My all-time favorite homemade pizza dough recipe, this recipe has been tried and tested week after week, making the best homemade pizza. My family now likes homemade pizza better than take-out!
We are definitely pizza obsessed at our house!! Once you’ve perfected this dough, use it to make my White Pizza or BBQ Chicken Pizza.
We are a pizza loving family. And for years, I searched and searched and searched for the perfect pizza dough recipe. I tried dozens, or more. And while some were good, none of them were *that* recipe that would make me stop trying all of the others.
And then, back in 2011, I tried the pizza dough recipe from Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day. And I was pretty sure I had finally stumbled onto *that* recipe. If you haven’t tried that recipe, you really should, because it really does rank up there with the best of the best.
The problem with that dough, though, is that it is best when it has had some time to “age” in the refrigerator. And, well, while I am a stickler for a menu plan, I rarely stick to the order on my menu plan, often making what sounds the best on any given day instead of the actual meal planned for that day. And if I had endless refrigerator space, I’d keep some of that dough on hand always, but that’s not the case either.
So even though I adored that recipe, I knew I needed a recipe that could be made the same day. It would just work better for my family.
That’s when I tried a recipe from Budget Gourmet Mom (unfortunately, her blog is no longer online). It was the best pizza dough that I had come across. I made it many times, and claimed that it was my new favorite. But over the past couple of years, I have, at least in my opinion, perfected the method of making the best pizza you will have at home.
I don’t say this lightly. I’m not kidding you when I say I’ve made this recipe dozens and dozens of times.
The Secret to the Best Homemade Pizza Dough
The secret is in how much flour you add to the dough. This is where I get a little unconventional, because the ingredients are all pretty normal. But my #1 thing that I have said for years with bread making is that I think many times people fail and end up with dry, dense bread because they are adding too much flour. And when I thought about the pizza dough recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, I thought about how wet that dough was, and how I never questioned it because I always did the ingredients by weight and just trusted.
So where this recipe differs from most is the amount of flour and the consistency of the dough.
My #1 rule – less is more.
I have included step by step photos below to walk you through it, but the most important step is to not keep adding flour until the dough is not sticky anymore. Sticky means you are doing it right in this recipe. (See – told you this was different. This goes against pretty much every other pizza dough recipe out there.) Don’t be afraid about the dough sticking everywhere when you roll it out. It’s not quite as sticky after it rises, and you’ll use some additional flour to shape it and roll it.
This recipe might not come easy the first or second time you try it. It’s one of those recipes that might take a little bit of practice. But believe me – for the perfect homemade pizza, it’s totally worth it.
Ingredients
Water: You want your water just warmer than room temperature. I don’t get too particular on this, but it does need to be warm. But not hot, because that can kill your yeast.
Sugar: No, the dough is not sweet with the sugar. I have not tested this recipe using less sugar, but feel free to do some testing of your own if you want to cut back on the sugar.
Yeast: I usually use active dry yeast, but have used instant yeast with success, too.
Oil: A lot of people over on YouTube have strong opinions about my use of vegetable oil, but I like that it has a neutral flavor. By all means, you can substitute for another oil. Olive oil will give it great flavor if you want that.
Flour: I only use all-purpose flour. Mostly because I always have it on hand. Many people have used 00 flour with great success, but I don’t keep it on hand.
Salt: My favorite salt to use is a coarse kosher salt, but sea salt is great, too.
Tips for Making Homemade Pizza Dough
I know I’m already totally long winded here, but here are a few additional tips:
- This makes 3 1-lb balls of dough. It’s a lot, but I usually make 3 pizzas (we’ll eat 2, and save the third for leftovers). Most recipes call for a 1 lb ball of dough, but in all honesty, we usually like our pizza a little more on the thin side. So I have halved this recipe and made 3 pizzas, or I will make 4 pizzas from this recipe. It is easy to cut in half, so feel free to do so. Also, not everyone’s mixer has the capacity to make this much dough. Use common sense.
- I usually make my dough a couple of hours before I need it and just refrigerate the dough until needed. It’s a little easier to roll out when it’s not super cold, but straight from the fridge still works. I recommend making it within 24 hours, though, as the dough will continue to rise, even in the refrigerator.
- When it comes to baking your pizza, I always recommend using a pizza stone. They are pretty inexpensive and make a huge difference. I bought mine at Bed Bath and Beyond for $20 years ago and have probably used it over 100 times and it is still going strong. I always preheat the oven for at least 30 minutes. I also use parchment paper when baking my pizza because 1) my husband doesn’t care for the cornmeal on the bottom of the pizza, 2) I’m terrible at transferring the pizza from the pizza peel to the stone. Parchment paper works well for me.
- To bake the pizza, if you aren’t following a specific recipe, I’ll crank my oven up as high as it goes and bake each pizza for about 10 minutes.
How to make Homemade Pizza Dough
Whew!! That was a lot. 🙂 Here is the step by step – I hope you love this recipe as much as we do!
