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
I moved and my new ovens seem to cook the toppings faster than the crust. Any suggestions so the cheese isn’t so dark?
Hi Elizabeth! You can try moving the pizza to a different position in the oven, or tenting the pizza with foil half way though baking.
I meant pizza flour, not dough.
I made this dough again using Italian Pizza dough. I made it the day before and put half in the freezer and the other half in the fridge wrapped in plastic film and zipped into a plastic bag. It rose again and burst through the film and leaked a bit from the bag. But it was easily worked into a disk. I’ve been doing my pizzas in a cast iron skillet at 450°F. But I do a few minutes stove top at moderate heat to brown the bottom before it goes in the oven. The dough came out light, airy and crusty but not crunchy. I’m guessing the 24 hours it spent in the refrigerator let it rise twice and resulted in a more bread like texture. But it sure was nice so I’ll do the same thing next time I make pizza. We topped it with basil pesto, a mixture of fontina, mozzarella and parmesan grated cheese, gently sauteed onion, cherry tomato halves, sliced and cooked breakfast sausage and pepperoni.
★★★★★
I had to add way more flour than called for. And I weighed everything.
★★★
Go to pizza recipe! Was nervous about trying it after freezing the dough but turned out just as great. Thanks for sharing this keeper.
★★★★★
Oh my so good! My first time making pizza dough and it is wonderful! Made a veggie pizza with grilled onion/roma tomatos/mushrooms and a white sauce with a lot of parmesan in it. Topped with mozzerella and italian seasoning.. Yum!
★★★★★
Can this be doubled??
Hi Stephanie, for best results, we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling. Enjoy!
I made 4 personal pizzas for my teens, using the bottoms of my cake pans as pizza pans. I make bread often, and have eye’d the “pizza yeast”, so I looked up the difference of pizza yeast. It did make the dough easier to stretch, so that was a win!
I also added a 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt to the dough, and dialed back the salt to about 3/4 teaspoon.
I brushed the bottom of the dough with olive oil as suggested, but I used an olive oil w/ herbs, and it really gave it a flavorful punch.
I also took them out of the oven about 4 minutes before they were done and brushed the crust with melted butter and sprinkled with parm, then continued baking until finished.
They are now asking “When are you making it again?!!”
★★★★★
This was my first adventure in making pizza dough. It came out amazing!! The instructions were clear and easy to follow which was really essential since I have very little experience working with yeast.
★★★★★
Soooo yum!!!!!My grandkids love to have homemade pizza when they come to spend the night. They gobbled this up! On the way to take them home, we were late and they hadn’t had lunch. No problem, I just gave the kids a slice of pizza from the night before to eat in the backseat They even loved it cold! Great directions and dough to work with. I like to knead by hand and I think it turns out even better. This recipe is a total keeper! Thank you❤️
★★★★★
instructions were all over the place and only find out I needed to let the pizza dough rise after strolling to the bottom to find itand had the pizza in the over
First time making pizza dough and we will definitely be making it again, and without a doubt following your recipe! Delicious and a happy mum and daughter baking day.
★★★★★
This is simply the BEST pizza dough I have ever made OMW my husband couldn’t stop saying how good it is. I have been cooking and baking forever but boy this is just the best pizza dough it’s baked to perfection
Can this be par baked?
Hi Donna! For a freezer 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.
Haven’t finished yet, but you need to add something about the nature of the initial mixture. When I “turned this out” on to the surface it was possibly the stickiest substance I have every experienced in my (quite long) life. Maybe I didn’t mix it enough (have no electric mixer) and/or maybe it’s the wrong kind of flour (“plain” … is this “bleached”? No idea). Anyway I don’t think I will have been the only person to have found this at this very first stage. A warning would have helped.
Would (King Arthur’s) pizza flour work? Or do you recommend only AP flour? Thanks!
Hi Christine, many readers have successfully used pizza flour in this recipe. Enjoy!
I used an Italian brand of Pizza flour and it came out really nice. I bought some King Arthur pizza flour to see how it compares.
