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
We love this pizza dough! I do have to pre-cook the pizza for 5-7 mins before adding any toppings, otherwise the dough doesn’t cook through. Am I doing something wrong?
You don’t mention how much dough to use
Hi Stephen, The recipe yields enough pizza dough for two 12-inch pizzas.
Hi Team! I am excited to try this pizza dough out as soon as our daughter gets here next week! But, I do have a couple of questions…
Am I able to divide the dough into smaller so we can each have a couple of indivual sized pizzas? We never seem to agree on pizza toppings! I’m wondering if the size affects the texture, baking time etc.
Thank you for your time and all you do to help us in our kitchens!
Hi Cathy, you can definitely make smaller pizzas. The bake time will be a little shorter so keep an eye on them in the oven!
Can I use this crust recipe for an outdoor pizza oven?
Hi Joy, absolutely!
I’ve made this dough several times now, I was buying the premade packs, but then wanted to just do it myself, so I found your recipe. It is the ONLY pizza dough I use now! Thank you for sharing, I love your recipes!
Thank you so much for sharing!!! Have made this by hand kneading a few times and now use my bread maker with dough setting. It is fabulous.
Thanks again
Can i use 00 flour for this recipe? If so, would I need to change the other ingredients?
Hi Cinda, yes, you can use the same amount of 00 flour. Enjoy!
thank you for your quick respose
Used this recipe to make a chicken pesto pizza! Turned out great and already have it saved to used again. Next time I’ll try pre-heating my stone for longer to get a crisper bottom crust. I got impatient and took it out early which I knew was a silly idea as I was doing it haha.
My husband and I are native New Yorkers and prefer a thin crust to a thick crust. How would you recommend I adapt this recipe to make thin crust pizza?
Hi Anita! You can roll the dough out thinner for a thin crust pizza. Or, for better results, use our flatbread dough. The rise time is shorter.
Best dough I’ve made
Hi! We LOVE this dough but I’m making pizza sandwiches where I fold the dough over itself and bake it and then stuff it with meatballs, sauce and melted cheese after the dough is baked. Any suggestions on cooking time for just dough on a pizza stone?
Hi Kristin, we haven’t tried it, but think the bake time should be pretty similar. Just keep an eye on it. Let us know how it goes!
Going to try this tonight! Can I use half all-purpose flour and half bread flour?
Thanks!
Hi S, yes, you can substitute bread flour (or use half) for a chewier pizza crust, but you may need to add an extra Tablespoon or two of water since bread flour contains more protein than all-purpose flour. Enjoy!
I made this with my grandchildren today, dough was very easy to work with and tasted delicious! We grilled the pizzas on a stone.
I just made the dough with the hope of using it tomorrow. I fear that I may have kneaded it for too long. Is that possible? It continued to be sticky and not bounce back for quite a while, maybe 10 additional minutes. I did add additional flour, 1 tsp at a time. Eventually it looked and felt ok, but I’m still wondering how to tell if it’s been kneaded too long. Thanks for your help.
Hi Sheila, here’s our guide to kneading dough that should be helpful for your questions!
I’ve made a lot of pizza in my life and so far this has been the best dough I’ve ever made. I used 00 flour and would highly recommend it. Will definitely be saving this recipe!
Yum! Very simple with your detailed instructions. I’ll never buy pizza again! How long is it good for once baked as a pizza when covered and kept in the fridge.
Hi Marilyn, so glad you enjoyed this! It will be okay for a few days in the fridge.
This was the best. I made a mistake and bought platinum active yeeast instead of instant but it was great anyway. My grandsons love it. I did too. Thank you, Sally.
This recipe made a delicious and easy pizza crust! I have made pizza crust before but never with the cornmeal on the bottom. Great addition! We loved the extra crispiness it added. I also made eight garlic knots with the leftover dough. Thanks for that suggestion! This will be my go-to recipe for pizza crust now.
Hi. Can I make the pizza dough and topping the day before cooking?
