Homemade pizza dough is the secret to great homemade pizza. If you’re new to working with yeast, the idea of making your own pizza dough might be intimidating, but I think you’ll find that it’s really simple. Anyone can master it! I’m sharing my best pizza dough recipe below. It’s been my go-to for years, and it’s fantastic for beginners. It’s easy to make with 6 basic ingredients, and it yields a soft, chewy, and flavorful pizza crust. Use it to make one of the pizza recipes linked at the bottom of this post, or customize it with your favorite pizza toppings. This homemade crust is delicious. It’ll take any pizza to a whole new level!
Easy Pizza Dough Recipe Ingredients
My easy pizza dough recipe calls for 6 basic ingredients.
Flour – This recipe works well with 100% all-purpose flour or half all-purpose flour and half white whole wheat. Read more about the best flour to use in pizza dough in the callout below! Active dry yeast – It helps the dough rise, yielding a nice and puffy crust. You can also use instant yeast in this recipe, though I still recommend proofing it to guarantee that it’s fresh. Water – For moisture. Make sure that it’s warm, but not too hot, to help activate the yeast. Sugar – It feeds the yeast, helping the dough rise. Maple syrup or honey works well here too. Sea salt – It’s essential for a flavorful crust. And extra-virgin olive oil – For richness, moisture, and flavor.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
00 flour is highly refined, finely milled white flour. It’s a key ingredient in Neapolitan-style pizza. It gives the dough a smooth texture and helps it bake into a crisp and chewy crust. Bread flour has more gluten than all-purpose flour. Using it in pizza dough will result in an especially chewy crust.
For this pizza dough recipe, I recommend using all-purpose flour. It’s affordable and easy to find, and it yields a fantastic soft, chewy crust that’s crisp around the edges. There’s no need to reach for a fancier flour here! However, if you like whole grain pizza dough, you can replace up to half the all-purpose flour with white whole wheat. Note that the whole wheat crust will have a denser, chewier texture.
How to Make Pizza Dough
Making this pizza dough recipe is easy! Here’s what you need to do: First, proof the yeast. Stir together the yeast, warm water, and sugar in a small bowl. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes, or until the yeast is foamy. Heads up: if the yeast doesn’t foam, it’s likely expired. Discard the mixture and try again with a new package of yeast for the best results. Next, make the dough. Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Pour in the yeast mixture and a tablespoon of olive oil. Mix until the dough forms a ball around the hook, 5 to 6 minutes. If the dough is too wet and sticky to form a ball, mix in a little more flour. If it’s dry, add water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time.
Then, let it rise. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and use your hands to form it into a smooth ball. Brush a large bowl with olive oil, and set the dough ball inside. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set the dough aside to rise until it doubles in size, about 1 hour. Tip: it’ll rise best somewhere warm, like a sunny kitchen countertop!
How to Stretch Pizza Dough
When the dough has doubled in size, it’s time to stretch it.
Start by dusting your work surface with cornmeal. It’s the best way to prevent sticking! I typically stretch the dough right on my pizza pan or baking sheet. If you’re using a pizza stone, you’ll want to stretch the dough on a pizza peel or large cutting board. From here, you have two options. Option 1: Roll out the dough to your desired thickness with a floured rolling pin. After rolling out the dough, form a slightly thicker border around the edges with your fingers. Option 2: Stretch the dough by hand. Lift the ball of dough by one edge, and slide both your fists underneath. Work your fists outward to stretch the dough, letting gravity help you form it into a thin oval or circle. Advanced pizza makers will lightly bounce or toss the dough to rotate it as they shape it…but I generally rotate it with my fists, returning it to my work surface as needed.
I stretch this pizza dough recipe to an approximately 14-inch oval or circle. It should be an even thickness with a slightly thicker border around the edges. Top and bake according to your desired recipe! Find some of my favorites below.
Make-Ahead Instructions
One of my favorite things about this homemade pizza dough recipe is that you can make it ahead!
This hole-y pizza pan is a nice lightweight alternative to a pizza stone. I like that you can stretch the dough right on the pan, no pizza peel required! The holes get the bottom of the crust nice and crisp. A cast-iron skillet. I love to use a cast-iron skillet when I’m craving a thicker pizza crust. I often start the pizza on the stove to crisp up the bottom and then transfer it to the oven. See my cast-iron skillet pizza recipe. A regular baking sheet. Honestly, you can make fantastic homemade pizza on a regular old baking sheet! Dust it with cornmeal before stretching the dough to prevent sticking.
Make the dough, and let it rise at room temperature. Then, transfer it to an airtight container or bag. Refrigerate for several hours or up to 2 days. Let the dough stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour before stretching. If it’s still cold from the fridge, it will be difficult to stretch. Bonus: The time in the fridge makes the pizza crust even more flavorful!
Let frozen dough thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature before stretching.
How to Use Homemade Pizza Dough
Try using this homemade pizza dough in any of these recipes:
Margherita Pizza Favorite Veggie Pizza Best Vegan Pizza Pesto Pizza
Or build your own homemade pizza! After stretching, top the dough with pizza sauce and your desired cheeses and other pizza toppings. Bake at 500°F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
