This easy pizza dough recipe is great for beginners and produces a soft homemade pizza crust. Skip the pizza delivery because you only need 6 basic ingredients to begin!
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
Every great pizza begins with a great pizza crust. Some like it thin and crispy, while others prefer a thick and soft crust. This homemade pizza crust has it all: soft & chewy with a delicious crisp and AWESOME flavor. It’s my go-to pizza dough recipe and just a glance at the hundreds of reviews in the comments section tells me that it’s a favorite for many others too!
Easy Dough for Bread Beginners
This is a no-fuss dough recipe for beginners. You need just 6 basic ingredients, plus a little cornmeal for preparing the pan. (You can skip that if needed.) Most of the time is hands off as the dough rises. You might wonder… why waste the time when you can just buy frozen pizza dough? Frozen pizza dough is certainly convenient, but from-scratch crust has unbeatable flavor and texture that only comes from fresh dough. And you can use the dough for cheese breadsticks, too!
Reader, Andy, commented: “Super easy, super fast, super good! I don’t like doughy thick pizzas and I find with this recipe that I can make them thin and crunchy, I love how easy it is. I make pizza once or twice a month! Haven’t bought one for quite some time now! ★★★★★“
If you’ve ever made homemade bagels or sandwich bread, you can easily make pizza dough because it’s quicker, easier, and requires fewer steps.
Overview: Homemade Pizza Dough Ingredients
All pizza dough starts with the same basic ingredients: flour, yeast, water, salt, and olive oil. Here’s the breakdown of what I use in my homemade pizza crust recipe. The full printable recipe is below.
- Yeast: I use Platinum Yeast from Red Star. I have the best results when I use this instant yeast. The Platinum yeast is fantastic because its careful formula strengthens your dough and makes making working with yeast simple. You only need 1 standard packet of yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons) to get the job done.
- Water: I tested this pizza dough recipe with different amounts of water. 1 and 1/3 cups is the perfect amount. Use warm water to cut down on rise time, about 100-110°F. Anything over 130ºF kills the yeast.
- Flour: Use unbleached all-purpose white flour in this recipe. Bleaching the flour strips away some of the protein, which will affect how much water the flour absorbs. You can substitute bread flour for a chewier pizza crust. If you love whole grain bread, try this whole wheat pizza dough instead.
- Oil: A couple Tablespoons of 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: Salt adds necessary flavor.
- Sugar: 1 Tablespoon of sugar increases the yeast’s activity and tenderizes the dough, especially when paired with a little olive oil.
- Cornmeal: Cornmeal isn’t in the dough, but it’s used to dust the pizza pan. Cornmeal gives the pizza crust a little extra flavor and crisp. Most delivery pizzas you enjoy have cornmeal on the bottom crust!
You could also add 1 teaspoon each garlic powder and Italian seasoning blend to the dough when you add the flour.
Reader, Shane, commented: “Excellent pizza dough. I add about 1 tbs of garlic powder and Italian herbs to give the dough more flavor as well as 40 grams of cornmeal for a little crunch. It freezes well and makes a nice thin crust. ★★★★★“
This is a Lean Bread Dough
Pizza crust, like homemade bagels, artisan bread, and focaccia, requires a lean dough. A lean dough doesn’t use eggs or butter. Without the extra fat to make the dough soft, you’re promised a crusty pizza crust. (However, I recommend using some olive oil for flavor and to keep the interior on the softer side.) Recipes like dinner rolls, homemade breadsticks, and overnight cinnamon rolls require fat to yield a “rich dough,” which creates a softer and more dessert-like bread.
Overview: How to Make Easy Pizza Dough
- Make the dough: Mix the dough ingredients together by hand or use a hand-held or stand mixer. Do this in steps as described in the written recipe below.
- Knead: Knead by hand or with your mixer. I like doing this by hand. If you’re new to yeasted doughs, my How to Knead Dough post and video can help with this step.
- Rise: Place dough into a greased mixing bowl, cover tightly, and set aside to rise for about 90 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Punch & shape: Punch down risen dough to release air bubbles. Divide in 2. Roll dough out into a 12-inch circle. Cover and rest as you prep the pizza toppings.
- Top it: Top with favorite pizza toppings.
