ViaVox

Ingredients. 1 1/2 cups (355 ml) warm water (105°F-115°F) 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) of active dry yeast. 3 3/4 cups (490 g) bread flour. 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (omit if cooking pizza in a wood-fired pizza oven) 2 teaspoons salt. 1 teaspoon sugar. Another recipe.

Yeast: I use Red Star Platinum yeast. 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 making 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, but add a couple extra Tablespoons of water since bread flour contains more protein than all-purpose flour.
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!

Homemade pizza dough on counter

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 and overnight cinnamon rolls require fat to yield a “rich dough,” which creates a softer and more dessert-like bread.

Pizza dough with toppings

How to Make Easy Pizza Dough (for bread beginners!)

Watch my pizza dough video tutorial below. It’s really that easy!

Mix the dough ingredients together by hand or use a hand-held or stand mixer.
Knead by hand or beat the dough with your mixer. I like doing this by hand and you can watch me in the video.
Place dough into a greased mixing bowl, cover tightly, and set aside to rise for about 90 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator.
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 with favorite pizza toppings.
Bake pizza at a very high temperature for only about 15 minutes.

Little 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?

Video Tutorial

Volume 90%

How to 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.

How to 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 below.

Homemade pepperoni cheese pizza

Recipes Using Pizza Dough

Extra Cheese Pizza
Stuffed Crust Pizza
Homemade Ham & Cheese Pockets
Pepperoni Pizza Rolls (updated photos!)
Cheesy Breadsticks
Hawaiian Pizza
Classic Margherita Pizza
Spinach Artichoke White Pizza
Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza
Caramelized Apple Gorgonzola Pizza
Any pizza topping you love: pepperoni, crumbled sausage, black olives, onions, mushrooms, jalapeños, etc

Here’s my flatbread pizza crust recipe and whole wheat pizza dough recipe.

PS: If you’ve already tried my pizza dough recipe before, let me know what you think!

Homemade pizza dough

Homemade Pizza Crust

â˜…â˜…â˜…â˜…â˜…5 from 67 reviews

Prep Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Yield: 2 12-inch pizzas

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.

Ingredients

1 and 1/3 cups (320ml) warm water (between 100-110°F, 38-43°C)
2 and 1/4 teaspoons Red Star Platinum instant yeast (1 standard packet)*
1 Tablespoon (13g) granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons (30ml) olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 and 1/2 cups (440g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for hands and surface
sprinkle of cornmeal for dusting the pan

Instructions

Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm water, yeast, and granulated sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Add the olive oil, salt, and flour. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 3-4 minutes (for a visual, watch me do it in the video above!). The dough can be a little too heavy for a mixer to knead it, but you can certainly use the mixer on low speed instead. 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. If not, keep kneading.
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. 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. Highly recommended.
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. 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, extra cheese pizza, Hawaiian pizza, classic margherita pizza, spinach artichoke white pizza, or homemade BBQ chicken pizza.
Top & bake the pizza: To prevent the filling from making your pizza crust soggy, brush the top lightly with olive oil. Using your fingers, push dents into the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Top with your favorite toppings and bake for 12-15 minutes.
Slice hot pizza and serve immediately. Cover leftover pizza tightly and store in the refrigerator. Reheat as you prefer. Baked pizza slices can be frozen up to 3 months.

Notes

Freezing Instructions: 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. 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 30 minutes on the counter. Continue with step 5.
Overnight/All Day Instructions: Prepare the dough through step 3, but allow the dough to rise for 8-12 hours in the refrigerator. The slow rise gives the pizza dough wonderful flavor! When ready, continue with step 5. 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: KitchenAid Stand Mixer, Dough Scraper, Pizza Pan, Pizza Cutter
Yeast: Red Star Platinum yeast is an instant yeast. You can use active dry yeast instead. The rise time will be up to 2 hours. 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

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Homemade pizza crust

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305 Comments

Kara says:

December 11, 2019 at 10:22 am

It’s 10:20 and I needed to make the dough before a meeting and I am letting it rise, can I put it in the fridge after that and take it out and make it or do I have to let it rise again when I make it at 5?

Reply
Billie says:

December 14, 2019 at 9:59 pm

I was thinking of using your recipe, so I noticed you wrote that the dough tastes better if left overnight in the fridge, but it also says refrigerate after step 3, so do I let it rise for 60-90 minutes at room temperature before refrigerating? Or do I put it straight into the fridge to rise?
Thank you!

