This easy pizza dough recipe is great for beginners and produces 2 soft and chewy homemade pizza crusts. 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. Originally published in 2013, this pizza dough recipe is a massive fan favorite and you’ll also find it in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
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. In fact…
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!
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.
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! ★★★★★“
Overview: Homemade Pizza Dough Ingredients
All pizza dough starts with the same basic ingredients: flour, yeast, water, salt, and olive oil.
- 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 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.
One 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 & sweet potato 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.
Uses for Homemade Pizza Dough
Here are the many uses for this homemade pizza dough:
- Stuffed Crust Pizza
- Pesto Pizza
- Homemade Ham & Cheese Pockets
- Pepperoni Pizza Rolls
- Stromboli
- Spinach Artichoke White Pizza
- Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Garlic Knots
- Margherita style (pictured above): 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, Chicago-style deep dish pizza, and cold veggie pizza recipes.
Print
Easy 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. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 and 1/3 cups (320ml) warm water (about 110°F/43°C)
- 1 Tablespoon (13g) granulated sugar
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast (1 standard packet)*
- 3 and 1/2 to 4 cups (438–500g) unbleached all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
- 1 teaspoon salt
- sprinkle of cornmeal, for dusting the pan
Toppings (halve these amounts if making just 1 pizza)
- extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
- 1 cup (250g) store-bought pizza sauce
- 4 cups (1lb/454g) shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Whisk the warm water, granulated sugar, and yeast 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 flour, olive oil, and salt. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- 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, Hawaiian pizza, pesto pizza, spinach artichoke white pizza, or homemade BBQ chicken pizza.
- Top & bake the pizza: Using your fingers, press dents into the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Lightly brush olive oil over the top of the crust. Sprinkle with minced garlic (if using), then spread on 1/2 cup (125g) pizza sauce, and top with 2 cups (227g) shredded mozzarella cheese. Top with any additional toppings of your choice 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.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: This recipe yields enough dough for two 12-inch pizzas, a little less than 2 pounds (900g) 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 (about 70°F/21°C) 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
FAQ: How Can I Make The Dough Ahead of Time?
Prepare the dough through step 3 above, 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 above (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 above.
Reader Comments and Reviews
The best Pizza dough recipe I’ve tried.
For South Africans, it tastes like Roman’s Pizza’s Pan Crust
We made this last night (with 25% whole wheat flour), and my kids report that it’s “better than digiorno!”
This is the second time I’ve made this recipe. Loved the taste the first time so I wanted to try it again. Both times though im struggling with the consistency. The first time I kneaded the dough for a while and never was able to achieve the “windowpane” test or push test. This time I tried it in my mixer and kneaded it for 15 min and still didn’t get the desired consistency. Am I doing something wrong? Am I over mixing? Should I try to let it go longer next time?
Hi Sarah! This helpful guide on How to Knead Dough will be a good resource.
I made this for the first time today and am kicking myself for not doing it sooner! The dough comes together so easy and it cooks beautifully. Thank you for a fantastic recipe!!
This is the best, crispiest, most delicious pizza I have ever made! Thank you so much for all of your wonderful recipes.
So happy to read this, Joan!
I love this recipe and use it every time I make pizza! I will make some up to freeze.
Thank you for another wonderful recipe! So many quick crust recipes lack flavor or texture but this one is great for both. Will be making this one on repeat for family pizza night.
This recipe is THE BEST!!! I’ve never made pizza from scratch before, but it turned out delicious. The crust is very crunchy and dreaming. The cornmeal made it very professional. I’m 11 and my family loved it. Sally’s Baking Recipes are the best. Thank you!!!!!
Fantastic! First time making pizza dough and it was pretty easy and tastes great. We are loving it.
Loved this recipe so much! I doubled it with no problems and made four pizzas. I’m so impressed with how easy and good it was. Our crust came out enormous and delicious- do not skip the corn meal as it makes it restaurant quality.
Hi there- I have been making this pizza dough since 2020 and it is always great. My question is about the sugar. Can you substitute it with something like Monk fruit allulose blend or perhaps coconut sugar as opposed to cane sugar. Thanks!
The proportions are off on this recipe. A dough should be about 65% water to flour. This recipe is 70%. Need to use less water or more flour to get the right dough consistency. This dough ends up a bit tacky and sticks to a peel or pan to much and the dough finishes chewy.
For the 450g of flour you need only 290 ml of water or for the 3-1/2 cups of flour only use 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons of water.
I love cooking this recipe for my family! It has become a new staple in our household!
