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
OMG. Sally you are my go-to for anything baking :). It all started with the everything bagels and now this AMAZEBALLS pizza crust. I am a novice baker, but love to cook. This recipe was easy, peasy, lemon squeezy, and super yummy. My husband and daughter loved it. I substituted the cornmeal for flour and Panko bread crumbs (I didn’t have cornmeal) and it worked well. The ONLY issue I had was in getting my pizza pies shaped as circles. One looked like a heart and the other, well, it was less close! LOVE the recipe!
This was incredible!! This was the first time I made pizza dough and the two pizza lovers in my house said it was probably the best they have had. I love the detailed instructions and the video tutorial. The flavor was amazing. I will be making this again soon. Thanks!!
Hi Sally! First of all, I rarely (never) comment, but every one of your recipes that I’ve tried has baked up beautifully! I made this tonight subbing 200g white whole
Wheat flour for part of the AP. It came out great. Thanks for all you do—love your blog.
Simply amazing! I made this tonight after debating wether or not to order delivery… I am floored at how simple and delicious it was! I split the dough into 4 and made thinner pizzas reserving half for the freezer. One pie was chorizo & green chili and the other was a roast garlic, chicken and spinach white pie. I am floored.
Thanks Sally! It turned out absolutely amazing! I’m in love with this pizza crust!
I left the second part of the dough in the refrigerator, I didn’t freeze it, because I want to use it tomorrow. I wrapped it up in plastic wrap, but noticed it keeps rising. Is this ok, or will it ruin the dough?
Perfect pizza every time ! This is a fool proof recipe . Your instructions are super clear and the result makes me and my family over eat
Loved the recipe!!
The only think I did different was I cook the pizza dough half way then I add the toppings.
I find my pizza is not soggy from too much toppings.
Just made this last night and everyone loved it! My first batch rested for 4hrs. The dough was sooooo soft and smooth. It yielded three 6 inch pizzas and two 12 inch ones. The crust was thin and crispy. It was a hit. Had to make a second batch in a hurry as I didn’t expect it to finish fast. This time around I only made two 12 inch ones, so the crust was thicker but everyone claimed it was way better than buying outside. Thanks Sally.
This recipe is fantastic! Family loved! It made 3 – about 14” pizzas with one dough recipe, for a thin, crispy crust aka Chicago style (Nick and Vito’s). I don’t have a peel, but shaped the dough on parchment paper, and transferred to hot (only in oven about 25 min) baking stone. After the stone was pulled from the oven, added olive oil and cornmeal to stone, then dough folded up like you do pie crust, and laid on top of stone, then toppings. The recipe is so easy, and delicious, I’ll never go back to store bought dough again. Thank you so much, Sally!
Made this with instant yeast and it was a huge hit with my family. However, I’m all out of instant yeast and just have active dry. I see I can use that; is the only difference the rise time? Otherwise recipe is the same?
Brilliant recipe. Easy as pie and yummy in the tummy. I will definitely bookmark this recipe and it will be my “go to!”
I always had a goal to make pizza from scratch like my Italian mother did. I never had her recipe but this seemed pretty much like what I remembered. I just didn’t remember the steps for letting it raise and the rest, etc. As kids we were in charge of the toppings but never the crust! It turned out so good…it was so fun like mama was in my kitchen. Next time I will roll it out thinner, mama would say you have to add more flour when rolling it and roll it thin. Even 45 years ago mama had a KitchenAid and that sure makes it easy. Thank you for the detailed instructions. Another positive day while sheltering at home!
Perfection, Sally! We have been making your whole wheat pizza crust for years but decided to give this a try today. Oh my word, it was AMAZING! Chewy, yet soft and tender. Our kiddos actually ate all their crust (which I brushed with a little melted butter and parmesan). We made homemade sauce to go with it, and it truly ticked all the boxes for me. The only way this could be improved upon is if we had a brick pizza oven!
Hope you’re all well and enjoying this time together, especially before sweet little #2 arrives.
My Best,
Merrily
The crust didn’t bake on the bottom, I used a pizza stone in my gas oven, double oven and put it in the top oven at 425°. Any suggestions?
I recommend baking for longer until it’s baked through.
I made this for dinner tonight. This was great. Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes. All of the recipes that I have tried from your website have been awesome!
This recipe was awesome! I had so much fun making it and for my very first time making dough it was easy! My husband love it too!
I do not see any video. Am I missing something?
Hi NJ, The video is displayed under the words “Video Tutorial.” Give the video right below a few seconds to load. It’s a faded horizontal image of pizza. Click on the play button in the center to play it. Make sure any ad blockers are temporarily paused on your browser.
Hi Sally. Loved the recipe. I added in 2 tbsp of parmesan and some.italian seasoning as well to it. Just didn’t have any cornmeal on hand. Do let me know if we can substitute something please. Made thin crust Pizzas. Came out fab
Hi! Should I bake the crust alittle first before putting on toppings to prevent it from getting soggy? Or with this crust is it alright to put the toppings on first and it will still be crispy? Thanks!!
I usually don’t, but feel free to pre-bake it for a few minutes if you want an extra crispy crust.
We have the Breville Crispy Crust Pizza Maker (highly recommend!!!), so we make pizza a few times a month. I’ve been searching for a good pizza crust recipe for over a year, and this is it. HANDS DOWN. Better than any dough I’ve made or purchased. Thanks so much, Sally!
Made the pizza crust the night before with my granddaughters. Even my granddaughter who kneaded the dough commented how wonderful it felt! She’s 12 and two years ago saw a French baguette recipe on u tube. Since then we have been making bread together every chance we get! Made 6 personal pan pizzas for lunch with our 3 year olds help.. Very good
I’m a cook not a baker and have failed so many times at making bread, crust, or other similar items. This recipe made me feel like a chef – it turned out so well and is so easy to make! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! We had a family pizza night as we abide by the shelter in place order. It is a very easy recipe and extremely tasty! This will definitely be our go-to recipe from now on!!!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I made it exactly as written and it turned out perfect! I made a pepperoni pizza for my daughter and pepperoni, mushroom, and green pepper for my husband and I. It was so good!!
I’ve tried home made pizza before and it was always just mediocre. This however turned out perfect. Chewy, crispy crust. So happy we tried it. Doubled it for our family of 5 and made individual pizzas. Enough for left over too. Next time I’ll make MANY batches and freeze some dough balls!
I made the pizza dough as written. Super easy and delicious! Thank you Sally for another amazing recipe!
Hello Ms Sally
We cooked pizza with your recipe and it was awesome. No words to explain. So much perfect. Unbelievable. You are really really good. Overall beyond my imagination
Hi Sally!
Have been craving pizza and our fave place can only let one person in at a time right now so it’s a 45 minute wait outside. Long lines!
Well, after making this pizza dough our fave place is HOME!! Such an easy dough to bring together for my first time. The flavor is wonderful. Family loved it! I made a simple sauce, used a good Mozzarella (sliced) and some Parmesan as a base for each pizza. Topped one with black olives and another with a seasoned ground beef mixture. The only problem I encountered was that I ate too much! Can’t wait to try it with bread flour to test out the chewier crust. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe! Stay safe and healthy
Hi Sally, Thank you. I tried your pizza dough for my first time and it turned out amazing! I’d like to make a thinner crust though – any suggestions?
Hi Pam! You can divide the dough into more than 2 portions and roll each out thinner/larger. The thinner the dough is going into the oven, the thinner it will bake up.
This pizza dough is amazing!! So easy to make in to make in the kitchen aid!! Added garlic powder for a little more taste….it tasted exactly like a pizza from a shop!