With more than 5 million page views and rave reviews, this really is the BEST Pizza Dough recipe on the internet! We use all the time when making pizzas for our Friday night dinner and movies at home with the kids or casual pizza parties with friends where everybody gets to top their own. It’s easy to make homemade pizza dough that is crispy and chewy with great flavor, and it makes the perfect base for all your favorite pizza topping combinations!

An image of balls of homemade pizza dough on parchment paper.


Craving pizza but want something a little different? Try our Cast Iron Pan Pizza (Copycat Pizza Hut Pizza Recipe)Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, Easy Stromboli Recipe, or Four Cheese Pizza with Tomato Basil Arugula Salad!

The BEST Pizza Dough Recipe

I have been making this easy homemade pizza dough recipe for years. It’s really simple and uses ingredients we always have on hand. And 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.

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.

If you find yourself making pizza at home often, you might also want to try this whole wheat pizza dough or sourdough pizza dough next!

An image of a homemade pepperoni pizza on a cutting board.
An image of a sliced pepperoni pizza.

Pizza Dough Recipe Ingredients

  • Water
  • Sugar
  • Yeast
  • Bread flour
  • Olive oil
  • Salt

What is the best flour for pizza dough?

I highly recommend using bread flour when making this pizza dough recipe.

I know it’s a pain buying a special ingredient if you don’t regular stock bread flour in your pantry. And you CAN make this pizza dough recipe with all-purpose flour if that is all you have on hand.

BUT, there is a noticeable difference between pizza dough made with bread flour and all-purpose flour. Which is why I swear by it for making homemade pizza dough. 

Bread flour gives a crispier pizza crust that is truer to the classic pizzeria-style crust, which can be difficult to attain at home. 

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.

Can I use 00 Pizza Flour?

Yes, you can replace the bread flour in this pizza dough recipe with 00 flour, although it might require slightly more so the dough isn’t too sticky.

For serious pizza aficionados, you might have heard of “00 pizza flour” or double zero flour which is a special type of finely ground Italian flour used for making pizza or pasta dough. 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.

How to make Pizza Dough

  1. Combine warm water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl. If using active dry yeast, you will need to let it proof for 5 minutes (until it starts to get foamy) before adding the flour, salt, and olive oil. Or if using instant yeast, you can add the flour, salt, and olive oil right away.
  1. Stir together with a wooden spoon or dough hook until everything starts to come together, 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. If it is seeming too sticky, add a little extra flour, 1-2 tablespoons at a time.
  1. Transfer the dough to a large clean bowl with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil. Turn the dough to coat it in the oil, 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. I find that pizza dough is pretty forgiving, so I wouldn’t sweat a super specific rise time. I usually just make it, then work on cleaning the kitchen and prepping our pizza sauce, grating cheese, and gathering toppings, and by the time I’m done with that I’m ready to start stretching out the dough.
  2. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees 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.
  3. 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.
An image of balls of easy pizza dough.

Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe FAQs

How long should you knead pizza dough?

If you aren’t an experienced bread baker, you may wonder how long to knead pizza dough. If you are using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, I recommend about 5 minutes. If you are doing it by hand, I would probably go another minute or two longer at 6-7 minutes.

Kneading the dough helps develop the gluten in the flour, which is baker-speak for getting the texture right in your pizza dough so it has that wonderful chewy-crisp quality that I love in a good pizza crust.

How long should pizza dough rise?

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.

Do I have to have a pizza stone?

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.

If you have one, use it, but if not, my cheater approach is to turn a baking sheet over and use that to bake your pizzas on.

Pizza Dough Recipe: make-ahead & freezing instructions

Make-Ahead: You can make the dough up to 3 days in advance and just 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, 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.

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 actually 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.

An image of a sliced homemade pepperoni pizza.