This has become my family’s favorite pizza recipe! It’s a Friday night staple at our house.
Absolute perfection. Everthing is just right in this recipe and makes a reliable crust every time. If you out it rise overnight, the flavor is wonderful.
This pizza dough recipe is delicious! Normally, I make sourdough pizza dough for our pizza night, but since my sourdough starter wasn’t ready to be used, I needed an alternative recipe. This one was the perfect choice! It was very simple to make, and it will definitely be my go-to backup pizza dough.
Hi I love the recipe however I have found that every time I make it, it’s very floury and hard to kneed, and I feel like normally it wouldn’t be that way. What I’m I doing wrong, I am very precise with my measurements and so im not sue what to do different?
Hi Love! What is your method for measuring flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
I love this recipe. My problem is that this is the first time I froze it and I went to look at the instructions how to thaw it in one part says leave on the counter for 30 minutes and one part says, leave on the counter for an hour after thawing in the refrigerator. So is it 30 minutes or is it an hour?
Hi Lizzy, when ready to make pizza, remove the defrosted dough from the refrigerator and allow to rest for 1 hour on the counter. Where do you see that it says 30 minutes?
The 30 minutes is in the FAQ’s
Can I double this recipe?
Hi Diana, yes you can. Enjoy!
This is a wonderful recipe!
I have made it multiple times now and it always comes out great!
Today I was going to attempt making a Neopolitan version of your recipe, using 00 Flour and omitting the Olive oil and sugar.
Do you think I can. Use the same measurements?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Daniel, we haven’t tested the recipe that way, so are unsure what to recommend; but if you try it, please let us know how it goes!
Made my pizza dough using this recipe and it was AMAZING. I just seasoned the dough with garlic powder
I made this tonight for my family and everyone loved it. I didn’t realize it is technically for two pizzas but it made a nice, thick 16” pizza! What do you recommend as add ins to make it garlic flavored? Would you use fresh garlic or powder or a combination? Thank you!
Hi Josh, glad your pizza turned out great! You could try adding garlic powder to the dough, and then spread with a little oil and minced fresh garlic before adding the rest of your toppings.
This was an absolutely easy and delicious dough. I made to use for a calzone with spinach and garlic. Delicious
Hi! Is sugar needed for this recipe or do you think the dough will be fine? Thank you!
Hi Ellie, The sugar increases the yeast’s activity and tenderizes the dough, we don’t recommend skipping it. You could try to use honey instead.
Can you use bread flour instead of all purpose flour ?
You can substitute bread flour for a chewier pizza crust, but add a couple extra Tablespoons of water since bread flour contains more protein than all-purpose flour.
This is my go to. It’s the best. I’m baking my pizza on sheet pans, but the bottom isn’t coming out crispy. I lightly olive oil the pan so it pops right off when it comes out. Any tips for a crispier bottom?
Hi Valerie, A few more minutes of bake time should help. Or try moving the pizza to a higher position in your oven.
I loved this recipe
Made this for my children’s tea. Dough turned out beautifully
I made this is the morning and it was ready by the late afternoon for baking. Baked in my pizza oven, it was chewy and delicious.
This was good
This has become my go to pizza dough recipe!
Hi, we love this recipe for pizza dough! It is fool proof! After testing many many others, we found this one to be the most consistent. I did have a question though (it looks like my other comment was removed) regarding adding additional salt to the dough, as we preferred a little more. I was not sure when to add so that it did not alter the rise. We add additional seasonings (garlic powder/basil/onion powder)—would we add it then? Also, I made the dough much earlier than I needed it, but same day. I punched down the dough after the first rise then realized I wasn’t sure what to do with it bc we weren’t ready to shape it. I ended up covering it again and leaving on the counter. It did rise again but I wasn’t sure if that was correct. It seemed a little more elastic than if we had rolled it out immediately after the rise. Should I have refrigerated it or did I do the right thing? Thank you as always for wonderful recipes and valuable feedback!!!!
Hi Wendy, somehow I missed your questions last week! I’m so glad you enjoy this pizza dough recipe. If adding extra salt, add it when you add the salt that’s called for in the recipe. If you aren’t ready to shape the dough, you can refrigerate the rising dough to slow down its rise, and then punch it down. That’s what I usually do. What you did wasn’t wrong by any means, and a little more elasticity is a good thing with shaped doughs!
I do not have a pizza pan so will need to use a cookie sheet. Any recommendations on temperature & cook time? Would it change?
Hi Elizabeth, we’re unsure of the exact bake time, but it should still be close to the time written in the recipe.