1: Start by combining warm water with your yeast and some sugar. It should start to froth up after a few minutes. If it doesn’t, toss it and start again. You water may be too warm or your yeast may be bad. Once it’s frothy, add in the vegetable oil.
2: Combine the salt and the flour, and start adding the flour to the mixer, 1/2 cup at a time.
3: Once you have added the flour, the dough will still look pretty wet and sticky. It will not pull away from the sides of the mixer by itself, but you should be able to scrape it down with a spatula. You may need to add a little bit more flour, depending on your environment, but don’t go crazy.
4: Most pizza dough recipes will say it should be tacky but not sticky – not this one. It should stick to your fingers still.
5: Grease a large bowl. I usually just pour some vegetable oil or olive oil in the bottom of the bowl, then scrape the dough out into the bowl. You will need a spatula to scrape the dough from the mixer bowl. Then using greased hands, turn the dough over to coat the outside of the dough in the oil.
6: Cover the dough with a towel or greased plastic wrap and allow it to rise until it is double in size. This usually takes about an hour, depending on how warm the house is. I will often put the bowl in the oven with just the oven light on, which tends to give it a good temperature for rising.
7: Sprinkle some flour on a work surface. Lightly punch the dough down, then turn it out onto the floured surface.
8: Use floured hands to start pulling the dough up and around, gathering the ends together and forming a smooth ball on one side.
9: Turn the ball over, so the top now is smooth.
10: Divide the ball into 3 equal portions. You can weigh them to keep them even, or I almost always just eyeball it.
Voila! Your pizza dough is ready for baking. If the dough is still a bit sticky when you go to roll it out, just sprinkle on a little more flour. I like to actually use my hands to stretch the dough instead of rolling it, which helps with any sticking as well. But you’ll be surprise at how not sticky the dough is at this point.
Use the dough to bake up your pizza with your favorite toppings!
How to Bake Your Pizza
This dough can be used as a pretty generic pizza dough – so you can use it with any pizza recipe you want. (I’ve included some of my favorites below!!) If using another recipe, you can just follow the instructions from that recipe.
But if you want to just bake a basic pizza, topped with your toppings, this is how you would do it.
- Preheat the oven as hot as your oven will go. This will normally be between 450ºF and 500ºF. If your oven is not clean, it may smoke if you get it all the way up to 500ºF, so you may need to turn it down to 450ºF. If you are using a pizza stone, I like to heat the oven for at least 30 minutes. If you aren’t, then just heating it up to your desired temperature will work.
- While the oven is preheating, take one of your pizza dough balls and stretch it or roll it out. I go as big as my pizza stone, so about 14-16″ in diameter. Like I mentioned above, I like to use parchment paper, because it makes transferring the dough to the oven so much easier.
- Spread the dough with your desired toppings.
- Transfer the pizza to the preheated oven and bake until the crust is brown and the cheese is melted. This is usually about 10 minutes for me, but keep an eye on it, because the thickness of your dough, the temperature of your oven, and the amount of toppings on your pizza can all change this.
- Remove from the oven and slice into pieces.
**Note: some people like to bake the crust without toppings for a few minutes first, then remove and top before returning the pizza to the oven. If you like an extra crispy crust, this is what you’ll want to do.
Frequently Asked Questions
No! Many people have made this with just a bowl and spoon. It will take a little bit of muscle, but is totally doable. I wouldn’t suggest using a hand mixer – if you don’t have a stand mixer, just mix it by hand.
Yes! I like vegetable oil because the flavor is very neutral, but feel free to sub in olive oil for the vegetable oil.
Yes! This dough freezes very well. I like to freeze it in individual balls and then take them out one at a time to use. I just let it defrost in the refrigerator.
The one reason I don’t like to use weight measurements for this recipe is that external circumstances can always change how much flour you’ll need. I’ve made this recipe many, many times, and the amount of flour I use is never the same. Sometimes I’ll use the full 6 cups of flour, and sometimes it’s as much as a half a cup less. I think going by texture gives you the best results.
That being said, I had a wonderful reader named Steve who emailed me after he figured out the weight equivalents. So I will list his weights here:
590 g water @ 85 degrees
50 g sugar
9 g yeast (3 teaspoons) (not really necessary to convert this is it is a small number)
54 g of vegetable oil
12 g of salt
720 g of flour
I don’t! I just mix it until it is well mixed. I haven’t noticed a difference if I knead it for longer or just mix it up.
On this one, I say ALWAYS use common sense, and keep an eye on your pizza. The parchment paper that I use doesn’t have a temperature warning on it, but it does get brown while baking. If I was baking this longer than 10-15 minutes, I would opt to not use the parchment paper at such a high temperature.
Pizza Dough Video:
You’ve got the dough – here are some of my favorite pizza recipes
Breakfast Pizza
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
Teriyaki Chicken Pizza
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Antipasto Pizza
White Pizza
Tools Used to Make this Homemade Pizza Dough
I use a bench scraper to cut the dough and to clean the flour off the counter. I love it!
I highly recommend a pizza stone for baking your pizza. It really makes a big difference in the final pizza!
