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.
- 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.
Print
Easy 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 rubber spatula in the next step.
- Add the olive oil, salt, and flour. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 5 minutes (for a visual, watch me do it in the video above). The dough can be a little too heavy for a mixer to knead it, but you can certainly use the mixer on low speed instead. 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. If not, keep kneading.
- 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 | Dough Scraper | Pizza Pan | 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
After trying multiple different dough recipes, this one is the only one that worked perfectly for me every single time! Mine always does end up too sticky so I add A LOT more flour whilst kneading and I always leave the dough to rise in a lightly preheated oven as I live in a colder climate. My fiance says that my pizza is better than the takeaway pizzas we get haha
★★★★★
Can I use any other oil vs the olive oil? Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Brooke, We find that olive oil produces the best flavor, but you can try replacing the olive oil with a neutral flavored oil such as canola or vegetable oil if desired.
Hi Sally, can I use 00 flour
Hi Ri, Yes, you can. Use the same amount of type 00 flour instead of all-purpose flour. Hope you enjoy this pizza dough!
Used vegetable came out fine It probably would taste better with olive though
Can I make mini pizzas with this recipe if so, how would I do it?
Hi S.W Yes, you can definitely make mini pizzas with this recipe – it’s a very versatile dough. The bake time would be less but we’re unsure of the exact time. Bake until the cheese on top is completely melted.
Perfect! Thank you so much. It didn’t get all sticky here, but I am in the North part of Finland and it is winter. So our house is really dry now. Maybe the dough was still a bit too ticky, cause I had to leave in the oven for almost 20min (but I don’t understand the whole science about baking heheh). Thank you so much! The recipe is easy to follow!
★★★★★
I’ve made this recipe over a dozen times and it’s always delicious! I’m wondering if I can somehow par-bake them and then refrigerate until we are ready to eat them and then pop in oven at high heat for just a couple minutes? I am making for a group and am trying to figure out a better way to serve everyone without working all night!!
★★★★★
Hi Jen, so glad you love it! We haven’t tested that particular method, but let us know if you do. For a par bake and freeze make-ahead option, you could par bake the dough (without toppings) for 5-8 minutes, then freeze. Let it thaw before topping and baking. Make sure you roll the dough/flatten thin as it will puff up without toppings on.
Phenomenal recipe! I’ve tried a few recipes from the internet which have been good, but honestly this is the first time I’ve had a dough puff up and be chewy with a slight crispness to it. I used a different brand of instant yeast and used King Arthur Flour 00 pizza flour and it worked out great! Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
★★★★★
Sally can i use bread flour instead of all purpose
Certainly! You can substitute bread flour for a chewier pizza crust, but add a couple extra Tablespoons of water since bread flour contains more protein than all-purpose flour.
I’ve got a big family. Can I roll the dough into a single larger pizza? Or, can I cook 2 pizzas at the same time, rotating positions in the oven halfway thru baking? Thanks!
Hi Lindsay! Baking two pizzas at the same time should be ok as long as you rotate them as mentioned. Let us know how it goes!
good point. went by the recipe. i found that by sifting the flour to their measurements was perfect
I love this pizza dough recipe, my kids’ new favorite!
★★★★★
I have been making this dough a couple months now and we LOVE it!! It is much better than the recipe that came with my Cuisinart stand mixer! My husband says that this is the best homemade pizza dough he’s ever had!! And as many times as I’ve made it, I’ve never had the dough be too wet or sticky. Freezing half works out also!
★★★★★
I saw some comments about sticky dough. I have two important observations I have learned over the years.
My number one observation is when working with dough is to never use cups or other volume measurement. It’s extremely inaccurate because flour compacts easily. Always use a scale, especially if you are just starting out.
Second, high hydration levels are harder to work with than low hydration levels. This is especially true when just starting out. For ‘easy’ recipes, I like to stay around 60%. That means 60% by weight is water. For example, say the recipe uses 400g flour. 400 times 60% is 400×0.6, or 240g. So use 400g flour and 240g water. That gets you in the ballpark of a dough that is very easy to work with. This recipe is around 70% hyrdration, which is going to be sticky for beginners.
★★★★
Trying to use up what I have in the pantry, is it okay to use a combination of all purpose and bread flour?
Hi Travis, absolutely! You can substitute some of the all purpose flour for bread flour for a chewier pizza crust, but you may need to add a couple extra Tablespoons of water since bread flour contains more protein than all-purpose flour.
This dough is very easy to make. It rolls out better than any dough I have made with the kids. It is a little bland but makes a decent (stone) like pizza . Overall not bad!