How to use this Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

  1. Once your dough is ready, pat or roll it out into circle-ish shapes and place on a pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal or on a large piece of parchment paper set on a large, fairly sturdy cutting board. My personal preference is to stretch out my dough and set it on parchment paper since I don’t have a pizza peel, but you can use a rolling pin (affiliate link) to roll the dough 1/4″ thin if you prefer. 
  2. Top each circle of dough with about ¼ to ½ cup of sauce (classic pizza sauce is always a hit, but you could use BBQ sauce, pesto sauce, a white sauce, skip the sauce entirely if you feel like it). 
An image of pizza dough topped with homemade pizza sauce.
  1. Add cheese and additional toppings to make your pizza however you like it!
  1. Slide your pizza off of the pizza peel or cutting board onto the preheated pizza stone or upside-down baking sheet. I find it’s easiest to just slide my rack out of the oven, then slide my piece of parchment paper with the pizza on it over onto the heated pizza stone.
  2. Bake for 5-10 minutes. The cheese on top 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.
An image of a homemade pizza with melted cheese and pepperoni on top.

This homemade pizza dough recipe is super versatile 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 I shape pizza dough

I always shape my pizza dough by hand, rather than using a rolling pin.

A rolling pin totally works and gets 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, and that isn’t something you can achieve with a rolling pin.

These are the two best way I’ve found for achieving this is to shape the pizzas by hand. They both take a little practice, but neither is hard once you get the hang of it. And 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 flatting a ball of pizza dough into a disc. Then I hold it like a steering wheel with my 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. 

An image of a sliced pepperoni pizza.

How hot should the oven be to make Homemade Pizza Dough?

Professional pizzerias use really hot ovens, which gives their crusts the signature crispy texture that can be hard to achieve at home. 

Cooking at lower temperatures (or overloading your pizza with too many toppings) can cause the pizza to cook slower, which can result in soggy, limp pizza that might taste okay, but won’t be nearly as close to authentic pizzeria-style pizza that we’re going for.

I recommend preheating your oven for AT LEAST 30 minutes, even up to an hour, at 500 degrees F (or 475 if that’s as high as your oven will go). Many ovens will indicate that it is completely preheated when it actually is not all the way there, which is why I recommend the extra heating time.

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. 

Best Pizza 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.

So things like sausage need to be cooked in advance, and it’s best to slice veggies on the thin side, or even roast them first.

Also, I always spread my sauce over the dough then sprinkle with half of my shredded cheese first, followed by the toppings and then the rest of the cheese. I find having cheese on the top and bottom helps the pizza cook more evenly, not be as soggy (especially if using toppings like pineapple or sliced tomatoes), and the toppings don’t all slide right off.

Here is our long list of our favorite pizza toppings. We change it up all the time and when we have friends over, it’s fun to pull out a bunch of different toppings so everyone can make their own!

  • Cheese: freshly grated mozzarella cheese (it melts so much better than the pre-shredded kind), 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 (we prefer fresh), thinly sliced Roma tomatoes, roasted red peppers (so good!), minced garlic, artichoke hearts, roasted broccoli, thinly sliced zucchini (a personal favorite that I came to love on pizza while traveling through Italy), caramelized onions
  • Fruit: Sorry, Italians, but we love pineapple tidbits (if using, be sure to drain these really, really well or they will make your pizza soggy) or even pear (especially good with a balsamic drizzle and arugula)
  • 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

I would love to hear your other favorite toppings in the comments below and will update this list periodically as I think of more toppings!

Also, anybody else love dipping your pizza in ranch dressing or butter garlic sauce? So good!

An image of a pizza topped with homemade tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese.

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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.

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BEST Pizza Dough Recipe

4.84 from 145 votes
Amy Nash
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 18 -20 slices
This really is the BEST Pizza Dough recipe that we use all the time when making pizzas for our Friday night dinner and movies at home with the kids or casual pizza parties with friends where everybody gets to top their own. It's easy to make homemade pizza dough that is crispy and chewy with great flavor, and it makes the perfect base for all your favorite pizza topping combinations! Be sure to watch the video below the recipe instructions to see how I make it!

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees 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 degrees 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

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”JLNLjYSd” upload-date=”2021-01-15T00:00:00.000Z” name=”Best Pizza Dough” description=”This really is the BEST Pizza Dough recipe that we use all the time when making pizzas for our Friday night dinner and movies at home with the kids or casual pizza parties with friends where everybody gets to top their own. It’s easy to make homemade pizza dough that is crispy and chewy with great flavor, and it makes the perfect base for all your favorite pizza topping combinations!”]

