Start a pizza night tradition with my easy homemade pizza dough recipe. This simple recipe uses pantry staples and a home oven to create a pizza crust that is crispy, chewy, and flavorful, and the perfect base for all your favorite pizza toppings without having to order takeout!
I have been making this easy homemade pizza dough recipe dozens of times for family and friends for years now. I love that it uses ingredients that we always have on hand and doesn’t require much hands on work. Even beginners can make this without difficulty and it tastes so much better than the premade store-bought options.
Plus, it rises really quickly (only 30 minutes), so I can get things started and have cheesy, fantastic pizza customized with all of our favorite toppings ready in about an hour. Or it can be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge until you are ready to bake!
It hardly takes any longer than picking up pizza from our favorite pizza place. And it’s definitely WAY less expensive to do a weekly pizza night tradition when you make them at home.
Pizza Dough Recipe Ingredients
Here is a brief overview of the ingredients you will need and how they affect the recipe. Scroll to the printable recipe card below for exact amounts and instructions.
- Water: Regular tap water works just fine. It should be warmed to between 100°F and 110°F (38°C to 43°C). If it is hotter, than you risk killing the yeast.
- Sugar: This helps feed the yeast so you get a nice reaction and puffy crust around the edges.
- Yeast: You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast. If using the former, be sure to proof the yeast in a little warm water for 5 minutes first until foamy before using.
- Bread flour: This type of flour has higher protein content than all-purpose flour, which results in a chewier crust. It’s worth it to keep some on hand in the pantry.
- Olive oil: Adds a little richness and flavor to the dough.
- Salt: If you omit the salt your crust is going to taste like a stale cracker and nobody wants that.
How to Make Pizza Dough
Here is a step-by-step overview of the process of making homemade pizza using my homemade pizza dough recipe.
- Proof the yeast. Combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar and let it proof for 5 minutes (until it starts to get foamy) before adding the flour, salt, and olive oil. If using instant yeast, you can add the flour, salt, and olive oil right away without proofing.
- Knead dough. Stir the dough ingredients together just until everything starts to clump up, then knead for 5 minutes using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, or by turning the dough only a lightly floured surface and kneading for 6-7 minutes by hand until the dough is smooth and elastic. It should be tacky, but not so sticky that it is difficult to work with. You can add extra flour as needed, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough is workable.
- Rise. Transfer the dough to a large clean bowl coated with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil. Give the dough a turn in the oil to coat, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for up to 3 days (if you are making the pizza dough in advance) or let it rise for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 ½ hours until doubled in size.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 500°F (or 475 if that’s as hot as your oven will go) for at least 30 minutes to an hour while the dough is rising and while gathering your pizza sauce and topping ingredients.
- Divide. When the dough has risen, divide it into 2-3 evenly sized balls (or more if you are making personal pizzas). I like to lightly dust the outside of each ball of pizza dough with a little additional flour. If you want to freeze your pizza dough, this is a good time to do it by immediately wrapping each ball in plastic wrap and freezing for up to 2 months.
- Shape the dough. Pat, stretch, or roll out the balls of pizza dough into circle-ish shapes and place on a pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal or a large piece of parchment paper. For a thinner crust pizza, the dough should be rolled about 1/4″ thin.
- Top. Top each circle of dough with about ¼ to ½ cup of sauce (classic pizza sauce or even just crushed tomatoes with a sprinkle of kosher salt is always a hit, but you can also use your favorite BBQ sauce, pesto sauce, a white alfredo sauce, or skip the sauce entirely if you feel like it). Add cheese and additional toppings to make your pizza however you like it!
- Bake. Slide your pizza off of the pizza peel or cutting board onto the preheated pizza stone or an upside-down baking sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes. The cheese should be melted and the crust should be turning golden brown around the edges. The amount of time will depend on just how hot your oven is, how many toppings you added to your pizza, and how thick or thin the crust is.
Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe FAQs
If you are using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, I recommend kneading the dough for about 5 minutes at medium speed. If kneading by hand, add another minute or two longer to develop the gluten in the flour.
Pizza dough should rise until it has doubled in size. Which can be anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 ½ hours, depending on how warm it is in your house. That said, I almost always give mine about 30-45 minutes because I don’t like to wait longer and that’s about as much time as it takes me to clean my kitchen and prep everything else.
I find this is a really easy, forgiving dough and a more specific rise time really isn’t necessary. If it looks noticeably bigger than when you first put it into the bowl and covered with plastic wrap, you should be good to go ahead and start making your pizzas.
A baking stone doesn’t make a huge difference so it isn’t totally necessary for making really great homemade pizza, but it certainly helps achieve a crispier crust and great results. They aren’t too expensive, so if you find yourself making homemade pizza often, it’s probably worth the investment. But baking sheets work just fine as well.
I highly recommend using bread flour when making this pizza dough recipe. While you CAN make this pizza dough recipe with all-purpose flour, there is a noticeable difference between the texture and chewiness of pizza crust with bread flour versus one made with all-purpose flour. I recommend either King Arthur Bread Flour or Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour. This post isn’t sponsored, those are just two widely available brands that always have great quality to make the best pizza dough.
Yes, you can replace the bread flour in this pizza dough recipe with 00 flour, although it might require slightly more flour so the dough isn’t too sticky. This is also known as double zero flour which is a finely ground Italian flour used for making pizza or pasta dough available online or at well-stocked grocery stores. Because of it’s lower gluten content than regular flour and fine texture, it is said to make the best pizza dough with a chewy texture and crisp crust on the edges.
You will likely need an extra 100 grams of 00 flour (usually between ½ to 1 cup) if using it in this pizza dough recipe to replace the bread flour.
Use this recipe for more than just pizza!
Use this recipe to go beyond just making a classic pizza crust for your family.
- Breadsticks – Use this pizza dough to make cheesy garlic breadsticks by brushing it with garlic butter and sprinkling with mozzarella cheese before baking. Once it’s done slice it into sticks and serve with some marinara sauce for dipping!
- Stromboli or calzone – Wrap up your favorite pizza fillings inside the crust to create your own delicious calzone or stromboli to create your own homemade pizza pockets.
- Make dessert – Try frying chunks of dough in hot oil then toss them in a bag of powdered sugar to coat for zeppole, which is like an Italian fried donut. I used to get these from my favorite corner pizza place in New Jersey when I lived there!
How to Shape Pizza Dough (2 Methods That Work!)
A rolling pin work to get uniform thinness, but I actually like a little bit of a thicker crust around the edges and thinner center, which also helps the pizza cook more evenly as well. That isn’t something you can easily achieve with a rolling pin. Here are two ways I have found for achieving this by hand. If you find that your dough keeps shrinking back as you are trying to stretch it out, let it rest for 5 minutes so the gluten can relax, then try again.
Method 1: Drape the dough over your fists
Start with a ball of dough and pat it out into a disc. Then make sure you aren’t wearing any rings and lay the dough on top of your balled fists, using them to rotate and gently stretch the dough. Go ahead and try giving it a little toss even! This is going to cause the dough to thin more in the center while leaving a slightly thicker ring around the edges.
Method 2: Steering wheel approach
My other technique starts the same way with flattening a ball of pizza dough into a disc. Then hold it like a steering wheel with your hands at the top. The weight of the dough will cause it to naturally start to stretch on its own. Keep turning and rotating the “wheel” of pizza dough, holding it a couple inches in from the top, until it has stretched out into a large thin circle.
Amy’s Recipe Tips
- Get your oven hot! Professional pizzerias use really hot ovens, which gives their crusts the signature crispy texture that can be hard to achieve at home. I recommend preheating your oven for AT LEAST 30 minutes, even up to an hour, at 500°F (or 475 if that’s as high as your oven will go). If you are using a pizza stone, put it in the oven before turning the heat on so it has plenty of time to get hot as well.