Hi Jackie, if you add toppings the day before baking, the dough will rise too much before baking. See recipe Notes for our recommended make ahead instructions!
Hi! Can I sub bread flour?
Hi Natalie, 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.
Thanks for the recipe, my first time making dough turned out great!
In case it helps someone else, I used the entire amount of dough and it fit well in a large, rectangle sheet pan with a rolled edge
For anyone that has not tired Sally’s recipe for Homemade Pizza Crust I have to say it is a real WINNER! My husband said it was the best Pizza dough I’ve made so far. I wish I had taken a picture of it but trust me it’s a “KEEPER”!!
We’re so happy to read this, Sandra. So glad this recipe is a keeper for you.
Hi, can I halve the measurement?
Hi Lilly, we general discourage halving yeast recipes because the results can vary. We’d recommend making the recipe as is and freezing half of the dough to use at a later time. See recipe Notes for full freezing details.
Sally….will using the entire recipe make a 15 x 10; 16 x 11; or 13 x 17 pan pizza?
Hi Diane, You could combine the full recipe for one extra large pizza but we are unsure of the exact size pan you would need. Let us know if you give it a try.
This dough turned out great! I used half to make a pizza crust and put the remainder of the dough in the refrigerator – not sure how I would use it. Next day made a loaf of bread just to see what I would get. Both the pizza crust and the bread were really good. This dough was so easy to make and to work with. This recipe is one you will go to again and again.
Our families go to pizza dough recipe. I make my dough in the bread maker using only 3 cups of flour. Set it to the dough setting and let it do its magic. Hands down the best pizza dough ever, and so easy. Thanks for another amazing recipe Sally.
I made this dough, it turned out fantastic.
I slowly added the warm water and once made I popped the balls into the fridge until closer to tea time.
Just slowly added the water. Take your time and prepare few hours before your meal.
Is there anyway that I could use almond flour or coconut flour for this? I’m trying to cut down on carbs and I’m a pizza fanatic. I only eat veggie pizza but I’m in love with pizza and I’m told that I have to cut carbs.
Hi Brenda! Unfortunately this yeasted dough doesn’t work well with a gluten free flour alternative. Here are all of our gluten free recipes if you want to browse though!
The recipe is easy to make. Have used the dough to make pesto and BBQ chicken pizza. Turned out excellent. Crust is crispy and soft and chewy inside.
Hi Brenda, I’m low carb as well and you can find a substitute for a wheat flour pizza base on a low carb/keto website. I hope this reply will reach you.
Hello! I made delicious pizzas thanks to your recipe. Ty! Why did my dough stick to the pizza stone? I preheated the pan, oiled and used cornmeal? It seemed to stick as soon as I put the dough on the preheated stone. Thank you.
Hi Kellie! If the dough is too wet, it will stick to the pizza stone. It sounds like you may just need to add a little more flour when you’re making or kneading the dough. It’s a pretty sticky dough in general, but depending on where you are in the world, it may be that the climate/humidity is making it extra sticky. Hope this helps if you give it another try!
Hi, this recipe looks delicious. Just have 1 question, how much flour goes into the dough, because you mentioned 438g to 500g, so im a little confused how much actually goes into the dough for 2 12-inch pizzas. Thank you.
Hi Ayala, start with the amount of flour on the lower end, and then you can add more as you go until you reach the correct dough consistency for kneading.
Can I use a handheld KitchenAid mixer with the dough attachment to make this recipe? Or maybe divide the recipe in half and then use the handheld mixer? I first mixed this recipe in a stand mixer but, at the moment I don’t have a stand mixer and just this handheld mixer and I’m just trying to see if I can mix it in the handheld mixer
Thank you
Hi John, you could try with a dough hook!
These turned out amazing ! My second ever time baking anything and it wasn’t too hard at all. Rolling was tricky but got the hang of it, thank you so much !
My first time making pizza and the dough was a bit tough to knead, but it still turned out delicious! Though I just used semolina instead of cornmeal.