Notes

  • After rising, the dough can be divided into smaller balls, then frozen for up to 3 months. Rub each ball with a little olive oil first, then place in a freezer-safe ziploc bag before freezing. To thaw, set the dough in the fridge overnight for at least 12 hours, then let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour before using.
  • This pizza dough recipe can be made up to 3 days in advance. Just transfer it to the fridge before letting it rise. Remove from the fridge and let it rise for 1-2 hours before using.
  • See post for pizza topping ideas.

Nutrition

Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 261mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @HouseOfNashEats or tag #houseofnasheats!

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About the author

Hi, I'm Amy

I enjoy exploring the world through food, culture, and travel and sharing the adventure with mostly from-scratch, family friendly recipes that I think of as modern comfort cooking.

4.84 from 145 votes (125 ratings without comment)

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Reader questions and reviews

  1. Kristen says:

    So I’m trying this tonight with an organic white whole wheat flour just for something different. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thank you for listing such an easy to make pizza crust recipe!

    1. Wendy says:

      How did it go?ย 

  2. Celesta Mast says:

    I made this tonight for the first time. My family thought it was great! It was also very easy to make. Plan on making it again.

  3. Holly says:

    No way can that amount of salt be accurate. I made it as the recipe calls for- 2 teaspoons and it was so salty! Had to throw the whole thing out and wasted my ingredients. Made it again with one teaspoon and it was much better.

    1. Lindsey says:

      Agreed, it is very salty. If I made this again I would do the same. Otherwise, it is a great recipe!

  4. Vick says:

    Not sure my oven likes being over 400 F. However, it didn’t catch on fire this time so it’s fine ๐Ÿ™‚

    I really love this recipe. I did use all purpose flour since we’re on “stay at home” order and I wanted to use things just in my pantry! Glad I bought instant yeast a few months ago lol. This recipe worked well for me, I used 3-1/2 c all purpose flour, but adding 2-4 more TB (kind of winged it), and hand kneaded. I have never made pizza dough from scratch on my own so this recipe was super easy to follow. I only baked half, and I ate half of that. It’s a good recipe!!

  5. Kelly says:

    Just made this pizza crust, itโ€™s the best! Weโ€™ve made home made pizza the last few Fridayโ€™s trying new dough recipes to find the perfect one and this is it, thanks!ย 

  6. Melinda says:

    Made it today for my family for lunch. I didnโ€™t have any bread flour, so I used all-purpose and it still turned out great. I think it would be even better if I would have pre-baked the crust for a few minutes before adding the toppings. ย Great recipe!ย 

  7. Jenn says:

    I made this tonight and the family loved it! My 5 year old helped and enjoyed the whole process. Not only is the recipie perfect but the tips and tricks were helpful as well. I found the salt ratio to be okay myself. I usually cut the salt back but left the 2 full teaspoons in and it turned out great! Perhaps holly you mis-measured and used tablespoons? Happens all the time.

  8. Melanie says:

    Very tasty dough!ย 

  9. Diane Harrison says:

    I have made this several times recently. Very simple and delicious. I made breadsticks out of one batch and now my family insists they will only eat breadsticks made with this recipe .

  10. Shaunna says:

    I love everything about this recipe! Iโ€™ve never made my own pizza dough before & now Iโ€™m really questioning my life decisions! Having the hot pizza stone really makes a difference in how crispy this crust gets. I may be ruined of pizza delivery after this – thank you!

  11. Karyn L Schneider says:

    This really IS the best pizza dough recipe ever! I made it yesterday, allowed it to proof in the fridge and then come to room temp tonight before assembling the pizza! So good; like really, so good! Thank you so much for sharing it with us! ๐Ÿ™‚

  12. Racqual says:

    I used this as a base for making dough. I added dried basil which give the dough a nice flavor. The dough came out very soft and was easy to work with.

