A simple recipe for extra cheese pizza on top of the best homemade pizza dough.
Baking with Yeast Guide
Reference this Baking with Yeast Guide whenever you work with baker’s yeast. I include practical answers to all of your common yeast questions.
Homemade pizza crust may sound difficult to you. Why waste the time when you can just buy frozen pizza dough? Frozen pizza dough is definitely more convenient, but homemade pizza crust has a delicious flavor and texture that only comes from YOU!
Pizza Dough Ingredients
Here’s my recipe for homemade pizza dough. And this is the breakdown of ingredients you need. There’s only 6, plus some water.
- Yeast: Instant yeast makes the job quicker. You need 1 standard packet.
- Water: Use warm water to cut down on rise time, about 105ºF – 115ºF. Anything over 130ºF is too hot.
- Flour: Use unbleached all-purpose white flour in the pizza crust. Bleaching the flour strips away some of the protein, which will affect how much water the flour absorbs.
- Oil: Extra virgin olive oil adds wonderful flavor to the dough. Don’t forget to brush the dough with olive oil before adding the toppings, which prevents the crust from tasting soggy.
- Salt: Adds flavor.
- Sugar: A little sugar increases the yeast’s activity and tenderizes the pizza dough.
- Cornmeal: Use cornmeal to dust the pizza pan; it gives the pizza crust a little extra flavor and crisp.
Homemade Pizza Dough Video Tutorial
Homemade Pizza Baking Equipment
There’s only 3 crucial tools you need.
- Stand Mixer: An electric stand mixer is preferred for making homemade pizza crust, but you don’t *NEED* it. You can simply mix and knead the dough by hand.
- Pizza Pan: Some pizza enthusiasts own pizza stones, baking stones, and pizza peels. If you have them– awesome. If you don’t, just use a regular pizza pan or a baking sheet.
- Pizza Cutter: This OXO pizza cutter because it’s sharp, comfortable, and easy.
Pizza Night Ideas!
Turn your homemade crust into something social by hosting a pizza night. Have friends over, make a batch of the dough, roll into smaller circles (5-6 inches each), and serve with different toppings. Everyone can assemble their own individual pizzas. There are NO rules when it comes to pizza toppings! However, don’t go too heavy or your crust will become soggy and weighed down. My pizza recipe below is for regular extra cheese pizza, but feel free to pile your favorite veggies or meat on top.
Pizza Topping Suggestions:
- Hawaiian Pizza
- Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Veggie Pizza: 1/2 cup pizza sauce, 1 small roasted and thinly sliced eggplant, 3/4 cup thinly sliced mushrooms, 1 thinly sliced red onion, 1/2 thinly sliced red pepper, drizzle of olive oil, pepper/ground basil to taste
- Supreme Pizza: 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni/sausage, 1 thinly sliced green pepper, sliced olives, 1/2 chopped onion, ground basil to taste
- 4 Cheese Pizza: 1/2 cup pizza sauce, 6 ounces each: shredded parmesan cheese, shredded Monterey Jack, shredded Asiago
And not only that, little bakers can lend a hand making dinner AND have fun in the process. Let them help you press down the dough and shape into a circle. They can add their cheeses and make pepperoni faces on top of the pie. Common, who doesn’t love a smiley pizza? 🙂
If you’re looking for a slightly heartier option, you’ll love my whole wheat pizza dough as another pizza night option!
Homemade Extra Cheese Pizza Recipe
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes (includes dough rising)
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes
- Yield: one 12-inch pizza
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
My pizza dough recipe yields about 2 pounds of dough, which is enough for two 12-inch pizzas. Toppings listed below are enough for one 12-inch extra cheese pizza. Freeze the rest of the pizza dough for another time, or make two pizzas by doubling the topping ingredients. Feel free to use 1 lb. store-bought pizza dough instead of homemade.
Ingredients
- 1/2 recipe homemade pizza dough (or 1 lb. store-bought pizza dough)
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) olive oil, divided
- 1 Tablespoon (8g) cornmeal
- 1/2–3/4 cup (127-190g) pizza sauce, depending how much you like (homemade or store-bought)
- 8 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese
- 1 and 1/2 cups (6oz or 168g) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2–3 Tablespoons (10-15g) grated parmesan cheese
- dried basil or Italian seasoning, to taste
Instructions
- Dough: Prepare pizza dough through step 3. If using store-bought frozen pizza dough, make sure it’s thawed.
- Preheat oven to 475°F (246°C). Allow it to heat for at least 15–20 minutes as you shape the pizza in the next step. If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven to preheat as well. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or pizza pan with 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal, which gives the crust extra crunch and flavor.