- Bake: Bake pizza at a very high temperature for only about 15 minutes.
Young bakers can lend a hand AND have fun in the process. Let the kids 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. Who doesn’t love a smiley pizza? 🙂
Favorite Pizza Pans
Let me share my top choices for pizza pans just in case you’re shopping for a new one. I use and love (affiliate links) this one and this one. If you like baking your homemade pizzas on pizza stones, I’ve used this one before and it’s wonderful.
If you don’t have a pizza pan, use a regular sheet pan. Grease it with olive oil and sprinkle with cornmeal as directed below, and then press the dough into whatever shape that will fit. Make sure the dough is about 1/2-inch thick. For a thinner pizza, stretch the dough out more.
FAQ: How Can I Make The Dough Ahead of Time?
Prepare the dough through step 3 below, but allow the dough to rise for 8-12 hours in the refrigerator. (If it needs to be in the refrigerator for longer, use cooler water in the dough which will slow the dough’s rise and allow for more time.) As a bonus, the slow rise gives the pizza dough wonderful flavor! When ready, continue with step 5 in the recipe below (the shaping step). If the dough didn’t quite double in size when rising, let it sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before shaping.
FAQ: How Do I Freeze Homemade Pizza Dough?
This recipe yields two 12-inch pizzas. After the pizza dough rises and you divide the dough in half (step 5), you can freeze one of the balls of dough to make pizza at a later time. Or you can simply freeze both balls of dough separately. Lightly coat all sides of the dough ball(s) with nonstick spray or olive oil. Place the dough ball(s) into individual zipped-top bag(s) and seal tightly, squeezing out all the air. Freeze for up to 3 months.
FAQ: How Do I Thaw Frozen Pizza Dough?
Place the frozen pizza dough in the refrigerator for about 8 hours or overnight. When ready to make pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to rest for 30 minutes on the counter. Continue with step 5 in the recipe below.
Uses for Homemade Pizza Dough
Here are the many uses for this homemade pizza dough:
- Extra Cheese Pizza & Stuffed Crust Pizza
- Pesto Pizza (pictured above)
- Homemade Ham & Cheese Pockets
- Pepperoni Pizza Rolls
- Stromboli
- Spinach Artichoke White Pizza
- Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Garlic Knots
- Margherita style: For 2 pizzas, when it’s time to top it in step 6 below, top with the following. (Feel free to halve for only 1 pizza.) Make a homemade tomato sauce by blending 1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, pinch of salt, and 2 minced cloves of garlic. Spread on shaped doughs. Top each with 2-3 ounces thinly sliced fresh mozzarella. Bake as directed, and then sprinkle each hot pizza with 2 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese and a handful of roughly chopped fresh basil.
- Apple gorgonzola pizza is a favorite: For 1 pizza, when it’s time to top it in step 6 below, top with 1 and 1/2 cups (6oz or 168g) shredded mozzarella cheese, 8 ounces crumbled gorgonzola cheese, thin slices of apple, then sprinkle with chopped fresh or dried rosemary before baking.
- Or any other pizza topping you love: pepperoni, crumbled sausage, black olives, onions, mushrooms, jalapeños, etc
Here are my flatbread pizza crust, whole wheat pizza dough, and cold veggie pizza recipes.
PrintEasy Homemade Pizza Dough
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 12-inch pizzas
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Follow these basic instructions for a thick, crisp, and chewy pizza crust at home. The recipe yields enough pizza dough for two 12-inch pizzas and you can freeze half of the dough for later. Close to 2 pounds of dough total.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/3 cups (320ml) warm water (between 100-110°F, 38-43°C)
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast (1 standard packet)*
- 1 Tablespoon (13g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) olive oil, plus more for pan and brushing on dough
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 and 1/2 cups (about 450g) unbleached all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for hands and surface
- sprinkle of cornmeal for dusting the pan
Instructions
- Whisk the warm water, yeast, and granulated sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes. *If you don’t have a stand mixer, simply use a large mixing bowl and mix the dough with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula in the next step.
