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.
Victoria
I was skeptical about this recipe. First, where’s the kneading??? I make no knead bread, but it takes days to rise completely… We had just moved. Cartons everywhere. My Kitchen Aid mixer was still packed. It was late Sunday afternoon, normally “pizza night” although we had been so busy that it hadn’t been for several weeks, but I wanted to get our lives back on track. I didn’t want to order pizza, either. So I saw this recipe that had a total time from start to finish of an hour or so. How bad could it be? And if it was totally screwed up, I would just order dinner from Vocelli, yet again. 😉
Did I mention that we had just moved? My head just isn’t in its normal place. So I actually found everything that I needed to make the pizza dough, started getting it together, and realized AFTER I added that water that I used not the 3/4 cup called for, but 1-1/2 cups. Ugh. Tired and frustrated, I just decided to add enough four to make a soft dough and go from there. Obviously, it took twice as much flour, and more salt, but I placed the dough (unkneaded!) in a warm bowl and placed it in my oven that I had warmed to 100F. Then I went to unpack more boxes…
It was a pizza-making miracle. The resulting dough was soft, but nicely workable with my hands well-oiled to prevent sticking. I split it into two pieces, wrapped one in plastic, then popped into a freezer bag and placed in the freezer. The other I formed into a 14″ circle, added toppings, and baked. The resulting pizza was delicious, almost as good as the artisanal slow-rise, kneaded, crust that is our favorite. And sooooo much easier! It was a bit on the thick side, though, so the next batch that I prepare I will make in the exact same way, twice as much flour, twice as much water, but split it into three pieces. Easy, good, and I will get three pizzas!
Thanks so much for the recipe!!!
Sugar Spun Run
Congrats on the move, Victoria! I am so glad that this pizza dough recipe exceeded your expectations and you were able to avoid ordering out again. Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. Happy unpacking. 🙂
Linda
Can you cut the dough in half to make 2 thin crusts? Also, can I freeze the raw dough?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Linda! Yes, you can cut the dough in half and roll the dough to your desired thickness. The pizza dough also freezes well. You do want to let the dough rise completely before storing it in an airtight container and placing it in the freezer. 🙂
Linda
Thanks. It’s in the bowl rising right now.
Terri A.
Thanks ~ I was Just looking to see if i could 1/2 it & freeze it! With the frozen version, how long do you let it sit out and also how long does it last in the freezer? Thanks kindly & I absolutely Love this recipe!!! 🙂
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Terri! You can freeze the pizza dough for up to 3 months. Before making the pizza, bring the dough out on the countertop and let warm-up for about 30 minutes before stretching out the pizza. 🙂
Linda
My husband used 1/2 of the dough to make a calzone. Simply put, the dough is amazing. Thanks for sharing your recipe. 🍕
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that your family enjoyed it, Linda! I often use the dough to also make garlic knots, something to try next. 🙂
Dan
I’m only stumbling upon this after trying your donut-hole recipe (came out good). I’ve failed at pizza crust every time, because they a) are never crisp (even if i cook for 2x, 3x, 4x the alloted time – till the toppings burn) b) are often too sweet and c) often become too fluffy. In sum, nothing like any restaurant or frozen thin-crust pizza i’ve ever had. I’m curious about…and going to try your wax-paper recommendation, to see if that can prevent the crust from being too flimsy. Any other ideas? I had an untested eureka-moment this week, theorizing that maybe my dough-on-pan method doesn’t allow the crust to breath, hence trapping humidity, hence can’t crisp, and was thinking of getting a stone again (have broken them easily in the past), but maybe your wax-paper will ameliorate. (Thanks for the donut-hole recipe.)
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Dan! Pizza stone usually works well, or a pizza pan with the die-cut holes. Good Luck! Keep me posted. 🙂
Violet Meise
I’m trying this pizza recipe ,it’s an easy one,I love making pizzas .thanks for the recipe .
