairul says
Very nice recipe. Just did it today and my family love it. Crispy on the outside soft on the inside like my wife and daughter told me. Thank you..
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you! I am so happy that your family enjoyed the pizza dough. 🙂
Jim Phelps says
Thank you so much for this amazingly simple and delicious recipe. I am making it for the 2nd time and the 1st time it came out amazing. Great advice on making sure your oven is preheated properly which is especially important if you are using a pizza stone. Keep the great recipes and ideas coming, you have a raving fan!
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you so much Jim for being a fan! I appreciate your kind words greatly and am so glad that you enjoyed the pizza dough. I hope you enjoy it for years to come. 🙂
Tori says
My family LOVES the pizzas I have made with this recipie; Sargento aged Italian cheese with pepperoni and onion is AMAZING! about to make some for the in-laws next week, if I want to double the recipie, do I double the yeast as Well? May need to make a couple pizzas
Sugar Spun Run says
Hello, Tori! I am so glad that you enjoyed the homemade pizza dough. To double this recipe, you will want to double all the ingredients. I hope that your in-laws enjoy it as well. 🙂