Pizza Dough Recipe
This pizza dough recipe is sure to become your go-to recipe for homemade pizza. It’s easy and makes the best chewy, crispy pizza crust!
The Best Pizza Dough Recipe
We have been making this pizza dough recipe every week for years, and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to share it here! If you’ve been looking for a tried and true pizza dough recipe, you’ve found it!
This pizza dough bakes up to make homemade pizza with a deliciously chewy crust and a crispy bottom. It’s incredible topped with our easy pizza sauce recipe, melty cheese, and a variety of pizza toppings.
Below you’ll find our guide to making pizza dough and baking a pizza, plus tips for making the dough ahead of time.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make this pizza dough recipe. This recipe makes two balls of pizza dough, enough for two 14-inch pizzas. If you only want to bake one pizza, you can freeze one ball of dough for later.
- Warm Water: I usually heat the water in a glass liquid measuring cup in the microwave, but you can also use the stove or get warm water directly from the tap. Use an instant read thermometer to check that the temperature of the water is between 110 and 115° F. This is the optimal temperature to activate the yeast.
- Yeast: Using rapid rise or instant yeast will allow the pizza dough to rise faster. You can also use regular active dry yeast, but may need to allow for a longer rise time.
- Sugar: A small amount of granulated sugar helps to activate the yeast. You can substitute honey, if desired.
- Olive Oil: Adds richness and flavor to the dough and helps to make the dough soft.
- Salt: The salt is essential for making a flavorful pizza dough.
- Flour: The key to making a chewy pizza dough is to use a flour with a high protein content. We like to use 00 pizza flour, which is specifically designed to make chewy pizza crust. (You can find this type of flour on Amazon or at Whole Foods.) Bread flour also has a high protein content and works well to make pizza dough. If you only have all-purpose flour, you can use it; your pizza crust will just be slightly less chewy.
Pro Tip
I love adding 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder to my homemade pizza dough. It gives the crust a more complex flavor – not overly garlicky, just a hint of flavor. Add the garlic powder when you add the salt to the mixing bowl.
How to Make Pizza Dough
The easiest way to make pizza dough is to use a stand mixer. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can stir together the ingredients and knead the dough by hand.
First, stir together the warm water, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let the mixture rest for 5-10 minutes. The yeast should start to bubble and/or foam.
Add the olive oil, salt and flour to the bowl. Mix on low speed using the paddle attachment until the ingredients are combined.
Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough on low speed for 8 minutes. After about 5 minutes of kneading, turn the mixer off and press on the dough with your finger. If the dough is very sticky, add a little more flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is only slightly sticky.
Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and divide it into 2 balls. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for at least 30 minutes, until doubled in size.
While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 500° F, with an oven rack one space above the bottom position.
Making and Baking the Pizza
Now you’re ready to roll out the dough and make your pizza!
To start, punch down the dough to release any air bubbles. Shape it back into a ball and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 14-inch diameter circle. Transfer to a greased pizza steel or baking sheet. You can fold the edges of the pizza dough over a bit towards the center of the pizza to create a thicker crust around the edges.
Then, spread on pizza sauce, sprinkle on cheese, and add toppings as desired.
It’s best to bake pizzas one at a time so that they cook evenly. The crust will crisp better on the bottom and the cheese will brown nicely on top. In a 500° F oven, the pizza will take about 7-9 minutes to cook.
Pizza Dough Recipe Tips
- If the dough isn’t rolling out well into a round, let it rest for 5 minutes and then try again. The rest time allows the dough to relax so that it will stretch easier.
- Brush the edges of the crust with olive oil before baking for additional flavor and browning.
- Bake pizzas on a greased pizza steel or baking sheet. If using a baking sheet, you can roll the dough out into an oval shape.
- Make sure that your oven is completely preheated to 500 degrees F so that it is very hot. This will give you a crispy crust. Do not use parchment paper, since it is not oven safe above 425 degrees.
- If you have a pizza oven that goes above 500° F, that is even better. Reduce the cook time as needed if baking the pizzas at a higher temperature.
- If you would like to make whole wheat pizza, try this Whole Wheat Pizza Dough recipe.
Make Ahead and Freezer Instructions
You can make this pizza dough ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it. This makes it especially quick and easy to make homemade pizza for dinner.
- To Refrigerate: After kneading the dough, you can refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before using. Store it in a zip-top bag or covered bowl. After refrigerating, let the dough rest at room temperature for about 2 hours before rolling it out so that it can warm up and rise. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and cover it with a clean kitchen towel while it rests.