Reply
1. Sally says:
  
  December 15, 2019 at 5:40 am
  
  Yes– prepare the dough through step 3, but allow the dough to rise for 8-12 hours in the refrigerator instead of in a warmer environment.
  
  Reply
  1. B says:
    
    December 15, 2019 at 8:07 pm
    
    Is it ok if the dough is in the fridge for longer than 12 hours?
Sherry Hutchison says:

December 17, 2019 at 6:14 am

First time making pizza dough. Made 2 batches last night. One to make and one to freeze. My husband said, we will never buy pizza again! We loved it and it is so easy to make and the clean up was not much either. There is no reason for us to ever buy frozen or delivered again. Love it. Thanks so much…

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Reply
Alyson Haas says:

December 30, 2019 at 10:00 am

I loved this ! I just got a kitchen aid for Christmas and I have been pinteresting tons of recipes to try. Pizza was one we were all excited for! I made the dough and used both halves. I did one rectangle pizza and one circle pizza. We did a cheese and a pepperoni pizza. They both came out amazingly! My boyfriend accidently bought cornmeal mix not just plain cornmeal so we didn’t have that ingredient and everyone still loved it! Can’t wait to try it again with the cornmeal. Thanks!! I wish I could attach pictures!!

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Reply
1. Sally says:
  
  December 30, 2019 at 10:11 am
  
  I’m so happy that you enjoyed this recipe, Alyson! And congrats on your new kitchen aid – can’t wait to hear what else you make with it!
  
  Reply
SweetTartQueen says:

December 30, 2019 at 4:36 pm

Sally! Wow! I experimented with your dough recipe today. Despite being a pretty experienced baker, I’ve never made pizza dough. I think it’s because I’m worried I’ll mess it up and it will ruin the meal I attempted it for. This crust is so easy to come together, and well worth the overnight proofing in the fridge. I will not be ordering pizza again! It was a huge hit with kiddos home on winter break. I am for to make pizza for New Year’s Eve now. Love your recipes in general! Thank you for one more that is yet again my go to!

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Elizabeth Clark says:

December 31, 2019 at 11:27 pm

I’ve been wanting to make this for sometime now. I made it for New Years Eve and it was a hit. Thank you again for an amazing recipe. I never make a new recipe without test driving it first. I can honestly say that I don’t need to do that with your recipes Sally

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Reply
morgan says:

January 1, 2020 at 9:10 pm

Wonderful recipe! I have made this many many times and it always turns out great! I’ve made this by hand, as well as in a bread maker and it turns out great both ways

Thank you so much for the quick video too to go along with the recipe–super helpful when making dough for the first time!!

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Reply
Tricia says:

January 2, 2020 at 10:58 am

I would like to use my bread machine to make this dough. Are all the measurements the same except I should use instant/bread machine yeast? And since my dough cycle includes a rising time, should I let it rise again (maybe in the fridge overnight)? Thank you!

Reply
1. Sally says:
  
  January 3, 2020 at 9:31 am
  
  Hi Tricia, I don’t own a bread machine so I have not tested this recipe in one. Please let me know if you try it!
  
  Reply
Mg says:

January 2, 2020 at 1:24 pm

I would like to try your recipe. But I want to double it. Can I just double everything? I feel two packets of yeast would be too much. Thanks

Reply
1. Sally says:
  
  January 2, 2020 at 8:34 pm
  
  For best results, I recommend making two separate batches of dough rather than doubling. This helps the ingredients to incorporate better. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
  
  Reply
  1. Megan L says:
    
    January 12, 2020 at 5:21 pm
    
    Omg! Absolutely love this dough recipe. Super easy to make and tastes amazing. I used vegetable oil, because i forgot to grab more olive oil. Made pizzas tonight, but I believe this dough would work for calzones, strombolies as well.
    
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Karen says:

January 6, 2020 at 1:24 pm

Hi Sally,
Was wondering if anyone has figured out a calorie count for your pizza crust?

Reply
1. Sally says:
  
  January 6, 2020 at 10:40 pm
  
  Hi, Karen! I’m unsure of the nutritional info of this recipe, but there are many great online calculators like this one: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
  
  Reply
Karen Anderson says:

January 10, 2020 at 4:02 am

Hi Sally –
I’m going to make one pepperoni and one cinnamon with icing like a cinnamon roll! I’ll let you know how it turns out! Dinner and dessert in one recipe! Win-Win! (And then I’ll jump on my recumbent bike).

