Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe
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This easy Pizza Dough recipe is perfect for beginners. Soft, homemade pizza crust with a list of simple ingredients that you most likely already have on hand. One-Bowl and only a few minutes of kneading.
Want to make it a meal? My Pizza Dough Garlic Knots and Chopped Italian Salad make the perfect sides!
RECIPE FEATURES
- 5-Ingredients: After a lot of testing, we found the best pizza dough recipe uses basic ingredients.
- Easy Weeknight Dinner: No more take-out with this super simple recipe.
- Make-Ahead: Start your dough the night before and it’ll be ready in a snap.
This recipe is SO dang good and will have you adding pizza night to your menu on a weekly basis. We used to order out, but now THIS is our go-to. Perfect for baking, grilling, or freezing for later. So buckle up as we walk through the step by step of how to make perfect pizza dough.
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EASY PIZZA DOUGH INGREDIENTS
This list of ingredients is short, which means you need to make sure they are fresh. Especially the yeast. Improperly stored yeast won’t let the dough rise the way it needs to before baking.
- Flour: Specifically, bread flour. Using bread flour will make the crust on the crispier side while all-purpose will give you a soft finish.
- Salt: Because this recipe uses very easy ingredients, salt is needed to help enhance the flavor.
- Water: Luke warm water helps to activate the yeast to give your crust a perfect rise.
- Yeast: Active dry yeast. Be sure to double check the expiration date before adding to your dough.
- Oil: The secret ingredient to giving you a stretchy dough that doesn’t rip. Oil helps to make the dough more pliable, giving you a perfectly rounded pizza base.
Try this New York style pizza!
MAKE-AHEAD PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE
- Whisk together the flours and salt in a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Stir the warm water, yeast, and oil in small measuring cup until just combined.
- Slowly stir the yeast mixture into the flour until combined, using a wooden spoon or fingers.
- Let the dough rest 15 minutes.
- Using your hands, or the dough hook of a stand mixer, knead dough until smooth. About 3 minutes.
- Divide the dough in half and shape into round balls.
- Cover with dampened cloth and rise 4 hours at room temperature 8-12 hours in the refrigerator.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to the hottest temperature with a pizza stone inside (No stone? Cook in a cast iron pan).
- Using your fingers, stretch and shape into rounds on parchment paper.
- With a pizza paddle, transfer the pizza to a heated hot stone.
- Let cook no longer than 5 minutes and carefully remove parchment.
- Finish cooking 5-10 minutes
They key to keeping this recipe simple and stress free is to use a stand mixer. The dough hook will change your life and you will thank me later. It takes all of the grunt work out of dough making. You will want to make a triple batch and store some in the freezer because YES you CAN freeze this stuff.
Can I get a “HURRAY!?” I know how much we all love freezer meals and this makes for a quick weeknight dish.
RECIPE TIPS AND FAQS
The flour. Making sure you use the right flour, with the addition of oil, is going to be key to giving you a stretchy dough that will not rip.
While 00 Flour is a highly rated flour option, I have found bread flour is more available and gives you a great dough that is extremely delicious. The higher protein content gives you a stretchy dough that is less likely to tear when shaping your pizza.
Make the dough through shaping into rounds. Wrap tightly in plastic and place in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and let rest on the counter for 1 to 2 hours before shaping.
The beauty of pizza is how easy it is to customize. Some easy topping ideas are:
Fresh grated mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni
Sausage
Mushrooms
Bacon
Onions
Peppers
Chicken
Pineapple (controversial? Yes. Delicious? Also yes.)
And even pesto!
No time to wait? No problem! You can try to use one of these awesome ideas in place of a pizza crust:
Texas Garlic Toast
Tortillas
French Bread Sliced
Pitas or Flatbread
Bagels (think pizza bites!)
I’m not a gluten expert, but I do know that this gluten-free pizza crust recipe from Meaningful Eats is a great alternative.
MORE PIZZA RECIPES TO TRY
- Garlic Toast Pizza
- Taco Pizza
- How to Grill a Frozen Pizza
- The BEST Pizza Sauce
- Easy French Bread Pizza
- Mini BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Alfredo Chicken Pizza Minis
- Chicken Alfredo Pizza
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Homemade Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons bread flour (300g)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Scant 1 cup water (lukewarm*)
- 3/4 teaspoon active yeast
- 1 teaspoon oil
Instructions
- Whisk together the flours and salt in a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Stir the warm water, yeast, and oil in small measuring cup until just combined.
- Slowly stir the yeast mixture into the flour until combined, using a wooden spoon or fingers.
- Let the dough rest 15 minutes.
- Using your hands, or the dough hook of a stand mixer, knead dough until smooth. About 3 minutes.
- Divide the dough in half and shape into round balls.
- Cover with dampened cloth and rise 4 hours at room temperature 8-12 hours in the refrigerator.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to the hottest temperature with a pizza stone inside.
- Using your fingers, stretch and shape into rounds on parchment paper.
- With a pizza paddle, transfer the pizza to a heated hot stone.
- Let cook no longer than 5 minutes and carefully remove parchment.
- Finish cooking 5-10 minutes
Notes
- *Scant is slightly under the 1 cup measuring point.
- Be careful! Using a high temperature with parchment paper can be tricky. Avoid leaving it in the oven for too long.
- This recipe tastes better the longer it raises. Try letting it rise in the refrigerator.
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Make the dough through shaping into rounds. Wrap tightly in plastic and place in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and let rest on the counter for 1 to 2 hours before shaping.
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
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