- Add the olive oil, salt, and flour. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray—just use the same bowl you used for the dough. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes or until double in size. (Tip: For the warm environment on a particularly cold day, heat your oven to 150°F (66°C). Turn the oven off, place the dough inside, and keep the door slightly ajar. This will be a warm environment for your dough to rise. After about 30 minutes, close the oven door to trap the air inside with the rising dough. When it’s doubled in size, remove from the oven.)
- Preheat oven to 475°F (246°C). Allow it to heat for at least 15-20 minutes as you shape the pizza. (If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven to preheat as well.) Lightly grease baking sheet or pizza pan with nonstick spray or olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal, which gives the crust extra crunch and flavor.
- Shape the dough: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough in half. (If not making 2 pizzas, freeze half of the dough for another time. See freezing instructions below.) 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 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 baker’s peels dusted with cornmeal.
- Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for a few minutes as you prepare your pizza toppings. I suggest pepperoni & green peppers or jalapeño slices, extra cheese pizza, Hawaiian pizza, pesto pizza, spinach artichoke white pizza, or homemade BBQ chicken pizza.
- Top & bake the pizza: Using your fingers, push dents into the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. To prevent the filling from making your pizza crust soggy, brush the top lightly with olive oil. Top with your favorite toppings and bake for 13-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
- Slice hot pizza and serve immediately. Cover leftover pizza tightly and store in the refrigerator. Reheat as you prefer. Baked pizza slices can be frozen up to 3 months.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: This recipe yields enough dough for two 12-inch pizzas, a little less than 2 pounds total. After the pizza dough rises and you divide the dough in half (step 5), you can freeze one of the balls of dough to make pizza at a later time. Or you can simply freeze both balls of dough separately. Lightly coat all sides of the dough ball(s) with nonstick spray or olive oil. Place the dough ball(s) into individual zipped-top bag(s) and seal tightly, squeezing out all the air. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the frozen pizza dough in the refrigerator for about 8 hours or overnight. When ready to make pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to rest for 1 hour on the counter. Preheat the oven and continue with step 5, punching down the dough to release air if needed.
- Overnight/All Day Instructions: Prepare the dough through step 3, but allow the dough to rise for 8-12 hours in the refrigerator. (If it needs to be in the refrigerator for longer, use cooler water in the dough which will slow the dough’s rise and allow for more time.) The slow rise gives the pizza dough wonderful flavor! When ready, continue with step 4. If the dough didn’t quite double in size overnight, let it sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before punching down (step 5).
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand Mixer or Large Mixing Bowl and Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula | Dough Scraper | Pizza Pan or Baking Sheet | Pastry Brush | Pizza Cutter
- Yeast: Red Star Platinum yeast is an instant yeast. You can use active dry yeast instead. The rise time will be at least 90 minutes. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Pictured Pizza: This recipe yields 2 pizzas. For each, top with 1/2 cup pizza sauce, 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni slices, thinly sliced green pepper or jalapeño, and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning blend or dried basil.
Recipe originally published on Sally’s Baking Addiction in 2013
Keywords: pizza, pizza dough, pizza crust
This recipe is the ONE. I’ve been trying different “quick” pizza dough recipes. This one is hands down the best. I used Red Star quick rise yeast instead. (because that is what I had on hand) and it turned out great. Definitely going to try it with Platinum. I used half the dough quantity and rolled it out super thin. Fantastic. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
★★★★★
My go to pizza recipe which I have been using for years, its simple and tastes great. We have pizza nearly every friday. I usually make one large pizza and a small deep dish with the rest of the dough. Leftover pizza the next day tastes even better
★★★★★
First attempt at this recipe AND had to use a BBQ to bake it – turned out pretty well! We hope to have a working stove on Monday, so will make another one. I suspect it will be even tastier. Great recipe, thank you.
★★★★★
Do you think I could use this recipe, but make my pizza like a sheet pan pizza?
Definitely! Depending how large the pan is, you could use the full dough recipe for the sheet pan pizza. (Since it usually makes 2 12-inch rounds.)
The pizzas turned out amazing. I actually divided the dough into two and stretched it to fit the pan. It was a thinner crust and so yummy. My boys said we never need to order pizza again! I reduced the baking time to 11 minutes and it was perfect. We made it again tonight and it’s a hit. It’s now on our weekly rotation.