★★★★★
Five freakin’ stars. I followed the recipe to the T, but used bread flour and really kneaded for a long time so I could get that chewy chewy crust. It was PERFECT. I’d never made pizza before, so I was a little nervous (as I always am when making a yeast bread I’ve never made before), but it turned out just right! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
The bestestestest pizza recipe I have ever tried!!! Plus, the easiest too.
The dough was so easy to handle. One batch is in my freezer. I made one round pizza ( a little too early), so put it on the pizza tray and kept it in the fridge for an hour or so. Took it out 10 minutes before topping it and baking it. I live in a very hot country so it being outside for 10 minutes was enough to let it warm up after the coolness of the fridge.
Awesome. I’m a fan of yours for life now.
★★★★★
How long can the dough sit in the fridge? I want to make one pizza this Friday and another next Friday, would it [the dough] be able to sit in the fridge for a week?
Hi Eliza! Up to 12 hours in the refrigerator is best. We recommend freezing if storing longer than that (see recipe Notes).
Can you use active dry yeast
You can use active dry yeast instead. The rise time will be at least 90 minutes.
Great recipe! I used instant yeast and forgot how that works… three times I tried to bloom the yeast… ♀️ finally read the yeast instructions, whoops!
Anyway, the recipe is excellent. I declared to my niece that I have a new skill, pizzamaker! Ha aha. This will be made again and again!
Could you roll out the dough and then freeze it? I’m hoping to keep some rolled out and frozen on hand for fast lunches.
Hi Haley! For a freezer 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.
So easy and delicious! My husband said it was the best crust he’d ever tasted. Pretty bold statement but I’ll take it!
★★★★★
Excellent, simple recipe for pizza dough. I made this last night and substituted one cup of the flour with whole wheat flour and it turned out amazing
★★★★★
I tried this recipe and added garlic to the dough at the start and before letting it rest. You could also try with bunch of other spices and the results will probably be just as good. The pizza came out fantastic even without the meat or any fancy toppings and probably one of the best in a long time. I also used a dark pizza pan and spread it to make it almost thin crust. The 15 minutes of cook time was perfect on the middle rack. Great, easy recipe. Thank you.
★★★★★
This is by far the best and easiest pizza dough I’ve ever made. I made one big pizza with pepperoni, bacon bits and pizza blended cheese. It came out perfect and was delicious. This will be my go too pizza dough from now on.
★★★★★
Phenomenal recipe cheap easy and delicious thank you for the knowledge. May peace be upon you.
★★★★★
Finally found as great pizza dough recipe!!! LOVE THIS SO MUCH!
★★★★★
I made this dough today. I used mostly Italian pizza flour with one cip of regular flour because I ran out of the fancy stuff. I did all the mixing and kneading in a stand mixer with a dough hook. I used the proofing setting of my oven for the rise. The dough more than doubled in size. With other recipes, I’ve had trouble shaping the dough. I did this one entirely by hand and it was easy. Becaue I made the dough three hours before dinner, I covered the shaped dough and put it in the fridge. I covered my pizza peel with Quaker corn meal and put the dough on top. For the topping, I used a light coat of basil pesto, a freshly grated mix of parmesan, fontina and mozzarella cheeses, cooked baby bella mushrooms, cherry tomatos, sausage (for her) and salami for me. Somtimes, I’ve had trouble sliding the pizza onto the pizza stone, but this slid straight on.
The pizza was easily the best I’ve ever made. The dough was crispy on the edges and breadlike on the inside. The toppings worked well and we sprinkled baby arugula with a dash of truffe oil on top to serve.
I was on the fence about getting some more of the Italian pizza dough but this crust came out so well, I’m going to buy some more.
This dough recipe is perfect, especially for home cooks who make pizza maybe once a month.
p.s. On my Brave Browser the recipe rating stars did not work But I tried to give it 5 stars.
Brave Browser!
Thanks for sharing the process with us.
I’d like to know how much flour I’m actually supposed to use sence you didn’t mention it above
Hi Jeremy! See the recipe card above: 3 and 1/2 cups (about 450g) unbleached all-purpose flour.