- Shape the dough: When the homemade dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough in half and freeze half the dough for another time—see freezing instructions in the pizza dough recipe. On a lightly floured work surface using lightly floured hands or rolling pin, gently flatten the dough into a disc. Place on prepared pan and, using lightly floured hands, stretch and flatten the disc into a 12-inch circle, about 1/2-inch thick. If the dough keeps shrinking back as you try to stretch it, stop what you’re doing, cover it lightly and let it rest for 5–10 minutes, then try again. Once shaped into a 12-inch circle, lift the edge of the dough up to create a lip around the edges. I simply pinch the edges up to create the rim. If using a pizza stone, place the dough directly on a baker’s peel dusted with cornmeal. Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for a few minutes as you gather the pizza toppings.
- Top & bake the pizza: Using your fingers, push dents into the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Brush remaining olive oil all over the dough. Top the dough with the pizza sauce, then the sliced mozzarella, the shredded mozzarella, and grated parmesan. Sprinkle lightly with basil or Italian seasoning.
- Bake for 14–15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven.
- Slice hot pizza and serve immediately. Cover leftover pizza tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Freezing and reheating instructions below.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: See homemade pizza dough recipe for how to freeze the pizza dough. You can freeze the baked and cooled pizza or pizza slices. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place wrapped slices in a freezer container or bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
- Reheating Instructions: Reheat leftover cold pizza in the microwave or cover with aluminum foil and bake on a lined baking sheet/pizza pan in a 350°F (204°C) oven until warmed. (About 10 minutes for slices, 15–20 minutes for whole pizza.)
- Special Tools (affiliate links):Â Pizza Pan | Pastry Brush | Pizza Cutter
- Whole Wheat Pizza Dough: Feel free to use my whole wheat pizza dough recipe instead. You only need half of the dough to make 1 pizza, so freeze the extra dough according to those directions or make 2 pizzas.
If the homemade dough is really sticky does that mean that I need more flour? When I would go to press it to see if it bounced back it just stuck to my finger and came with it
Yep, add a little more four until the dough is soft, but not sticky.
Made this for our family movie night when we watched Elf. SO good! 🙂 Thanks for the idea.
I am super excited to try your recipe tonight! I have some friends coming over for a game night and finger food and one of them looooooves pizza so I am surprising him. Quick question though, if I make the dough ahead of time can I refrigerate it for a couple hours?? I can’t make it all in one cause of my crazy day.
Yep. After the dough rises, divide in two and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze one (or neither if you’re making two pizzas). Stick in the refrigerator for the few hours. When you’re ready to bake, take the dough out of the refrigerator, preheat your oven for 20 minutes, assemble the pizza, and bake.
made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I’ll be making it every weekend from now on. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
I made this pizza last night and it was AWESOME! Everyone raved about it. No need to order pizza anymore 🙂 Delicious!
Hi Sally,
My husband and I made your pizza crust tonight and it was amazing!! I did not have the platinum yeast but the Red Star Active Yeast which took 2 hours. (I will definitely use the platinum next time).I also used flaxseed meal on the pan instead of cornmeal cause I did not have any but i will try it with cornmeal next time to see if it is crisper. My son likes a crisp crust and even though he really liked it I think the cornmeal will probably do the trick.We made fresh cut pepperoni, fresh shredded colby jack, mozzarella and parmesan and used between 3/4 c-1 cup sauce each.I topped them with dried basil. Very cheesy and oh so yummy!! I can’t wait to make them again using your exact recipe!! Thank you so very much!! I did share the link to your webpage for your pizza crust on my Facebook page. ♥
Hey Sally! Long time no comment! I just made this pizza a week ago and it was AMAZING! The crust was perfect, and I couldn’t have asked for any more cheesiness!! Thank you so much and congratulations on your wedding!
This is my second time using your pizza dough recipe, and this time is much better, since I actually followed the recipe to the tee this time. I added bacon and pineapple slices with the cheese, delicious . I froze the other dough ball for another day. Thanks so much for the awesome recipe.
This crust rocks! It turns out great every time, even after freezing the extra half. I tired many different crusts and found a winner with this one. Thanks, Sally!
Oh my good heavens Sally.
Best. Pizza. Everrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Hi Sally! I’m trying your homemade pizza crust but there will be a few hours of time between when the dough is ready and when I am ready to actually bake the pizzas. Do you recommend storing the dough in the refrigerator during this time or keeping it at room temperature? Can you make the dough a day in advance and chill it or does it need to be baked right away? Let me know what you think!
Hey Jacqueline! After the dough rises, divide in two and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze one (or neither if you’re making two pizzas). Stick in the refrigerator for the few hours in between. When you’re ready to bake, take the dough out of the refrigerator, preheat your oven for 20 minutes, assemble the pizza, and bake. Enjoy!
Can i substitute olive oil with canola oil instead?
That should be fine, enjoy!