★★★★
I’ve tried lots of pizza dough recipes and this one is by far the best! It works out perfectly every time! I’ve been making a bunch and freezing them, so whenever I feel like it, it’s already available, plus the crust comes out just as good as if you freshly made the dough. 5 stars *****
★★★★★
Can the pizzas be made (with the toppings put on) and then stored in the freezer pre-made and unbaked?
Hi Michelle, We wouldn’t freeze an assembled pizza, but you could par bake the dough for 5-8 minutes, then freeze. Let it thaw before topping and baking. Make sure you roll the dough/flatten thin as it will puff up without toppings on.
Instead of warming the oven to get the dough to rise just turn on your dryer and let it warm up and place the dough in the bowl inside the dryer!
★★★★★
I have made this pizza dough many times and it is delicious! I just got a bread maker as an early Christmas present and I was wondering if I could make the dough in the bread maker? Thanks!
★★★★★
Hi Ayla, We haven’t personally tested it, but other readers have reported that they used one successfully!
Best pizza dough I’ve ever had. Simply perfect and plenty left in the freezer for more pizza days❤️
★★★★★
I love this recipe, can you let the dough rise longer than the recipe says. Will it affect it if you do?
Hi Brenda, it’s best to follow the rise times in the recipe so that the dough doesn’t rise too much, which can affect the final texture. See recipe Notes for various make ahead options, though!
Delicious crust but I did have to add about a 1/2 cup to full cup more flour. If dough is really wet, just add flour until it reaches the right consistency. It was like a beautiful hand tossed consistently with airy delicious everywhere. Husband and kids raved and decided no more takeout pizza for us. Much better than Trader Joe’s refrigerated dough and easy to make. Cornmeal on the bottom gave it the perfect crispness. Highly recommend!
★★★★★
Can this recipe be cut in half to make only one crust?
Hi Karen, our recommendation is to make the full dough recipe, then use half of it. You can freeze the other half for another time — see recipe notes for details.
My friends and I absolutely love this recipe. We make it weekly for pizza nights. Lately, we’ve been having trouble with the bottom not being cooked enough. Do you know why this would be happening?
★★★★
Hi Emma, we’re happy to help. First, make sure your oven is fully preheated (we allow it to heat for at least 15-20 minutes). Don’t skip the olive oil as that helps the crust crisp up, and also don’t go too heavy handed with sauce and toppings that are very wet. You can also try rolling your dough a bit thinner next time. So glad you and your friends have been enjoying this recipe!
My favourite pizza dough recipe ever!! We now make this weekly. The kids even think it’s better than takeout.
★★★★★
Can this recipe be doubled ?
Hi Stephanie, for best results, we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling.
I am on a journey to make more food from scratch at home. I was looking up pizza dough recipes last weekend and I am so glad that I happened upon this one! It was way easier than I originally thought, and I turned out so well! I will for sure be making this recipe again! Thank you for taking your time to make this recipe!
★★★★★
I made this dough today and it was super sticky. Watching the video I can’t understand if one follows the recipe how mine got so wet and sticky. I kneaded for 5 min by hand and added some extra flour – still very sticky,. Very hard to handle after the rise as well. Not sure what the problem is? I used a kitchen scale for flour measuring ! Thank you for a reply.
Hi Nancy! There are a lot of variables that go into the consistency of dough, even down to the weather and humidity in the air. There’s nothing wrong with adding just a little more flour to bring the dough into a less sticky and knead-able consistency.
This was the first pizza dough recipe I tried and my search is over!
★★★★★
I love this pizza though recipe I made a lot of pizzas this is the best one I’ve ever had could never go wrong with this one it’s unbelievable you would think you were getting it from the big restaurant chains
I see comments about needing more water, and should dough be sticky. I have found that wetter, more sticky dough yields a crispier crust. Dryer dough tends to be more bready, if you like a bready thick crust.
That’s just my experience.
Sally!I am a first time baker, please is the mixture supposed to be sticky ahn. I don’t know, I am still in the baking process.
Hi Anna Joy! There are a lot of variables that go into the consistency of dough, even down to the weather and humidity in the air. There’s nothing wrong with adding a little more flour to bring the dough into a less sticky and knead-able consistency. Let us know how it turns out for you!
We made this tonight. It was delicious and didn’t give me that too full yuck feeling like I get from greasy take out pizza. We did need to add a bit more water and we actually cooked the crust by itself for 4 minutes before adding the toppings. This will be our go to recipe for homemade pizza and I love that I am using organic flour.
★★★★★