The Best Pizza Dough Recipe
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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 1/4 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
This is an amazing recipe,I have always avoided yeast recipes but this was easy to follow & my kids loved the pizza.Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Caroline! I am so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
I have tried many recipes but nothing was close to this.. Very much impressed.. thanks for sharing the recipe…
Thank you so much, Sase! I am so glad that it was such a hit and you loved it! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
I’m trying make it little healthy by replacing all purpose flour with Bob red mills organic whole wheat flour.
Do I need to make any changes to the recipe?
I have made this with a half and half mixture (half ap flour and half wheat flour) I haven’t tried using more than that. The wheat flour tends to be a little drier and tougher, so maybe just go half and half and see how you like it. 🙂
reading your recipe and watching the video i figured I’d give it a shot, i couldn’t believe how easy this recipe was.. I made the pizza dough and i added basil and garlic as suggested.. We had left over pulled pork from a couple days ago, slathered it with bbq sauce and topped it with the pork, cheese, onions and more goodness, one thing i did do is stuffed the edges with cheese before rolling it, didn’t use that much cheese since i didn’t know how it would turn out…. everything just turned out great… Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I am so glad that it was such a hit and you enjoyed it, Stella! Your toppings sound amazing! Enjoy! 🙂
Hi, I made and love your pizza dough recipe! I wonder if it will turn out fine with only 1 Tbsp oil instead of 2, since there’s a lot of added oil used later. Also I think I’ll prebake my crust next time before adding the toppings so to result in a crispier crust while the cheese hasn’t browned much yet. Have you tried it this way? Thanks!
I am so glad that you enjoyed it! You should be fine reducing the oil down to 1 Tbsp. Others have also prebaked their crust for 5-7 mins before applying toppings. I hope that when you try it, you have the same success. 🙂
Can I make the dough a few hours before using it? If so, do I just let it stay in a risen position or go ahead and roll it out??? Thanks in advance!!!
Hi, Beth! Yes, you can make it in advance. You will make the dough, allow it to rise completely, then store it in an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it. Enjoy! 🙂
Leave it to me to do something wrong with what seems like a perfectly simple dough recipe. Yesterday, I made the dough, let it rise, punched it down, kneaded it a little.. it never got smooth so I added a little more flour and kneaded some more. It got a little smoother and I didn’t want to over knead it?! so I wrapped it in plastic wrap and put it in an air tight container. This morning, I found the dough had expanded/exploded and some of the dough even oozed out of the container. Please advise. Thank you!
Oh no, Patricia! I am so sorry that you had an issue with this recipe. After the dough finished rising, you probably just needed to continue kneading the dough until it was smooth. If the dough was not sticky then no extra flour should have been added. If you wish to store it in the fridge, next time I would store it directly in the airtight container, unwrapped. I hope that helps and that you give this recipe another shot. 🙂
This is one of the best pizza dough recipe I’ve made.
I am so glad that it turned out perfectly and you enjoyed it, Myra! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Amazing recipe, easy to follow and pizza comes out soft and delicious.
Love it!!!
Thank you
I am so glad that they turned out perfectly for you and you enjoyed them, Lindi! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast?
Yes, that will be fine, Kylie! Another user who used active dry yeast (same amount listed on the recipe) proofed the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water + 1 tsp sugar before putting it in the flour mixture. Then added the rest of the wet ingredients and flour. After about 45 mins it should double in size! I hope that helps!
Hi, I just love your pizza recipe. I’ve haven’t tried the bread flour yet but would love to. Someone mention half AP and half bread. Sounds awesome.
My question is: have you ever froze the dough for later usage or put in the fridge for next day?
I am so glad that you have enjoyed the recipe, Janelle! Yes, the dough can be frozen. To freeze it, you will make the dough, allow it to rise completely, then store it in an airtight container and place it in the freezer. It will last for up to one month. You can also make it in advance and store it in the fridge to bake the next day. 🙂
I just want to say that yes flour and water are bland, it gets its flavor from a slow rise. It is preferable to put in in the fridge for a day.
Made it for my family at my moms house today. Unfortunately she did not have measuring cups or spoons or olive oil! Haha so I guessed on the measuring and it still turned out amazing! Thank you for these wonderful recipes ❤
I am happy that it turned out well and everyone enjoyed it, Brenda! Thank you so much for trying my recipes and for commenting. I appreciate it! 🙂
Can I substitute the olive oil for vegetable oil? I do not have any at the moment and the store is closed. But I am very excited to use this recipe!☺️
Yes, that will be fine. 🙂
Hi. Can I freeze the dough for future use?
Yes, the dough can be frozen. To freeze it, you will make the dough, allow it to rise completely, then store it in an airtight container and place it in the freezer. It will last for up to one month. 🙂
This is easily the best pizza dough I have ever tried – so easy, soft and so delicious. Thanks for a great recipe!
I am so glad that it was such a hit, Trish! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
This was really quick and simple! I greased my pan because I didn’t have parchment paper and it turned out nice and crispy.
I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe, Megan! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
What a phenomenal pizza dough recipe! An absolute joy to make. Thank you so much 🙌
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Duruz! Thanks so much for trying it! 🙂