  13. Connie Saltarelli says:

    2 teaspoons of salt would be too much. Also I only use 1 teaspoon of sugar.

  14. Pri says:

    Hey Amy!! Iโ€™ve made pizza from this recipe at home so many times now!! I absolutely love how perfect and easy this recipe is!! And it takes no extra time or work, just ready in an hour!!
    The pizza, every single time, turns out to be so crispy and so yummy. The last time I made the dough, i made a little extra and froze it. Iโ€™m gonna be using that in a few days again! And iโ€™m definitely never ever getting store bought pizza bases for my pizza night.ย 
    Thankyou sooo much for this recipe! x

    1. Amy says:

      You’re welcome! I’m so glad you are loving this recipe!

  15. Tanya says:

    Made this today and while it tastes very good I had to add wayyyy more flour so I could work with it. Anyone else have that problem? I used all purpose instead of bread flour, most recipes say they are interchangeable ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ

    1. Katie says:

      I made it with AP first time and had to add a lot of flour. Tried bread flour tonight and had to add liquid to it. Estimating I used 3 3/4 cups when I first put it in the bowl. Next time Iโ€™ll know to start at 3.25 if using bread flour.

      Humidity can also affect your flour depending on your climate and how itโ€™s storesย 

    2. Kaitlin says:

      I usually have to add A LOT of extra flour to her recipes. I add almost 3/4 extra (so, 4 3/4 cup flour) for this one with bread flour! I always weigh my flour, but it’s almost pointless when I have to add so much anyway haha

  16. Craig says:

    This pizza dough has inspired us to start a weekly ‘Pizza Night’ at our house. So easy and so perfect! I add about 1 Tbsp of Italian seasoning into the dough when I mix it just for some extra flavor. Absolutely perfect crunch and chew.

  17. Jana Mitchell says:

    Is there a way to get the edges of the pizza to brown more that it does? Mine really wasn’t brown at all, but it was cooked. Thanks!

    1. Amy says:

      It can be hard to get those edges to brown at home! Make sure to let your oven preheat for at least 30 minutes at the highest temperature it will go to. You can also try brushing the crust with a little olive oil or butter to get it to brown up a bit more.

  18. Karen Costello says:

    It says if you are keeping it for three days, put it right in the fridge and forget the rising time. ย But it also says to put it right into the fridge after kneading it. ย If you are using it within a couple of hours, does it rise in the fridge or on the counter? And when?

    1. Amy says:

      If you are using it within a couple of hours, it can rise on the counter.

  19. Terri says:

    Hello,
    It has been a long time since I have made any kind of homemade dough. I decided to try this recipe this afternoon, but only had instant yeast (never used it before) so I was a little confused about how much salt & sugar to add. By reading the comments (thank you helpful people) decided to just use 1 tsp. of each, so crossing my fingers……consistency seemed good, letting it sit/rise now. Thanks, stay safe everyone!

  20. Hilarie says:

    How large of a pizza do you get if you divide the recipe in 2 or 3 and make the crust 1/4 inch thick?

  21. Linda says:

    Best pizza dough ever! Iโ€™ve never had a fail on this recipe. I have made multiple times.ย 

  22. Kim says:

    Found this recipe today and decided to give it a try because it seemed so easy. Well . . . .this is our go to pizza dough recipe from now on. My husband broke it into 4 balls, i think next time we’ll go 3, and we had one left over, so in the fridge it went. I picked it up to put it in the bag and it was sooo pillowy. I did the recipe as it read and it is perfect! We normally go to our local pizza place once a week or so and i don’t think we’ll need to anymore!

    Thank you for posting this!

    1. Amy says:

      You’re very welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed this!

  23. Jessica says:

    Made it and it was really good. I usually find that pizza dough recipes don’t use enough salt, but this one was almost perfect for me. I hand-kneaded longer than the prescribed time and it came out very nice with a great chew. Thank you!

