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
I’ve made this dough a few times. Today I used King Arthur pizza flour. The dough came out light and airy with almost a bread like texture. The edges were crisp but not hard to cut.
I got tired of using the pizza stone and the pizza peel after a couple of near disasters so I switched to using a 12″ cast iron pan. I spray it with a non-stick spray, work the rolled out dough into the pan and then add the toppings. I cook it stovetop for 4 minute’s at medium heat to brown the bottom. Then I bake it at 450 for 14 minutes.
For some reason, this pizza was my best ever, and they have all been pretty good. I’m thinking the flour made the difference.
I used a stand mixer with a dough hook and the dough came together at low to medium speed. I proofed it in the oven at 100 degrees, split it into two, and put one in the freezer and one in the fridge. It rolled out easily and didn’t spring back.
Sally’s pizza dough recipe is easy to follow, simple and works wonderfully.
★★★★★
Hi I’m a bit confused as to whether the instructions say to still follow the rising method of warm place and then put into refridgator for the fridge method? Or do I skip the warm place step and put directly into fridge for 8-12 hours for this ? Thank u
Hi Ruby! Let the dough to rise for 8-12 hours in the refrigerator instead of rising at room temperature.
I`ve never tried to make pizza dough before, so I was intimidated, but this recipe and your instructions got me through to the other side. The crust turned out great! Nice crust on the bottom with the cornmeal too. I too some lazy shortcuts and I intend on trying again with better equipment, but this is a great base recipe. Thank you!
★★★★★
This recipe looks so good but I am having trouble with the dough being too wet and sticky. I have tried three times with the same results so I don’t think I am getting quantities of ingredients wrong. I am wondering what I am doing wrong? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Scotty, there are a number of factors that can go into the consistency of yeasted doughs, down to the weather and even the humidity in the air. If the dough seems really wet, you can try adding more flour a few tablespoons at a time until it comes together. Hope this helps!
Same here. I added an extra cup of flour and it still would not hold its shape. Going in a second time. Hope it works.
I prefer sheet pizza to circular ones; do you have recommendations for size of baking sheet, and how many pizzas it can make from the one recipe?
Hi Lawrence, a half sheet pan works great for this, but any baking sheet you have should be fine. The number of pizzas you get really depends on how thin or thick you roll out the dough, but the recipe generally makes 2 12-inch round pizzas.
I have used this recipe before and loved it ! I don’t feel like I was able to get TWO 12in pizzas. I was only able to get one pizza from.the recipe. Did I not flatten it enough ? I want to make mini pizzas for my kids. Should this recipe give me FOUR 6in pizzas ?
★★★★★
Hi Ashley! Yes, we always get two crusts from this recipe – we would try flattening them a bit. You should be able to make 4 mini pizzas from this dough, no problem.
My favorite recipe for pizza dough. I’ve been making it for a year now and it even works in high altitude Denver. Thank you. I make It at my moms in Minnesota and she loves it as well.
★★★★★
What is the difference between this recipe for pizza dough and the artisan bread dough>
Hi Sal! They’re very different recipes. The detailed blog posts will walk through the doughs.
I literally could not read this recipe because of the advertising
Hi Rob, we’ve had spam advertisements pop up on the site the past 24 hours, and we’re in the midst of having them blocked. Sorry for the trouble. If it helps, you can click Jump to Recipe at the top and then PRINT which pulls up a new page of just the recipe.
I did like the recipe and the crust was very good. I had a hard time getting the dough onto the peel and off it into the oven. I wanted to use semolina flour to help but I tried corn meal as you suggested. That did work but I need to master that part! Thank you!!
This recipe is great and made the best pizza crust! I turned this into a 30 minute pizza crust by using rapid yeast. I rolled it out on a greased extra large rectangle rimmed cooking sheet. Let it rise in the oven for 30 minutes and then cooked as directed for 15 with my toppings. The dough was very light and slightly crispy on the crust. Perfect!
★★★★★
I’ve been doing pizza for more than two decades and baking it at very high temp will burn the whole thing. It takes approximately 6-7 min to bake.
I bake my pizza at 500, doesn’t burn – traditional pizza ovens are hotter than that. It does only take 6-7 minutes.
I let the dough sit in the fridge about 10 hours. However when I tried to roll it out it kept bouncing back into the ball shape. I was not able to form a circle. I’m not sure what I did wrong. Should I have left in the the counter for a bit before trying to forming it?
Hi Christine! Letting the dough warm up a bit should help and the gluten relax if needed.