This recipe was amazing. I totally cut the rising time short because I started too late before dinner time. So the dough rose for 35 minutes. It still had almost doubled in size.
★★★★★
Love this recipe! Quick question – can this sit out on the counter longer than 60-90 minutes? Wanting to make the dough over lunch and use in 4ish hours for dinner. Thanks!
★★★★★
Hi Katie! If you want to make the dough further in advance, let it rise in the refrigerator instead. For the 4 hour time period, you may want to start it at room temperature first, then place in the refrigerator.
I have made pizza dough for a lifetime and it’s always good but your recipe came together so easily! No reason not to make homemade pizza! I simply followed your instructions to a “t”-I let my dough hook and electric stand mixer do the rest. I did turn onto a floured board and knead for about a minute after I used the stand mixer. Thanks for your good work!
★★★★★
This is our go to pizza crust recipe! It’s so easy and so dang delicious!
★★★★★
Hi Sally, I have made the cheese bread. Super recipe. You made the bread twisting look simple! Now I want to attempt Pizza base and Focaccia
I had 3 questions-
-The water and flour proportions are very different. Focaccia dough seems to require a lot more water than pizza dough. Is the Focaccia dough much stickier.
– Slow rising in the refrigerator is recommended in the First rise for pizza base and second rise for Focaccia. Is that correct?
– If I use instant yeast which does not require proofing, shall I add the sugar and extra fluid that would go in yeast mix to the dough mix ?
–
Hi! I’m happy to help. (1) Yes, focaccia dough is much stickier. We’re simply shaping it in a large baking pan, so a sticky dough isn’t as much of a problem as it would be for carefully shaped doughs. (2) Correct. (3) If using instant yeast, I still recommend following the quick proofing step. There’s no harm!
Hey Sally! I love this recipe and make it every couple of weeks. I was wondering if I made the dough and left it on the counter for 2-3-4 hours if I’d still be alright. I know you have the note to do overnight refrigeration, but wasn’t sure about extending the time at room temp.
Thanks!
★★★★★
I’ve never commented on a recipe before but I just have to say how much I love this recipe. I have it bookmarked and have used it over 5 times. Perfect pizza every time. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
I made this dough twice, and the second one turned out better. It is very good, and tastes awesome considering That I don’t have bread flour. Thanks for sharing. I am going to make focaccia from your recipe as well.
This is a great recipe, I’ve used it thrice and my pizzas come out perfectly every time
★★★★★
It’s a very easy recipe and also very tasty.
I got two pizzas out of this and the first time it wasn’t so great. I think I over-loaded it with toppings (turkey sausage, onions and other veg) and the wrong kind of sauce, etc. The second time, I changed the sauce and used shredded mozzarella instead of the balls. Another pizza all together.
★★★★★
I have been making this crust for a few years now, without fail! It’s always been my go-to recipe. However, for the past 6 months every time I make it, the dough turns out really sticky. I try adding more flour and it doesn’t seem to help. Any ideas why? The only thing I’ve changed is the olive oil brand I’m using (I use Red Star Platinum and King Arthur Flour).
Hi Alli, I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed this pizza crust. And I’m glad to help. There are a lot of variances that go into the consistency of dough, even down to the weather and humidity in the air. There’s nothing wrong with adding anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour to bring the dough into a less sticky and knead-able consistency.
Love this recipe. Let the kids make their own the first time. This time I added a generous amount of oregano. Next time will brush with an infused oil!! I will never order pizza again!!
★★★★★
I’ve made this pizza crust now 3 times and my family totally loves it. No other recipe comes close to this one . An absolute delight to make.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
★★★★★
Have tried twice now and really like this recipe. Would it be possible to substitute all purpose flour for type 00?
★★★★★
I Was looking out for pizza dough recipes and tried yours for the first time and it turned out amazing. My family loves the crust. Thank you for sharing your recipes
★★★★★
First time ever making pizza crust and I picked this recipe because it looked easy. It turned out amazing! It was easy to follow the directions and had a great flavor. Instead of pizza sauce, I used pesto and then topped it with shredded mozzarella cheese. I can’t believe we’ve been wasting money on delivery pizza when we could have had fresh homemade pizza at home. This will be our new go-to treat! Thank you!
