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.
Nickie
Yummy pizzas made with my sons, far tastier than shop bought so a keeper- going to make batches and freeze ready for end of week treat! 😊 video helps a lot- thank you!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the pizza dough, Nickie! Thank you so much for commenting. 🙂
Audrey
I’m looking forward to trying this! I’d like to do smaller individual pizzas for the kids. At which point would you recommend dividing the dough?
Sam
Hi Audrey! I would divide it after it has risen. I hope you and the family love the pizza dough! 🙂
Mela
I have never made pizza before trying this recipe. Living in Fiji, its a bit hard to follow most overseas recipes bc of the ingredients. But I was able to get everything on here, and improvised on some others.
My family LOVED the pizza, they were genuinely impressed with the pizza base. Thank you for this!
Sam
Thank you for choosing my recipe for your first ever homemade pizza, Mela! I’m so glad it was such a success for you and a hit with your family! Thank you for commenting and letting me know how it turned out, I appreciate it 🙂
Jameson Burton
This is a great recipe! My first time making a pizza dough from scratch, I was apprehensive about following a lot of steps. Sam’s directions are clear enough in the article that I didn’t feel the need to watch the video for reference (I had an idea of what I was looking for ahead of time).
One thing I did differently was use 1 teaspoon of Garlic Salt in place of the 3/4 teaspoon of salt and optional garlic powder (it’s literally those two ingredients combined).
I was very happy with how this turned out and will be using this recipe again!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Jameson! I am so glad that you enjoyed it! 🙂
Dawn
Thank you for this recipe. I really enjoyed how it came out. I put some garlic powder and a little basil in it and made a margarita pie. It came out better then some local pizzeria s we go to. 😄
Sugar Spun Run
That is wonderful, Dawn! I am so glad that you enjoyed the pizza dough! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Shannon
Hi there, can you tell me if I can use active dry yeast with the same method or how do I adjust your directions? Thanks!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Shannon! Yes, you can use active dry yeast but the pizza dough will take longer to rise this way. 🙂
Lorie Gfeller
Love this recipe its so easy and truly is the best dough!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Lorie! I am so glad that you enjoyed the pizza dough. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Emily
I loved this dough recipe! I made chicken Alfredo pizza and used the garlic in the crust to give it a complementary flavor! It was amazing! Thanks for sharing!
One question I have though, is how would I freeze the dough for use later?
Sugar Spun Run
I love the sound of your homemade chicken alfredo pizza, Emily! Sounds delicious and what a perfect use for the pizza dough. As far as freezing goes, I recommend that you make the dough, let it rise completely then store in an airtight container. It should be good for up to 3 months. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Esther
I tried this today and it came out lovely. The crust was fluffy and crispy at the same time🥰🥰🥰🥰😊
I thought it wouldn’t have come out good but it surpassed my expectations and the garlic gave it a lovely taste..
Thank you
Sam
I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you, Esther, I appreciate it 🙂
Paul
Magnificent!!! Thank You!!!!
Sam
You’re very welcome, thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Drh23
I found that I needed much less flour (less than half the amount it calls for) in order get the consistency that you have on your video. Did I do something wrong? I used all purpose flour.
Michele Cassebohm
I found the exact same thing. I needed way less flour than needed. Because I was doubling the amounts for a party, I added all the flour but then had to add water!
Cathy
I have made your dough recipe several times. I have made it one batch at a time making as specified using just a spoon to mix and I have made it making up to 3 batches at a time using a mixer. It doesn’t matter how you do it. It works and tastes great either way. I like to freeze them in balls. It makes for an easy dinner. Just thaw, shape into a pizza, add topping and throw into the oven. Easy peezy! Thanks for such an easy time saving recipe.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much for commenting, Cathy! I am so glad that you have enjoyed the pizza dough and love that no matter how you made it, it turned out perfectly every time. 🙂
James
I’ve just started pizza on my cafe menu. I’m using your recipe. It’s gone down really well with my locals (Lao) – pardon the pun. I’ve noticed I’m using a little less flour than your recipe so I’m not sure if it’s the water or why it’s a drier mix. But, thanks for the recipe. Helping me earn a crust in the middle of no where.
kiara
it’s obviously the best of the best!!!!!!!!!
can you pleas make a choclate brownie recipe. (you made nutella brownies)
tom
dry
Cathy
Use less flour.