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.
Moe
Hi,
I tried twice, I dont want to use another yeast packet. The dough is rising now. When I am putting it together as followed. The dough does not come out sticky, comes dry and doesnt absorb all the flour. Do you know what I could be doing wrong? Or what should I add more of?
Thank you
Sam
Hi Moe! It sounds like there is just too much flour. You don’t need to use all of the flour if the dough doesn’t require it. Yeast recipes can be tricky like that. It’s more of a suggestion and you stop adding flour when you get a good consistency. I hope that helps. 🙂
Gile
Can I mix apf and whole wheat or bread flour together to make this recipe?
Sam
Absolutely! I do it often 🙂 Enjoy!
Jillian
Just made it tonight, I normally fail horribly at yeast doughs but this turned out great! Thanks for the recipe and the tips!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Jillian! 🙂
Carol
Excellent recipe! Followed it to a T and it was perfection. The whole family loved it and my son asked for it again for dinner tonight.
Sam
Thank you so much, Carol! I am so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough. 🙂
Nasreen Shakur
Hello! I am in the process of making the dough right now! Can i let it rise/rest longer than 30-45 mins??
Sam
Hi Nasreen! I would let it double, but I wouldn’t let it go much longer than that. 🙂
Maggie
Can I make two mini pizzas with this?
Sam
Hi Maggie! That will work just fine. 🙂
GiGi
My husband is an Italian New Yorker and has certain views on how a pizza crust should be. Words like “ Crispy” and “crunchy” caught my attention right off along with all the positive comments. What a joy to make and create into such a delicious pizza! My husband could not believe that after so many years of trying, it is actually possible to make a good homemade pizza. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with us! I’m now sharing with all our family who also have strong views on what pizza should be like.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys the pizza crust so much! 🙂
Nto
Tried this recipe today. Came out fantastic. Lockdown in South Africa has got me trying new things 😋
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough! 🙂
Heather
I just made this pizza crust. Its delish. I use gluten free whole wheat pastry organic flour. And I put garlic and oregano in the crust. It was great! Thanks
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the pizza dough so much, Heather! 🙂
Sueann
Can I use all purpose flour or could you suggest another recipe using all purpose flour
Sam
I often make this using all purpose flour 🙂
Miranda
Prestifed or self rising flour?
Sam
Hi Miranda! Self rising flour will not work with this recipe unfortunately.
Dezi4Lust
How would this be for a deep dish do I double it or would this do for one 24cm pan ?
Sam
I’m not sure how deep a deep dish pan is or how thick you’d like the crust to be, but I would say my typical pizza crust comes out to be about a 12 inch (30.5cm) pizza. I would make any adjustments based off of that measurment.
Jacki Delaney
Can you freeze the dough?
Sam
Hi Jacki! You can freeze the dough. I would let it rise deflate it and then store it in an air tight container. 🙂
Romy
Love the recipe, it turns out fantastic!!! Thanks!
Umm Bonjon
Nice dough and cooked well. I put it right on the bottom of my oven first for 5-7 minutes to get the bottom nice and cooked and then move to lower shelf for 10 minutes.
Naveed
Can i use vegetable oil instead of olive oil
Sam
Yes, that will work.
Gabrielle
Can this be used on a baking sheet as well? Am actually wanting to use this recipe to create that old school pizza that we all loved!!!
Sam
Hi Gabrielle! You shouldn’t have any issues baking it on a baking sheet. 🙂