- To Freeze: After you finish kneading the dough, you can freeze one or both of the pizza dough balls. Dust lightly with flour and store in a zip-top bag for up to one month. When you are ready to use the pizza dough, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. Then place the dough on a lightly floured surface, cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rest for about 2 hours at room temperature before rolling it out.
Pizza Recipes
- Margherita Pizza
- BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Pear, Feta and Walnut Pizza
- Cheese Pizza Bites
- Garlic Knots – not exactly a pizza recipe, but they are made with pizza dough!
Homemade Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups warm water, 110-115° F
- 1 tablespoon rapid rise or instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder, optional
- 4 cups 00 pizza flour, or bread flour or all-purpose flour
Instructions
Make the Pizza Dough
- Add warm water, yeast and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir gently to combine. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until yeast becomes active. Yeast should be bubbly. (Instructions on making dough by hand, without a mixer are included in the notes below.)
- Add the olive oil, salt, garlic powder (if using) and flour to the bowl. Begin mixing on low speed using a paddle attachment until combined.
- Next, remove paddle attachment and knead the dough with the dough hook on low speed.
- Check the dough after 5 minutes of kneading. If the dough is more than a little sticky when pressing on it with your finger add an additional tablespoon of flour. Continuing kneading to incorporate all flour for an additional 3 minutes. After about 8 minutes of kneading, the dough should spring back when lightly pressing on it.
- Transfer the dough to a clean, dry and lightly floured work surface. If the dough is overly sticky, light rub with flour. Split the dough in half and shape each half into a ball. (Freeze half of the dough if only making 1 pizza). Cover each dough ball with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for at least 30 minutes until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 500° F and place an oven rack one space above the bottom rack position. Oil pizza steels or baking sheets with a high temperature cooking spray or vegetable oil. Do NOT preheat the pizza pans.
Shape the Dough
- Punch the dough down to release any large air bubbles. Shape the dough into a ball by tucking the sides under.
- Use a rolling pin and a lightly floured work surface to roll the dough out into a 14-inch diameter circle. Roll from the center outward in all directions for a circular shape. Use a more oval shape if you are using a baking sheet in place of a circular pizza pan.
- Place the rolled out pizza dough onto the prepared pizza pan. If the edges are larger than the pizza pan, fold them over a bit (towards the pizza) to form a nice thick crust on the edges. Repeat with the other half of the dough on a second pizza pan if making two pizzas.
Assemble and Bake Pizzas
- Add pizza sauce, cheese and toppings as desired. Bake pizzas, one at a time, for 7 minutes. You may need to bake an additional 1 – 2 minutes until the crust and cheese are lightly browned. Let pizzas rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- To make dough by hand (without a stand mixer): Follow the instructions above, stirring the ingredients together instead of mixing with the mixer. Knead the dough using your hands on a lightly floured work surface until it is smooth, stretchy and springs back when you press it with your finger.
- To bake pizza without a pizza steel: If you do not have pizza steels or pans, use a large baking sheet and roll the dough in a more oval shape to fit.
- To freeze pizza dough: After you finish kneading the dough, you can freeze all or half of the dough. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a ball. Dust lightly with flour and store in a zip-top bag for up to one month. When you are ready to use the pizza dough, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. Then place the dough on a lightly floured surface, cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rest for about 2 hours at room temperature before rolling it out.
- To refrigerate unbaked pizza dough: After kneading the dough, you can refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before using. Let the dough rest at room temperature for about 2 hours before rolling it out (place it on a lightly floured surface and cover it with a clean kitchen towel while it rests).
- Nutrition information is for pizza dough only because sauce, cheese and toppings will vary.
What about giving ingredients by weight? Much more accurate especially when making pizza dough
Kristine:
You say to put a towel over the pizza dough for 30 mins for the dough to rise but if my home is only 68 degrees will the dough rise? What else could I do for the dough?
Thank You,
Frank
That is about the temperature that I keep my home and the dough does rise. If you want, you can help it to rise faster by turning your oven on to 200 degrees F for no more than a minute, then turning it off and placing the dough in a glass bowl in the very slightly warm oven to rise.
Wow dough makes the best pizza!! I used the pizza sauce. My family loved this pizzas they said it is the best one they have ever had!
BEST pizza dough I’ve ever made! We loved it; made exactly as written.
I tried your pizza dough recipe, it was so easy to mix together. I love the taste the garlic gives it. My son loves domino’s pizza, he tried his recipe and said it was better then domino’s. It was a hit! Thank you for this delicious pizza dough recipe!