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.
John
Thank you for sharing your recipe and experiences! As soon as i make my crust that uses your shared ingregiants i promise i will share how happy or how much im struggleing.
Sam
I appreciate you taking the time to leave some feedback. I am sure you will be able to make it and enjoy it. ☺️
Char
Very good and easy dough to make I added rosemary to it and it was perfect
Sam
I am so glad you liked it! ☺️
Katie
Live in mexico and the pizza is not anything like America made this and my family loved it so much im making a second pan right now. Thank you for sharing.
Sam
Yay! I am so glad everyone enjoys it! ☺️
Kim Burk
I had ingredients for pizza but no crust and was bored. I came across your recipe and decideded to try it because it’s so easy. I used bread flour because I wanted a crispy crust. I did add garlic powder and Italian seasoning. I did not have parchment paper so I lightly oiled a sheet pan and lightly sprinkled it with corn meal (still striving for that crispy crust). My pizza was an oval to fit on a sheet pan because I don’t have a round pan. I did pre-bake for 5 minutes (again-crispy!) and the crust puffed up and I was worried I would have a soft crust but once I added the toppings and baked for about 18 minutes IT CAME OUT PERFECT! I slipped it off the pan onto a cooling rack for about 10 minutes, cut into slices and I am in heaven! It is perfectly crisp and a little chewy.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Kim! ☺️
Glenda
If you want to freeze the crust for later, do you bake it a few minutes to make it crispy before freezing, or do you freeze it raw?
Sam
Just let it rise then wrap it tightly so no air gets to it and freeze it that way. ☺️
SHERI
Granddaughter complained we have everything for pizza and nothing to put it on, so, I found your recipe and it is a hit in the house now!!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it! ☺️
Carol
Hi Sam.
I made this recipe for the 2nd time today. Again I added extra garlic powder to the dough and brushed it with butter and grated Parmesan before I added the toppings. Because I use so much sauce it comes out a little runny but the leftovers the next day are even better because the sauce has settled in and the crust has so much flavor. I eat it cold the next day because it reminds me of a really good focaccia bread that I like. Thanks for the recipe!
Sam
You can never have enough garlic! I am so glad you enjoy it, Carol. ☺️
Davids
Great recipe thank you.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it! ☺️
Devyani
Hey I am from India and I have been trying to make the perfect pizza since such a long time. This recipe worked just great! Made delicious thin crust pizzas 🙂
Sam
I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks for commenting, Devyani!! 🙂
Amber Tysdal
Can you freeze this until you use it and if so do you let it rise before you freeze it?
Sam
I have not tried it myself, I think it will work. I would let it rise fully then wrap it tightly so no air can get to it.
Amber Tysdal
Thank you.
Chris
Hey Sammy sweet tooth 😛 I made some pizza tonight using your dough recipe and it came out beautiful! Looking forward to more yummy recipes!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it! I hope you love everything you try. ☺️
Peter Cunningham
Great recipe! Simple, easy, and quick enough for on-the-fly on a weeknight. It was a little breadier than I like the first couple of times I made it (still delicious though), but at the suggestion of a friend I tried with half of the oil and sugar called for. Worked like a charm. The bottom crust ended up a lot thinner and with the same quick turnaround time.
Sam
I am glad you enjoyed it, Peter. ☺️
Mary Milchak
Thank you so very much. I made this with my grandchildren Hazel and Danny. They loved it…as did I. The video was a plus with them. God bless you baby.
Sam
Thank you very much, Mary! I am so glad everyone enjoyed it. ☺️
Roberto
Thank you for this great pizza dough recipe. Today is the forth tin I have made it, gets better and better. I have frosen it, left in fridge a couple days and used immediately always the same result, perfect base everytime.
Thank you.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy it, Roberto! It’s definitely my go to pizza dough as well! 🙂
Harrieta Fernandes
Hi,
Lovely recipe for pizza dough.. tried it yesterday and it was just perfect..nice crispy base and just as i wanted, made a thin crust pizza..
Thank you.
Sam
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Harrieta!