I do have one question, if I were to use a pizza stone, would I have to adjust the cooking temp or time?
★★★★★
I’m so happy you tried and enjoyed it, Melissa! If using a pizza stone, no changes just make sure it’s preheated in the oven according to its instructions. Transfer the shaped/topped pizza to the hot stone. Using a baker’s/pizza peel dusted with cornmeal helps transferring it.
Over the years I have tried many pizza dough recipes as pizza is my favorite food! When I found this one, I have never tried another. It is soooo good!! I have made this so many times now, every time I make it for guests or friends, I am asked for the recipe. I can’t thank you enough for sharing. I love your site, everything I have made is excellent, my first stop whenever I want to make something guaranteed to be a winner.
★★★★★
This crust was simple to make, and very easy to work with. It made great pizza! I think next time I’ll add some flavor to the crust with infused olive oil and some seasonings.
★★★★
Hi Sally…love this crust, so easy! I made it for the first time yesterday and my husband wants it again on Saturday. I made up the dough but didn’t read far enough to let it rise in the fridge until it was too late. Can I just wrap them really tightly in plastic wrap and put in my fridge until tomorrow? Thank you!
Hi Joanne, If you already let the dough rise you can follow the freezing directions in the recipe notes for longer storage.
Great outcome even on the first try. Didn’t want a thick crust so we stretched it out a lil more and kept an eye on the oven and turned out great. Was exactly right on the crunch factor and softness. I absolutely love ur blog cuz I never have to worry. I can trust that it’ll be amazing even if I havent made or eaten it before and it promises to get better with each try!
★★★★★
Best pizza crust I have ever achieved baking at home. So easy to do and and delightful. Cannot recommend this enough x thank you Sally, you are an angel x my family adores your pizza crust x
★★★★★
I woke up one morning wanting to make pizza from scratch, something that has never come to me before. I used this bread recipe and it came out great. I used a hand mixer and the instruction about testing for firmness was the right answer. For some reason, I always find that kneading any bread for the amount of time listed is too much, so I appreciated this recipe giving the tip about how much kneading time by test instead of time. The recipe ended up making two pizzas with too much bread in my wife’s opinion. Next time I’ll cut the ingredients in half and roll out the dough much thinner. Very tasty pizza we ended up with, black olives, green onions in little discs, paper-thin tomato slices and low-moisture mozzarella. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.
★★★★★
How about parbaking the crust before putting on the sauce and toppings? I am still getting that slightly undercooked middle where the crusts are perfect golden brown and can’t bake it any further state. Should I just try it?
★★★★
My thoughts for Isabelle:
You need to get a pizza stone or baking steel – trust me, you won’t regret it if you bake pizza or bread with any frequency. That will help to get a crispy crust that is more cooked-through. Also maybe turn up the oven heat to the highest temperature for your oven…experiment with that and see what happens. Pizzerias and restaurants (particularly wood pizza ovens) use a very (or extremely) hot oven for cooking pizza.
Try coating the dough with olive oil before applying sauce and toppings. That can help to keep the sauce separate from the dough/crust and prevent sogginess.
Finally, make sure you have given the dough adequate rise time, and try spreading/pulling/rolling (whatever you do) the dough a bit thinner to see if you can find a happy middle ground as far as the crust consistently and cooking level that you’re hoping to achieve.
I certainly welcome thoughts from Sally and others on this topic. Thanks.
For Sally:
Wonderful recipe!!! I stumbled upon this many months ago. Out of all the pizza dough recipes I have tried, I keep coming back to this one as I continue to have the best results with crust and pizza satisfaction. You’ve been a great resource – thank you!!
★★★★★
I love this dough recipe. It is the best one I tried and found.
★★★★★
I made this recipe tonight after receiving my order of SAF instant yeast. I substituted a can of my husband’s IPA for the water after watching an episode of DDD. The pizza dough came together easily in my stand mixer. Made 4 10” pies with various toppings. Who needs Domino’s delivery!
★★★★★
My first time making homemade pizza crust and it came out perfectly. I used active dry yeast instead of instant, and I made a BBQ chicken pizza which my husband and I loved, it was even better than our typical takeout place! Thanks for the detailed instructions for baking novices like me.
★★★★★