This is our best recipe for homemade pizza dough! Our simple, no-nonsense recipe has 5 ingredients and easy steps, guaranteeing delicious homemade pizza every time. This dough is perfect for home or outdoor pizza ovens!
We’ve tried a lot of pizza dough recipes, and this one is hands down my favorite! It works surprisingly well in conventional ovens, which is key when you want to make pizza at home. You can make this pizza dough in 1 ½ hours or let it sit overnight in the refrigerator tomorrow. Either way, you’ll love it!
I use this pizza dough to make our Margherita pizza, cheese pizza, and all our homemade pizzas. I love how foamy the crust is and how nicely browned the bottom is. If you plan to make this dough, I recommend our homemade pizza sauce to really take your pizza to the next level.
Key Ingredients
- Instant yeast and warm water: Instant yeast works quickly to produce those beloved bubbles that make homemade pizza so delicious. If you only have dry yeast that works, don’t worry! We’ve included tips for using this recipe below.
- All purpose flour: It’s great in this recipe, but you can substitute it for 00 flour or breadcrumbs without changing it.
- Sugar: As when we make focaccia dough, we use a little sugar. It jump-starts the yeast and helps speed up the rising process.
- Salt: For the best pizza dough, use salt. It makes the dough taste amazing.
How to Make Pizza Dough
To make pizza dough, you will mix instant yeast, warm water, and sugar. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes until the water starts to foam. Foamy bubbles indicate that the yeast is alive and ready to make the dough rise.
Next, it’s time to add flour and salt and mix until it becomes a shaggy dough. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 30 minutes. Then, give it a few quick kneads until smooth, and let it rise again for 30 to 45 minutes (or let it rise overnight in the refrigerator).
If you are not making it right away, put your dough in the refrigerator (covered) for a few hours. If not, let’s expand!
To stretch the pizza dough, sprinkle a little semolina flour on your pizza pan or peel (this will keep the dough from sticking). Now, gently press your fingers into the dough, starting in the center and working outwards to create dimples. Stretch it slightly and push the dough until it fits your pan or sheet pan. Do not use a rolling pin (it will reduce those air bubbles).
If you are working the dough and it sticks to the pizza pan or peel, lift the dough and sprinkle more semolina or flour over it. If the dough keeps bouncing, let it rest for 3 to 5 minutes and try again. It should be comfortable.
Once the dough has risen, add your favorite ingredients and bake (baking tips are in the recipe).
This homemade pizza dough recipe was created with Chef Richard Hattaway. He helped us develop the The best homemade pizza we’ve ever made at home. This dough gives the pizza a crispy bottom and bubbly, chewy edges. We love it! Try this dough and make our cheesy Margherita pizza!
Perfect Homemade Pizza Dough
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We are in love with this no-nonsense pizza dough recipe! Using only 5 ingredients and simple steps, it guarantees delicious homemade pizza every time. Perfect for home or outdoor pizza ovens. When it comes to baking pizza, the hotter your oven is, the better!
If you don’t have a pizza iron or pizza stone, lightweight pizza pans with holes work best for this recipe.
1 large or 2 small pizzas
You will need it
2 ¼ teaspoons (7g) instant yeast, (one 1/4-ounce packet)
1/2 teaspoon sugar or honey
3/4 cup (177ml) warm water, about 110°F to 115°F
1 ¾ cups (228g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (6g) fine sea salt
Semolina flour, for dusting pan or pizza peel
Directions
- How to Make Pizza Dough
1Combine the yeast, sugar, and water in a mixing bowl and whisk a few times to help stir the yeast. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 to 10 minutes – it will become bubbly and frothy.
2Add the flour and salt, and mix until a sticky, shaggy dough forms. Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise, in a mixing bowl, at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3Uncover the dough, lightly flour the work surface, and knead 5 to 10 times or until smooth.
4Clean the mixing bowl, add a few drops of olive oil, and put the dough in the bowl, turning it so that it is lightly coated in oil. Now decide to witness at room temperature (45 minutes) or overnight in the refrigerator.
5Proofing at room temperature: Let rise, at room temperature, covered with a dish towel, for another 45 minutes. At this point, you can either move on to making your pizza or cover it and refrigerate for a few hours until you’re ready to make the pizza. Thirty minutes before you’re ready to assemble your pizza, remove it from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature again.
6To proof in the fridge overnight: Alternatively, for a slow rise, place in a resealable freezer bag or bowl covered in plastic and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to make the pizza, allow the cold dough to come to room temperature before making the pizza.
- How to Bake Homemade Pizza
1Heat to the highest temperature you are comfortable with for at least 40 minutes (I use my convection setting at 550°F). If you are concerned about smoke, 425°F to 550°F will still give you the best results. If you’re using one, place a pizza stone or iron in the oven to preheat. I use this pizza dough recipe with a pizza iron and a hot oven (550°F convection). After preheating for 40 minutes, I get an amazing crust in just 7 minutes. My crust is golden, crispy, and like my favorite pizzerias. Such high oven temperatures can sometimes trigger fire alarms. If this is a concern, lower your oven temperature slightly (425°F to 450°F) and increase the baking time for sweeter, slower results.
2Dust your pan or pizza peel with semolina flour. Separate the rolling pin and gently press your fingers into the dough, starting in the center to make dimples. Stretch carefully, keeping a light touch to keep those lovely air bubbles intact. If the dough comes back to you, let it rest for a few minutes and try again. If the dough sticks to the pan or the sheets, lift it up and rest on more semolina.
3When you are ready to bake the pizza, add sauce, cheese, and all your favorite ingredients. Quickly slide into the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly. This takes 6 to 15 minutes, depending on the temperature of the oven.
Tips from Adam and Joanne
- To store the dough: Store homemade pizza dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. After proofing, brush the dough lightly with olive oil and place in a resealable freezer bag before refrigerating.
- To make the pizza dough: Brush the dough lightly with olive oil and place in a resealable freezer bag after proofing. Make sure you squeeze out all the air before closing the bag tightly. Freeze the pizza dough for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. The next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about an hour before making the pizza.
- Convection ovens: It is often recommended to lower the cooking temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit as convection baking is faster. In fact, most ovens do this for you automatically. Ours does, but we turn this setting off when we make pizza to get our oven as hot as possible. Instructions for doing so should be in your oven’s manual.
- Active dry yeast: It can be used in the recipe without changes. Instant yeast has more pep, but active dry yeast will work just fine.
- Pizza iron or stone (recommended): This is very hot, giving you the crispy crust and foamy edges you desire. I have a pizza iron and love it! This way, you will need a pizza peel to easily and safely slide your pizza into the hot oven.
- Pizza pan (also a good option): A classic choice! Choose a lightweight pan with holes for better heat transfer and a crispier crust.
- The nutrition facts given below are estimates. These are pizza dough, not full pizza.
Food Per Serving
Serving Size
1/4 of the recipe
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Calories
208
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Perfect Oils
0.7g
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Saturated Fats
0.1g
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Cholesterol
0 mg
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Sodium
585.4mg
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Carbohydrate
43.2g
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Dietary fiber
2.1g
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Total Sugar
0.7g
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Proteins
6.6g