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Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups warm water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, sugar and yeast. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes until frothy. Add in the vegetable oil.
- In a bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Add the flour to the yeast mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well between additions. Continue adding the flour until the dough can be pulled away from the sides of the bowl with a spatula, but the dough will still be quite sticky. You may need to add in a little bit more or less flour, but the key is to remember that the dough will still be sticky and will stick to your fingers when you try to pull it apart.
- Grease a large bowl, then scrape the dough into the bowl. Turn the dough to coat it in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and a let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Pull the dough around to the bottom, stretching it to create a smooth ball. Cut the dough into 3 equal portions. Each ball will be approximately 1 pound of dough.
- Roll out the dough to use in your favorite pizza recipe, or refrigerate until needed. (I have refrigerated it for several hours, up to overnight, but the dough will continue to rise, even in the refrigerator, so I try to use it before 24 hours.
- To bake, preheat a pizza stone in the oven as hot as you can go for at least 30 minutes. (I usually go between 475ºF and 500ºF.)
- Prepare your pizza with your desired toppings and bake until the crust is golden, 8-10 minutes.
Edna Ocheltree says
This recipe sounds great and I plan to make it soon
I have learned through the years that when making sweet rolls using only enough flour to leave the dough somewhat sticky will make the finished product tender and moist.
Daniel Hanninen says
I really liked this recipe. I used half of it to make pizza last night and today I used the rest to make a loaf of bread that turned out great. Thanks so much for posting the recipe. Dan.
Ann says
I made this recipe last night for my 93-year old Sicilian mother who has baked her own bread and pizza for 75 years. We both absolutely loved it! The best pizza dough I had ever made. The crust was crispy and the dough soft and airy. This recipe will be the only one I use going forward. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and for the great instructions and video!
SanetCooks says
Great recipe!
Beth says
This recipe was fab!! Used in the UK today ☺️ First time I’ve ever made a pizza myself and I’m inlove!
Karen Shelton says
This is the only pizza recipe I will use from now on. Absolutely perfect crust and looks like it came from a pizzaria…Thank you so much.
Sharon says
Very good recipe. Easy to make
Katie says
Hi Debra! Have you ever tried freezing some of the dough to use at a later date? Or if not, do you think it would thaw out well?
Deborah says
Yes – it freezes very well!
Robert Johnson says
I’m shocked that I’m the only one here having trouble with this recipe. I always measure my flour by weight so I converted 6 cups of AP to 750 grams (courtesy Traditional Oven). I carefully measured exactly 2.5 cups of water. The result was not a sticky dough – but absolutely wet! Like soup.
Using Traditional Oven again, 2.5 cups of water is 591 grams. So by baker’s percent, 591/750 = 78% water to flour. I had to add many handfuls of flour and it was still very sticky. What am I missing because nobody else seems to have had this problem?
Robert Johnson says
I’m pleased to announce that despite the difference in flour measurement, it turned out amazing! Thank you so much! Crispy crust but so soft on the inside. First time using a baking stone and it’s amazing. They were done in 7 minutes – perfectly browned top and bottom!
Kelly Null says
Deborah, this is the BEST pizza dough! Outstanding! Followed the recipe to a T and it was delicious. I made homeade pizza sauce and used fresh mozzarella, Boars Head Salami and fresh basil. My son said this was better than anything you could buy! Thank you for a great recipe
Lisa A. Boban says
I’ve been making pizza at home for years with some success. But this will be my go to recipe for pizza dough! I live the airy texture and great crisp bottom. I use a pizza steel instead of a stone, but that was my only change. Your detailed instructions gave me confidence to work with the MUCH wetter dough than I’m used to. But I trusted the process and was rewarded with truly great pizza!
Szewczyk says
So, if I want to only make half of this I would only use 1 1/2 Teaspoons of yeast? Dosen’t seem like enough.
Deborah says
Yes – just cut all of the ingredients in half!
berta says
What is the consistency of the dough after baking…I like a ‘chew’ to the texture..not bread like
Deborah says
Yes – this one has more of a chew than a bread texture!
Betsi says
So easy even I could make it! I am so proud of myself! I read and reread the directions. Watched the video and I got to work. I did the yeast test and sure enough it didnt foam. Threw it away and started over. Success! I followed every word and it was just delicious! I also baked it in a 500 degree oven on a preheated stone. I don’t have the wooden paddle so I just made my parchment paper extra long and transferred it, carefully, to the hot stone. I sent pictures to everyone I know! 😊
Caroline says
I just made this today, super easy recipe! This is the easiest dough I have ever worked with at home! It was room temperature and rolled out perfectly and didn’t shrink up when I was shaping the pies. They baked perfectly and were super pillowy with a bit of a crunchy crust on the bottom when using a hot pizza stone. Loved it and will definitely use again. Whole family loved them !
Naomi G says
This is the best pizza dough ever!! We made one large thin crust for me and hubby, and 4 individual pizzas for the teenagers! Still have enough dough for a breakfast pizza. Was alot of fun for our NewYears eve shenanigans! Definitely saving this as my go to!!