- Don’t overdo the toppings. You can top your pizza however you like, but keep in mind that because pizza cooks so quickly at such a high temperature, the ingredients won’t have a lot of extra time to cook.
- Precook or thinly slice toppings. Toppings like sausage or bacon need to be cooked in advance, and it’s best to slice veggies on the thin side, or even roast them first.
Topping Your Pizza
We change up pizza flavors all the time and it’s fun to pull out a bunch of different toppings so everyone can make their own. Here are some of our go-to pizza toppings:
- Cheese: freshly grated mozzarella cheese (it melts so much better than the pre-shredded kind) or sliced fresh mozzarella, ricotta or burrata cheese (if you want to get all fancy), freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino romano
- Meats: pepperoni (forever and always), cooked sausage, Canadian bacon, crumbled cooked bacon, sliced Italian meatballs, leftover grilled chicken
- Veggies: sliced green, red, or yellow peppers, chopped red onions, sliced olives, sliced mushrooms, thinly sliced Roma tomatoes, roasted red peppers (so good!), minced garlic, artichoke hearts, roasted broccoli, thinly sliced zucchini, caramelized onions
- Fruit: pineapple tidbits (drained well), blackberries, or even pear (especially good with a balsamic drizzle and arugula) are all excellent on pizza (sorry, Italians!)
- Herbs & spices: fresh basil leaves or other herbs (add these right as the pizza is coming out of the oven) or dried Italian seasoning, parsley, or red pepper flakes.
- Olive oil
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Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
BEST Pizza Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (110°F)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast or instant yeast (1 package)
- 3 ½ to 4 cups bread flour (455g to 520g)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Place a pizza stone in the oven if you have one. Preheat oven to 500°F (or 475 if that's as high as your oven will go) while preparing the pizza dough so it can be completely hot when you are ready to bake the pizzas.
- Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. If using active dry yeast, let it proof for 5 minutes until foamy. If using instant yeast, there is no need to wait for the yeast to proof.1 ½ cups warm water, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast or instant yeast
- Add flour, olive oil, and salt and stir well with a wooden spoon or mix in a stand mixer with a dough hook until combined.3 ½ to 4 cups bread flour, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt
- Knead for 5 minutes using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment or 6-7 minutes by hand until smooth and elastic. The dough will be tacky and slightly sticky, but should still be manageable to work with.
- Drizzle a clean bowl with a little olive oil, then place the ball of dough in the bowl and turn it to coat in the oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean cloth and let rise for at least 30 minutes (or up to 1 ½ hours) until doubled in size.
- Divide the dough into 2 or 3 balls (or more if you want to make personal-size pizzas).
- Roll, pat, or stretch the dough out until it is roughly 1/4" thick, then top with 1/4-½ cup of pizza sauce, freshly grated mozzarella cheese, and other toppings.
- Bake for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown and crispy around the edges.
- Cool slightly before cutting and serving.
Video
Notes
- Make-Ahead: You can make the dough up to 3 days in advance and keep in in the fridge covered with plastic wrap until you are ready to make your pizzas. Just combine all the ingredients and knead like normal, then place the dough in a clean bowl with a little oil and transfer to the fridge immediately, skipping the rising time. When you want to make your pizzas, pull the dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for one to two hours to come up to room temperature and rise before proceeding like normal. I actually think the flavor and texture of the crust of the pizza is even better when the dough is made at least a day in advance!
- Freezing: You can even freeze pizza dough to always have some one hand. Make the dough like normal and let it rise, then divide it into 2-3 balls. Rub a little extra olive oil around each ball of dough, then place the balls of dough into freezer-safe ziploc bags and freeze completely. You can keep the balls of frozen pizza dough in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge for at least 12 hours, then let it sit on the counter at room temperature for at least 1 hour before using.