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Reply
Elizabeth says:

January 10, 2020 at 12:05 pm

Sally: I plan to make this tonight. I’ve wanted to make pizza for a long time, so I’m going to jump in. I made your sandwich bread yesterday and it was fabulous. So easy and almost no “hands on” as the mixer did all the work. I’m going to make another loaf but with cinnamon and raisins to see how that tastes. Thanks for all your wonderful and easy recipes.

Reply
1. Sally says:
  
  January 13, 2020 at 10:12 am
  
  Thank YOU! Please let me know how to pizza crust turned out for you. It’s my favorite! So glad you enjoy the sandwich bread, another staple in my house.
  
  Reply
sara says:

January 12, 2020 at 7:37 pm

Can I keep this in the fridge for a day or two instead of freezing? I want to take it on a trip with us for an easy meal.

Reply
1. Sally says:
  
  January 15, 2020 at 9:44 am
  
  Hi Sara, I don’t recommend much more than 12 hours in the refrigerator for the dough. Although you can certainly follow the freezing instructions in the recipe notes to make it further in advance!
  
  Reply
Lorelei says:

January 13, 2020 at 4:23 pm

The search for a perfect pizza crust is over. Yummy!

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Reply
1. Sally says:
  
  January 13, 2020 at 4:45 pm
  
  Love reading this! Thank you for your positive feedback
  
  Reply
Katherine says:

January 18, 2020 at 9:42 am

Hi, where is the video tutorial? Under the heading video tutorial in Google Chrome, there is nothing.

Reply
1. Sally says:
  
  January 18, 2020 at 10:12 am
  
  Hi Katherine, Make sure your ad blockers are temporarily disabled – the can sometimes stop the video from playing.
  
  Reply
  1. Beth says:
    
    January 20, 2020 at 4:54 pm
    
    I can’t see the video either and my ad blocker is disabled.
    The words “video tutorial” do not appear to be a link, and the only photos on the page are still photos. There is no video!
  2. Sally says:
    
    January 20, 2020 at 6:41 pm
    
    Hi Beth– the words “Video Tutorial” are not linked. The horizontal photo right below it (of pizza) has a play button (a triangle)– press play.
  3. Katherine says:
    
    January 20, 2020 at 10:49 pm
    
    Thank you!
  4. Katherine says:
    
    January 20, 2020 at 10:50 pm
    
    Actually, I disabled AdBlocker, and I still see no video tutorial on Chrome.
Katherine says:

January 20, 2020 at 10:40 pm

Hi, I made this and used an over thermometer to make sure that the temperature was correct, but it actually ended up burning the cheese on top. I had it in for only 10 minutes. I saw a recipe on another website that has the oven temp at 425. Is it possible that 425 would be a better temp for this?

Reply
1. Sally says:
  
  January 21, 2020 at 9:23 am
  
  Hi Katherine, I recommend moving your oven rack to a lower position so that the top doesn’t cook quite as fast. You can also try lowering your oven temperature to 450 if you still need to.
  
  Reply
Beth says:

January 20, 2020 at 10:50 pm

Well, thank you Sally, for the response, but really and truly, there is NO video on the page for me. And my ad blocker is definitely turned off.
Hmm … I now see it has something to do with the anti-tracking software I have. I finally see the video when I whitelist your site there.
OK, I guess there is no escape. I’ll do it, so I can watch your video!

Reply
Sandy Fordeczka says:

January 27, 2020 at 6:13 am

Today was Homemade Pizza Redemption Day. I have had enough – I have tried every recipe known to mankind to achieve the perfect pizza crust. Today was Redemption Day. If this didn’t work I swore to my husband that homemade pizza dough would never darken our doorway again. Well today is the most successful pizza EVER ! I used Bread Flour and added a couple of extra tablespoons of water as suggested. Still didn’t get that chewiness I want but that could be any number of things…pan, altitude who knows! But honestly I must say that after today my faith in homemade pizza has been restored. I’m in Canada so I used Fleischmanns yeast which could be the difference. Or the type of wheat ? Who knows. All I know is that Pizza Nirvana was pretty much achieved !!!! Thank you so much for this simplistic recipe I found the tutorial video really helped too!

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Reply
Prina says:

January 28, 2020 at 2:55 pm

Any tips on how to make this a gluten-free recipe? My children and I are allergic to wheat, but I really want to make an attempt at homemade pizza if I can find the right balance of ingredients.

Reply
1. Sally says:
  
  January 28, 2020 at 3:06 pm
  
  Hi Prina, I have not tested this with gluten free flour but let me know if you try it!
  
  Reply

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