This was fantastic. I made it in a half sheet pan, and used the whole batch of dough for a thick crust. I did pre bake the crust as the oven was coming up to temperature, so it wouldn’t be undercooked. The entire family descended on the kitchen like a pack of ravenous wolves, and declared it was the best pizza they ever had. Plus it looked so pretty and delicious! Even my son who doesn’t really eat pizza had two slices. It was really easy to make, and the crust was nice and tender, perfectly chewy, and melted in your mouth. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for the incredibly delicious recipe!
★★★★★
I loved this recipe but I had one issue the bottom was a bit on the flimsy side even though I used some cornmeal. What did u think I did wrong
Hi Karaina, it sounds like the pizza may have been slightly underbaked. A few additional minutes in the oven should help for next time. You could also try baking the crust (without toppings) for a few minutes, taking it out and adding the toppings, then finishing the baking, for a slightly crispier crust. Thank you for giving this recipe a try!
I prebaked it too and it did make the difference. Also heated the stone first.
There is no amount fore flour in the recipe
Hi Ray! See the gray recipe card above: 3 and 1/2 cups (about 450g) unbleached all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for hands and surface.
This is the BEST pizza dough recipe I have ever made! Quick, easy, and it turns out for me every single time. I get a lot of compliments on my pizzas now.
★★★★★
I made this last night, and it was delicious! We didn’t roll it to the 1/2 inch thickness, so definitely had more of a focaccia quality to it, but amazing nonetheless! Curious if the 60-90 minute resting time is necessary? I make other quick breads that call for rising time but never do it.
Thanks!
★★★★★
Hi Mary, so glad you enjoy this. This pizza dough isn’t a quick bread. The yeast needs time to make the dough rise, so I don’t recommend skipping. You can try my flatbread pizza dough recipe, which is scaled down and doesn’t rise quite as long.
Can I let this rise for 3 hours or is that too much?
Hi Juan! The exact rise time needed will vary by the temperature and humidity of where the dough is rising. If you have it somewhere cooler, 3 hours may be ok, but you risk the dough rising too much (and then the texture of the crust wouldn’t be very desirable).
Great recipe! A family favorite for sure!!
Questions: After thawing in the fridge, and you set it on the counter to rest for 30 minutes, do you just leave it in the freezer bag or put it in a bowl to re-rise?
★★★★★
Hi Amy! You’re just letting the dough rest, it won’t rise too much. Leaving it in the bag or a bowl should both be fine. Glad you love this pizza dough!
If you want to make personal pan pizza how many dough balls would you get from one recipe and how much should each one weight?
Whenever I make this we have three slices each, or half a pizza. So I would say making 4 small pizzas with the dough would be good. I guess they would weigh about 1/2 a pound each since the recipe says it yields 2 pounds. But I am sure you could weigh your dough and divide by 4.
Hi Sally I made this recipe and my husband & I love it. I am going to make it in a sheet pan when my husband’s brother comes next week. Thanks for all the great recipes.
★★★★★
Me and husband tried this pizza dough for the first time tonight and it is amazing, we made two batches of dough and made 4 pizzas. We have made pizza dough in the past and this one is the all time best. Thank you
★★★★★
This recipe is out of this world! We made it last night and we loved it. Thank you so much 🙂
First time ever and it turned out epic!! Never made homemade pizza dough before and tried tonight with this recipe. It was AMAZING!
★★★★★
We have pizza every Sunday. This is the only crust I make. It turns out PERFECT every single time. I will never buy a pizza out or a store-bought pizza again! Nothing can compare.
★★★★★
Can I use a bread machine to make this?
Hi Marcy, we haven’t tested it, but many readers have done so with success. Let us know if you try it!
Picked this recipe up when homebound in 2020 during the pandemic. I recognized it as what I thought my mamma used as a recipe for pizza when I was young. I never got her recipe but I have it now. Just had company and made it meatless with spinach cooked with garlic, yellow bell pepper, kalamata olives, pan fried mushrooms, and onions on normal red sauce and mozzarella base. OMG. When someone says best pizza they ever had it makes you pretty darn happy. Thank you.
★★★★★
Yum! Thanks so much for this recipe! My family loved it. So easy to make and work with! Will definitely be my go to from now on.
Tried this recipe tonight and it turned out amazing! My husband said that it turned out really good and he is picky! Made 2 batches but realized we only needed one batch so the other one is split and into the freezer! Thank you so much for a great recipe!
★★★★★
I made this recipe today and it was amazing, I’ll be using it from now on, I do have a question tho, my pizza base wasn’t very crispy when it was done, should I leave it in for longer or did I do something wrong? I used a pizza tray to cook it
★★★★★
Hi Ashling! A few more minutes of bake time should help. Or try moving the pizza to a higher position in your oven.