- Par-baked Pizza Crusts: After making the dough and rolling it out into circles, use a fork to pork some holes around the center of the crust to prevent bubbles while baking. Bake at 450°F without toppings for 4–6 minutes, until set, pale, and just starting to puff, but not browned. The goal is to firm up the structure so it won’t collapse when thawed, not to fully cook. Let the crusts cool completely before stacking with sheets of parchment paper in between each crust and transferring to a freezer-safe bag for 2-3 months. When ready to use, remove the frozen crusts and top them (no need to thaw first). Bake for 8-12 minutes at 475°F (246°C), until the crust is golden and cheese is melted.
- This recipe is on page 199 of my cookbook, House of Nash Eats Everyday!
First time making pizza dough actually first time using yeast and I’m 65 yrs old. First of all I wish we would have taken pictures I guess my husband and I were so excited the dough came out so good we just gobbled up the pizza before we knew what hit us. Honestly great direction very easy to follow recipe loved it and will be using this recipe again and again. Thank you so much
Oh wow thank you for such a nice comment! And it’s never too late to try something new! I am glad you enjoyed the pizza. It really is so fun to make and now you are experts with the dough you can make amazing and fun pizzas!
We’ve used this recipe a few times and love it! I like to use the instant sourdough yeast packets instead of just regular yeast, adds a little extra flavor. Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour is a must for me when making this. High heat is everything when making pizza! This one is a winner. It’s simple and delicious. Sometimes we will add a teaspoon or two of dried oregano/other herbs to add even more flavor to the dough. Thanks so much!
Wow thank you! I am glad you like it! Those changes sound like they are working out great. And adding herbs to the dough makes it even better! Way to go!
Replaced yeast with fresh one and it turned out amazing! Beste pizza dough!!
Thank you! Homemade pizza dough is the best!
I love this dough recipe I include a few toasted spices into the dough and my boyfriend requested this specific recipe 🥰
This dough recipe made the greatest pizza crust!!! Easy to follow directions, and it tasted delicious!!!
Thank you for sharing!
Oh thank you for such a nice review! I am glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe was so easy and it’s really good!
I made this recipe and love it!
I pulled my dough out of the freezer Saturday and placed in the fridge planning to make Sunday but didn’t. Is my dough still okay to use today(Monday)?
Yes it should be fine. It should last for about three days after being defrosted.
I make pepperoni rolls and lost my recipe for the dough. I found yours with a Google search and it’s a winner for my family! I add herbs and parmesean cheese to it for this specific recipe. I will be using this again!! I think I found the replacement recipe for my lost one!! Thank you for sharing!!!
Easy peas, love that I can make ahead and freeze!
My grandson and I love the dough recipe. I make it every time he comes over. I use all the dough at once and make a thick crust.
Simply the Best!! Recipe and ALL the directions are easy to understand. Thank you!!
Easy to make and double for the best super bowl party. Have made this several times and always turns out great. Thanks for the recipe.
Simple and easy – store bought, for whatever reason, always kicked our … when using it. This solved that for us and is our go to now when we want to make pizza at home. Thank you.
Homemade pizza dough is so much better! Thanks for the nice comment!
Hands down the BEST pizza dough recipe. Made this last weekend and making again today. Came out perfect! I LOVE IT!!! Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome! so glad it’s a favorite in your house as well!
This is the only pizza dough recipe I use now! It’s the best!
Did not work. Had to add more water. I used bread flour and followed recipe exact. Won’t make again
Can I use all purpose flour?
Yes. The results are better with bread flour, but all-purpose flour will still make a decent crust.
This is our favorite dough recipe. It comes out perfect every time!
We’ve put pesto on the crust when we shape it and it is so good.
How would I refrigerate? Do I do this after it rises or after kneading it?
So glad you love this recipe! It’s a favorite here as well. If I need to make this ahead and refrigerate, I do it right after kneading, before rising. Then cover it and let it do a slow rise in the fridge and pull it out about an hour before using so it can come to room temp and finish its rise on the counter. I hope that helps!