  24. Kristen says:

    This is my go to recipe now. Iโ€™ve used bread flour and it tastes so much better then AP. Thanks ๐Ÿ™‚

  25. Janet says:

    Iโ€™ve been testing out home made pizza dough and this recipe is the best! My family loved it, they also voted it the best too. I saved 1/2 of the dough and froze it. I will serve them this treat again. Iโ€™m interested in seeing how the frozen dough comes out. Thank you for sharing, including your tips!

    1. Amy says:

      I’m so glad you loved it! What a fun video!

  26. NANCY says:

    I made this recipe and the pizzas were great. Will be using it again.

  27. Lindsey says:

    Have you ever made calzones with this dough?

    1. Amy says:

      Yes! It works great for calzones!

  28. Elisabeth says:

    I did this pizza dough…. and itโ€™s DELICIOUS! Five stars!ย 

  29. Elaine says:

    5 Stars ***** Weโ€™ve made this recipe every Saturday evening post Covid. ย We change the toppings each week. ย A few weeks ago we replaced tomato base with olive oil and garlic. It was very tasty! I do knead the dough in the Kitchen Aid for about 5 minutes and then we knead by hand for ~4 minutes. I think the dough is lighter with additional kneading. ย  I also find the pizza cooks best at ~480 and for 5-6 minutes. Thank you for sharing this recipe! It will be a family favorite for years to come !ย 

  30. Nancy says:

    lovely pizza!!!!

  31. Deb says:

    Hi any advice on having trouble with dough not cooking all the way. I had to cook it for at least 30 mins in my oven and it still wasnโ€™t cooked all the way inside the dough. This actually happens with a lot if dough recipes i make. Otherwise it was fabulous!!!

    1. Amy says:

      If that is happening with a lot of your dough recipes, I wonder if your oven runs cool? Many ovens do – I know mine does! It was taking an extra 5-10 minutes on EVERY recipe I tried years ago so I bought a cheap $5 oven thermometer that you set inside to tell what the oven temp is. That’s when I learned that my oven runs 25 degrees F cooler than it says. So even though the oven “thinks” it’s at 375 degrees F and that’s what it tells you, it is actually at 350 degrees F. Once I figured that out all my baking became much easier!

  32. Mama Schick says:

    Have you tried freezing this AFTER itโ€™s been baked? Iโ€™m looking for a stellar recipe to make calzones that I can freeze and reheat. Thanks in advance!ย 

    1. Amy says:

      I have not tried reheating this after the pizza has baked, but I’m pretty confident it would work just fine.

  33. Sheila says:

    Dough came out perfect with 3 1/2 cups flour. Not sticky at all.ย 

  34. Gabrielle says:

    Every time i make this pizza dough the crust puffs up sooooo big/thick. What am i doing wrong??ย 

    1. Amy says:

      If it is puffing up really thick, then it needs to be rolled or stretched out thinner before baking. If you are having a hard time with that, try rolling it out, then covering it and letting it rest for 5 minutes, then rolling again. Sometimes the gluten in the dough can be tight and make it difficult to roll out. If you give it a chance to relax and rest, it can be rolled much thinner.

  35. Pam Mullins says:

    Thanks for posting this recipe. The pizza looks amazing!
    Just to confirm: ย I cook the pizza at 500 F. I shouldnโ€™t turn oven temperature down when I put the pizza in?
    Thank you for your help. I canโ€™t wait to try this.ย 

    1. Amy says:

      Right – you want to cook the pizza at the highest temperature your oven can handle.

  36. Alisha Porter says:

    I tried this recipe for dinner tonight and loved it! I only used about 1 1/2 tsp sugar and salt because of some of the reviews I read. It was so easy and quick to make. I plan to add this to my weekly rotation of recipes ๐Ÿ™‚ Oh, my husband and toddler both approved, too!

  37. Dimple says:

    I have tried and tested many pizza dough recipes. I love this one!! Itโ€™s perfect even if you donโ€™t end up using the dough the same day. I used it the next day and let it get to room temp and turned out great. Thanks

  38. Ashley says:

    Do you think adding some Italian seasoning and garlic powder to the dough while kneading it would be ok?ย 

    1. Amy says:

      Absolutely! I have done this a few times and it’s really yummy!