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you for trying my recipe, Violet! I hope that your pizza dough turns out perfectly and that you enjoy your pizza! 🙂
Racha
Thank you Sam for the very easy, delicious and practical recipe. My kids enjoyed preparing the dough with me especially that it makes no mess (no eggs or milk needed). Very professional!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Racha! I am happy to hear that the kids had fun preparing the dough. I hope that you enjoyed your pizza! 🙂
Christine Jones
Hi Sam, Have you ever made the crust and baked it without adding the toppings? Or do you think you can do all the prep, rising, toppings, etc., then refrigerate until the next day when you would bake it? I want to have my children and grandchildren for pizza dinner, but don’t want to have to be preparing everything when they are here.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Christine! I have never pre-baked the crust before adding the toppings so I am not certain how it will do. You can premake the dough, let it rise completely and store it (well wrapped or in an airtight container) until the next day. I hope that helps! I hope that you enjoy the pizza and time with your grandchildren. 🙂
Jessica
I’m currently making this for the 4th time in two weeks. This will be my go to pizza crust recipe. No crazy ingredients and super easy to make as we are in Djibouti, Africa and pizza and some ingredients are hard to come by!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that this recipe has been such a hit for you, Jessica! Thanks for commenting. Enjoy! 🙂
Carrie
Love this recipe!
Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much, Carrie! I am so glad that you enjoyed the pizza dough. 🙂
Jeanette Leydens
Thank you! It seems to me this is a fail safe quick way to whip up homemade pizza! I like to think that I’m a pretty darned good cook but NOT a good baker! I’ve tried several other pizza crust recipes and this recipe worked perfectly for me!! No wasted ingredients, happy husband and happy me! I used the Arthur’s Bread Flour since I had it on hand btw:)
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that the pizza dough turned out perfectly for you and that you enjoyed it, Jeanette! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Margo Huff
Can I keep the dough in the fridge overnight?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Margo! Yes, you can. I recommend letting it rise completely before placing it in the fridge. 🙂
Sarah D.
I’ve made this a few times now and it gets better every time. My pizzas look and taste better than my local pizza places. So yummy! I brush the pizza with olive oil as instructed, but I brush the crust with a homemade olive oil dipping sauce. Very versatile, delicious, and easy recipe. Make sure you read her tips before the recipe – they work! I never would have thought to poke the crust with a fork before adding toppings, but it really does keep the crust from bubbling. I’ve got some dough in the freezer right now, and I’m going to try to make it into breadsticks tonight.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you have enjoyed this recipe, Sarah, and have perfected it to your liking. I have a garlic knot recipe that uses this dough as a base that I think you may like as well. Thanks for commenting. Enjoy! 🙂
Heather
I find I need to add a lot more water to the flour but it is so tasty!! Thank you for this recipe!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you for trying my recipe, Heather! I am so glad that you enjoyed the pizza dough. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Sabrina
Love love love this recipe! Made it for my daughters birthday yesterday. We had 12 girls who absolutely loved it! We had to make a second batch for lunch the next day.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that the pizza was such a hit at your daughter’s birthday party, Sabrina! Thanks for using my recipe. I hope that your daughter had a nice birthday celebration. 🙂
Yasmine S.
I made this last night, I honestly had my doubts because it was my first time making pizza dough without having someone helping me with the recipe, but it turned out amazing. I used 00 flour instead of all purpose and I let it rise about an hour. It was super fluffy and very light.
Thank you for this recipe ❤.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you had great success and enjoyed the recipe, Yasmine! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Tina
I had to use whole wheat flour because I ran out of all purpose. And I also only had active yeast, not instant. The recipe still turned out awesome. Just as I said “can’t wait to try with regular flour next time” both my toddlers said they loved it! I guess it’s a keeper. This is a fun family activity and delicious!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that your family enjoyed the pizza dough and had fun making it, Tina! Thanks for commenting. 🙂