I tried this recipe and used the dough for Calzones, and it was perfect!!!!!
I’m so glad to hear it!
I was curious to try this recipe as it was very close to the recipe I have been using for years.
Despite the fact that I needed to add double the flour the dough turned out great!
I was sooo pleased how it cooked up. I’m not really sure how to describe the differences. One thing I know is that it has the chewy texture of a bought pizza. I didn’t really know before that this is what was missing from my other recipe.
I’m not sure how to describe the beautiful texture. It feels pillow like yet still firm enough to handle all the toppings your heart desires.
I doubled the recipe so I can either make another pizza or maybe some rolls.
This is one of my most popular recipes! It makes such a good pizza crust. Thank you for your great review!
I have been using this recipe for years now so thought it best to leave my appreciation. This is by far the best dough I’ve ever used, Our friends and family are always asking for the recipe.
For reference, I usually make 1.5 times the recipe so I get 3 large pizzas.
What some people here may find useful is how to convert plain flour into bread flour (generally speaking), since here in NZ bread flour is much more expensive.
For every 1 cup of plain flour, remove 1 Tbsp and replace with 1 Tbsp of Vital Wheat Gluten. You’ll get a the same stretchy dough without more expensive ingredients.
For me since I use 1.5x recipe, that equates to around 700g of flour and 1/4cup of vital wheat gluten
Where is the video?
The flour in grams do not change when selecting 1, 2 or 3 next ingredients. What is the size for number 2?
Hmm The link must not be working for the video! I will have to fix that! Yes the measurements in parenthesis will not automatically change if doubling the dough. You will just have to calculate it. You can make one pretty large pizza (or 5 personal size pizzas) with one recipe. If you double the recipe you will make two large pizzas. Each about 18-20 slices. If you have any leftover dough you can also make a dessert pizza!
I’d like to try your pizza recipe. My question, after kneading the dough either with the dough hook or by hand, I’d like to put it in the fridge for a few days.
Do I not let it rise at all, or let it rise for 30 minutes then put it in the fridge.
Thank you in advance. Looking forward to making your recipe. I have tried many, they are good, but yours sounds like the one I want to make.
Wow thank you for your support!
Just combine all the ingredients and knead like normal, then place the dough in a clean bowl with a little oil and transfer to the fridge immediately, skipping the rising time.
When you want to make your pizzas, just pull the dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for two hours to come up to room temperature and rise before proceeding like normal.
This is my go to recipe now
Thanks Deborah!
Best pizza dough recipe! I have tried many many recipes but stopped searching after I discovered your recipe Amy. I think the secret is using bread flour instead of all purpose. The dough is so flexible to work with!
Thank you Shirley! I am glad you like it so much. I agree, the bread flour is great for pizza dough!
can you let the dough rise for a longer period?
Yes, you can make the dough and instead of letting it rise on the counter you can stick it in the fridge for an overnight rise up to 24 hours.
Hi Amy,
I absolutely LOVE this pizza crust as do my family. However, I am needing to cut carbs, so am wondering if I could substitute whole wheat flour for the white flour? Or possibly almond flour?
Thank you very much,
Deb
Hi Deb! I’m happy to hear your family loves the pizza crust! I have a whole wheat pizza crust you can try! https://houseofnasheats.com/whole-wheat-pizza-dough/
I haven’t ever tried it with almond flour so I couldn’t give you exact measurements for that method.
This pizza Dough is easy to make and really good. I’ve trier a few recipe before finding this one. IT is a keeper. Thank you for Sharing.
Thank you for making it Chris!
Could I use all purpose flour to make this?
Yes, you can use all-purpose flour but the results are better with bread flour.
Such a simple recipe with great results! Will never use pizza dough from a can again! So good!
Yes homemade is so much better and its quite easy! I am glad you enjoyed it!