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
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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.
Reese
Very easy dough to make/work with and adapt for our tastes, made one whole sheet pan pizza. The whole family loved the flavor and the texture, will make this again. Thanks much!
Sam
Thank you so much, Reese! I am glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Tim W
I am using your recipe to cook a dozen pizzas for NYE. If I prepare the dough early, can it rest in the refrigerator for several hours until I am ready to make the pizzas this evening. I know I should place the dough in a sealed bag lined with olive oil. Thank you!
Sam
Hi, Tim. Yes you can refrigerate it first. Let it rise them place covered in the refrigerator until needed. 🙂
Erin
We’re doing this too! Homemade Pizza for New year’s is a tradition in our house, but this is the first time we’ve made the dog from scratch. ❤️
Diane
Darn, I bought dry active yeast not the instant …. suggestions?
Sam
Hi, Diane. I have not tried it with dry active yeast, only instant yeast. That being said, it should still work, the rise time would be much greater though. 🙂
Ann
Do you have any suggestions for how to store the dough if you make it several hours before you will be ready to bake it?
Sam
Hi, Ann. Let it rise then cover and place it in the refrigerator until ready to use. 🙂
Ann
Thank you. Happy new year.
Claire
Could I make this ahead of time and refrigerate for a day? I would love to make the dough today and bake tomorrow. Thanks!
Sam
Hi, Claire. Sorry for the delayed response. Yes you can make it the day ahead of time. Make sure to let it rise first then refrigerate and cover tightly. 🙂
Leila bjork
First time making a fresh pizza dough. Dont think I’ll ever order out again. Simple and easy to follow recipe to make a great pizza. I think next time I’m gonna do stuffed crust
Sam
I love a good stuffed crust! I am so glad you enjoyed it, Leila! 🙂
Flo
Sam. Great pizza dough recipe! The husband loved it. I topped mine with sautéed onions, ricotta and spinach . Thanks for a good easy recipe !
Sam
I am so good you enjoyed it, Flo! 🙂
David Nichols
Just tried this tonight. You are right , this is the perfect recipe for pizza dough ! If a bumbling 66 year old guy can make it, anyone can !!
Thanks so much!!!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, David! 🙂
Wisper
I used this for Calzones last night. First time making them. Super easy to put together. Turned our perfect. Thankyou.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Wisper! 🙂
Gus
Very good basic dough recipe. I have tried it several times with different variations and alterations to the recipe as listed here. I find letting the sugar, yeast and warm water bloom for about 10 minutes before adding to the flour works best. Also, I had no trouble adding all the flour in 1 batch instead of 2 separate batches. I added extra olive oil to the dough while kneading for more elasticity and flavor. I would say using bread flavor yields a far tastier pizza crust.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy it, Gus! 🙂
Avery
Great
Avery
Very good
KKT
Very nice dough. Recipe very great
Sam
Thank you very much! 🙂
TTK
Very nice recipe. Dough very great
Michelle Farris
This was hands down the best pizza dough I’ve ever used. We used this recipe to make stromboli and it was amazing! I tripled the recipe with no problems, and after the dough rose I separated into 3 dough balls. I added 2 teaspoons each of garlic powder, basil, oregano and rosemary. The only thing I did differently was I proofed my yeast in the warm water with a teaspoon of sugars (I still mixed the full amount of sugar into the flour mixture), rather than mixing the yeast in with the flour. I’ve had yeast fail before, and proofing it first means you can see it working BEFORE adding it into the rest of the ingredients.
Let’s just say I’m done searching for the perfect pizza dough recipe!
The herbs in the dough were great. The flavors really came through best in the cheese and spinach stromboli. Next time I’ll increase the amount if herbs for the “supreme,” as they were barely detectable dye to the amount and type of fillings.
Note: I did use regular flour instead of bread flour. And for stromboli I folded the dough into thirds around the filling, and did an egg wash to seal. I cooked at 375 for about 40 minutes.
Sam
Thank you so much for the feedback, Michelle! I am so glad you enjoyed the dough. 🙂
Lee E Bass
Ok I put fresh basil, and a lite mix of garlic, onion and crushed oregano. It was great. Please correct the measurements. It is not 2-2 1/3 cups of flour it is 2 and 1/3 cups. Thanks
Sam
Hi, Lee. The 2-2 1/3 cup measurement is accurate. Some people will need slightly less flour and some people will need slightly more, depending on how they measure all of their ingredients. So while it may have been 2 1/3 for you it won’t be the same in every kitchen. Glad you enjoyed. 🙂