I have regularly used two different crust recipes with good success…and there was no rise time which worked for me. I used your recipe today so now I have to plan ahead to account for your crust’s rising time on pizza nights! I hadn’t told my kids or husband that I switched, but they knew this was better…my 5 year old ate all his crusts and my husband ate our 3 year old’s crusts instead of treating out lab to them! Thanks yet again! I asked my husband if he could guess where I got this recipe. His answer…”Sally?” Everything of yours that I make is not only absolutely delicious, but beautiful…I have started taking pictures of my food!
We are MAJOR homemade pizza junkies (we make it once a week…religiously) and have been using a recipe from Flour Water Salt Yeast for a while. But tonight we gave your crust recipe and whirl (because we enjoy so many of your muffin and cookie recipes) and it’s our new fave! Love the crisp, crunchy outside and chewy inside. Excellent!!
Woow! i need to make this. like right now. Amazing, Sally!
Just one question – do you think the crust will work with spelt flour?
Thanks!
Hey Koty! I typically do not bake with spelt flour and since I have no experience with it, I can’t say whether it will successfully replace the all-purpose. Let me know if you try it!
Hi Sally
I only have the Active Dry yest and Instant yeast
Both Red Star
Which one would you advise for both the pizza recipes ?
Thanks !
– Rupa
active dry yeast
Hi Sally, I have been reading this recipe since you posted it and looking forward to trying it. Just wondering what the reason is for using both sliced and shredded mozzarella? Thank you so much
I wanted to use extra cheese for the extra cheese pizza. 🙂 Use your favorite kind of mozzarella though.
do you have any tips for rolling out the dough into a perfect circle?
Just take your time with it. I use my hands and a rolling pin and push the dough out to form an even circle. It does take some practice.
Fantastic this recipe: THE BEST pizza crust EVER. Thanks for shered it!!
Hi Sally! I made your crust over the weekend and I wanted to let you know that it turned out perfectly!! I always use Red Star Platinum yeast after reading about it on your blog, and I totally agree that it provides the best results. I have tried probably ten or more pizza crust recipes, and both I and my boyfriend thought yours was the best by far! Such a great, fluffy texture and easy to work dough. I didn’t make a traditional pizza, I used it to make strombolis. I will use it to make a regular pizza next. Thanks for the recipe and for ending my perfect crust search!
I made this pizza last night and after trying 300 recipes for pizza crust I just have to say….I finally found a WINNER. OMGosh it was fantastic and my family loved it too. Thank you Thank you
AMAZING
This is THE BEST pizza crust EVER! Thanks for all of your hard work! You help make cooking fun and enjoyable, since we don’t have to second-guess if a recipe will turn out or not. Blessings to you & Kevin!
I literally just got finish making (and eating) this recipe like 15 minutes ago and I had to come and comment right away because it was SO GOOD!
The dough is so fantastic that it didn’t even matter that I was lazy and used store bought sauce. This was actually only my second time working with yeast and I feel so much better about it now.
I’ve never made pizza crust before, in fact I’ve never attempted anything with yeast before, and now I’m so glad that I did! I made your extra cheesy pizza last night and it turned out amazing! My kids thought it was the best pizza ever! 🙂 Thank you so much for the step by step photos and instructions, super helpful! Can’t wait to try more recipes from your site when I do my holiday baking. Keep up the great work! 🙂
I made this recently and it was really good and surprisingly easy. Next time, I will add cheese to the crust for stuffed crust pizza.
Hey Sally! I’ m from Spain and I’m planning to make this pizza on Friday. I just wanted to ask you if you could tell me the protein content for every 100 g of flour, as here all flours are unbleached, thanks a lot!
Hi Marta! The flour I used has 11.7% protein content. Anywhere around that number (10-12%) will be ok.
I have fallen in love….I just finished making this delicious is all I can say…
This recpie is incredible! I’m writing this as I’m munching on the best home made pizza ever ;D It tastes so much better then store bought! I made it with lots of cheese just like you suggested and I love it. Thank you so much for posting this super simple and delicious pizza dough recipe! Next time I’ll try it with mozarella & mushrooms, my favorite combination 😉
I made this yesterday for our family pizza and a movie night. I have tried countless pizza dough recipies over the years and this is by far the BEST! My husband commented on how good it was multiple times.
Oh my gosh I have been dying to see this recipe ever since you announced you were doing a pizza recipe! I am totally going to make it this weekend! 😀
One question, I don’t have a stand mixer but I do have a food processor, would it work to mix everything by hand and then need the dough in that with the dough blade instead of needing by hand or would needing it by hand be better?
Hi Jessica, I highly recommend kneading the dough by hand if you do not have a stand mixer with a dough hook. I’ve never had the best results using a food processor with the dough blade to make yeasted breads. By hand is always the better choice. Enjoy!