  39. Kayla says:

    Hi! I don’t ever post comments, but this dough worked miracles in my house. My autistic son is picky, and has become more picky during these stressful times. One thing that used to be his happy time was friday homemade pizza night, but lately he’s been refusing to eat even this! He will eat take-out pizza, but it’s greasy and bothers his stomach. I made dough tonight expecting him not to eat it, but he LOVED IT. He ate 4 slices of veggie and pepperoni pizza! Nothing changed but the dough recipe, and we’ve tried many. It’s crispy, delicious, and no stomach issues! I cannot make dough of any kind to save my soul, but this was easy and made my kid very, very happy!

    1. Amy says:

      Oh, Kayla, thank you so much for your comment! It makes my heart seriously so happy to hear this! Hugs!

      1. Kayla says:

        Made it again tonight, still a hit! Thanks again for sharing this recipe! <3

  40. Sylvie Desautels says:

    This pizza dough was absolutely delicious! This will definitely be my go to recipe from now on. ย  It smelled so good in the kitchen. ย We felt like we were in a pizzeria. ย Thanks for sharing. ย 

  41. Susan says:

    This crust was absolutely delish! It wasn’t too salty at all. A huge hit in my house <3

  42. Carla says:

    If I double this recipe do I need to double the yeast?

    1. Amy says:

      Yes, I would recommend doubling the yeast or it will take much longer for the dough to rise.

  43. Jamie Lee says:

    Delicious pizza dough. So easy n straightforward to prepare n it’s awesome ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿฝ๐Ÿ˜

  44. Keeley says:

    We’re big pizza crust connoisseurs over here and this was truly the best crust we’ve ever made. I hand-mixed the dough and followed the recipe as outlined. I disagree with other reviewers about the salt – I thought 2 tsp was perfect. My husband and I were in Italy last year and learned how to make traditional Tuscan pizza crust, which is AMAZING. I have to say, I thought this recipe was better! Thank you!

    1. Amy says:

      Thank you for such a glowing review! This makes me so happy to hear!

  45. Kristie says:

    After making fresh pizza dough for years Iโ€™ve read and experimented with many techniques. After reading your instructions I feel validated that yes, Iโ€™m doing it right๐Ÿ˜‰ The one thing I have changed up this last year is…I put my cheese on first then, drizzle the sauce over the cheese. I find we do not use as much sauce and the dough holds up great.ย 

  46. Heather says:

    Hi there! Can someone help me? I’m not sure if I’m reading this correctly. To proof the yeast you need to use 1 & 1/2 cups of water to 2 &1/4 teaspoons of yeast? The bottle of yeast I have says 1/4 cup of water to 2 & 1/4 teaspoons of yeast… Is it supposed to be 6 times the amount of water?

    1. Amy says:

      Hey Heather! You can proof yeast in 1/4 cup of water or 1 1/2 cups of water. It’s really just rehydrating the yeast and the amount of water is more dependent on the recipe, not on the yeast itself. If it helps, you could proof the yeast in 1/4 cup of water, then add that along with the remaining 1 1/4 cups of water to the other ingredients. I feel like it’s just easier to add them all together at the same time.

  47. Diane says:

    Made the pizza dough and it tasted great but it was really tough to slice! What do you think went wrong that it would be so tough to cut.

    1. Amy says:

      Hmm, maybe let the dough rest a bit after turning it out and see if that helps? Or maybe it’s time to get a new pizza cutter?

  48. Amy says:

    Great recipe! I followed it exactly and it was perfect. Everyone loved it and said it was better than any pizza shop in town! Thanks for sharingย 

  49. Mallory says:

    Ok, Iโ€™m new to the baking world, but my Fleischmannโ€™s active dry yeast calls for only 1/4 cup of water and 1 tsp. of sugar. Should I be using two packets instead of one?

    1. Amy says:

      No, the packet just gives the minimum amount of water for proofing the yeast. But you would still need to add more water to the recipe. I just have you proof the yeast in the full amount of water so you are only measuring water once. Not only is it easier, but it cuts down on accidental mistakes in measuring for me.