Homemade Pizza Dough is quick and easy to make at home!
This pizza dough recipe makes a traditional crust is sturdy enough to hold your favorite toppings! It’s delicious with a slight chew, just the way a pizza crust should be!
Ingredients
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- WATER The water should be warm but not hot. If you have a thermometer, you want the water to be about 110°F.
- YEAST This recipe uses active dry yeast. You can use instant yeast (or rapid rise) in this recipe as well, skip letting it sit in the water in this recipe if using instant yeast. (1 packet of yeast = 2 1/4 teaspoons)
- SUGAR A pinch of sugar is needed to feed the yeast and help it bloom.
- FLOUR I use all-purpose flour in this recipe as it’s what we most often have on hand. Add flour a bit at a time just until the dough is no longer sticky. If you add too much, the dough will be tough.
- OLIVE OIL & SALT Are added for flavor.
RISE TIME: This is a quick pizza dough and doesn’t require a long rise time. If you’d like you can allow it to rise for up to 1 hour before rolling out to fill the pizza pans. I most often don’t rise the dough and just bake it as is.
How to Make Pizza Dough
The best pizza dough uses just a handful of ingredients you likely have in your pantry! Be sure to check the expiration dates on your yeast and make sure it’s still fresh before you use it. Fresh yeast means a good rise and a perfectly chewy crust.
- Mix the yeast and water in a bowl, let sit until the yeast starts to bubble up.
- Add three cups of flour to the mixture, one cup at a time until you get a nice dough that isn’t too sticky. Add a bit more flour if needed if your dough seems sticky.
Now that you have your dough, it’s time to knead!
How to Knead Pizza Dough
Kneading pizza dough takes a little bit of muscle but is so worth it in the end!
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead the dough until it is smooth, adding more flour to keep it from sticking to your hands or work surface.
- Knead the dough using two hands, pushing the dough away from you and then turning it 45° to the left, knead it some more, and then turn it another 45° until a full circle has been completed. It should only take about 6 minutes.
- Roll and form the dough to fit the greased pizza pans or stones. Let the dough rise.
After the dough has risen, poke holes all over the surface with a fork (this is called ‘docking’ and prevents the dough from bubbling up), then add sauce, cheese, toppings and then top with cheese before baking. Super simple and super fun!
Have a stand mixer? Let the mixer do the heavy lifting for you. Simply add the ingredients to the mixer with dough hook. Once combined, turn the mixer to medium high for about 4-5 minutes.
Make-Ahead
Pizza dough can be made hours ahead of time and stored in the fridge. Rest on the counter for about 20 minutes and then roll to fit pans. You can make a batch of the shortcut pizza sauce in the recipe below or use canned or another homemade pizza sauce.
To Freeze Pizza Dough
Freezing pizza dough is so easy and is a great way to always have pizza dough on hand!
- To freeze, place dough ball into a zippered freezer bag. Frozen pizza dough balls can last up to 6 months in the freezer.
- To thaw, let them come to room temp, place them on a floured surface and dust with flour. Knead a few minutes, then shape over a pizza stone or pan.
The best thing about frozen pizza dough is that there is no need to overly knead them since they will require a little kneading once they are thawed again!
Delicious Pizza Recipes
- Cheeseburger Pizza – loaded with all the toppings
- Margherita Pizza – classic pizza recipe!
- Pizza Rolls – perfect individual servings
- Cheesy Breakfast Pizza – a delicious start to your day
- Pizza Bombs – homemade pizza pockets!
- Easy Homemade Calzone – great portable meal
- Buffalo Chicken Pizza – with blue cheese dressing
Use it to make a classic Margherita pizza or load it up with toppings like supreme pizza or cheeseburger pizza. Either way, it is sure to be delicious!
How did you use this Homemade Pizza Dough? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided use
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar or 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour or as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Mix the yeast, sugar and water in a small bowl, cover and let stand for about 5-10 minutes.
- Mix the 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and yeast mixture in a large mixing bowl. Mix in 3 cups of flour, a cup at a time. If the dough seems sticky, add more flour, a couple tablespoons at a time.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until moderately stiff, about six minutes.
- If time allows, you can let the dough rise 1 hour at this point. If allowing to rise, punch the dough down before fitting in the pans below.
- Lightly grease two pizza pans with oil. Roll out the dough and stretch to fill the pans.
- Let the dough rise 10 minutes.
- Brush pizza dough with remaining olive oil and top with pizza sauce, toppings and cheese as desired. Bake 15-18 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Adapted from The Food Nanny
Love this recipe super easy and quickly
This is a great recipe. I didn’t have bread flour or honey and it still came out great. I let it rise then rolled out for the pan.
No fail for real! Love it!
Hi! I don’t have any honey on hand, but I’m guessing I can probably sub sugar for the honey. How much sugar would you suggest substituting? Would I need to add an extra liquid (like water?) along with the sugar? Thank you in advance!
I’ve have only made this as written. Let us know how it works out if you try it.
I tried this…makes me happy coz it works. Other recipes i tried was not as good as this. Finally found a good one, thanks for sharing!
Have it in the oven now!! (P. S. When you use cranberries you bought at Thanksgiving, and bake this in May, you have problems getting a cup of usable cranberries. )
Do you not have to let the dough rise?
The dough rises while the sauce is being prepared.
Was just wondering can i make this as individuals pizza instead of a medium ones
I’m sure that would work perfectly. You may need to adjust cooking time slightly.
I haven’t tried it yet…but I will. The dough doesn’t have to rise at all?
The dough doesn’t have to rise.
Can I freeze this dough?
Yes, this dough freezes well.
Hi! Do you know if there are any special instructions for high altitude??
I’m sorry, I’m not sure. Hopefully someone else here has some experience with this recipe in high altitude.
Looks so deliciously simple!
Couple questions: does this recipe make a softer dough or a harder one? And would you know if it would change the outcome of the dough if I bloomed the yeast with water along with the honey mixed in?
Thanks so much! Hope to try this recipe soon :)
This recipe creates a softer dough. As for blooming the yeast, I can’t say for sure how that would change the recipe. I have only made it as above but if you do try it, please let us know how it works out for you!
It will bloom better if it has sugar or honey mixed in, thats what it feeds on.
do I need to change anything to use this in a bread machine?
I haven’t made this recipe in the bread machine. I would suggest checking your manual for tips.
I really like the flavor, but each time I’ve made it the dough isn’t fully cooked in the middle but the rest of the pizza is ready…what am I doing wrong?
I can’t say for sure why yours didn’t work out LiAnne, mine has always worked perfectly. Did you knead for the full amount of time? Are your toppings “wet” such as mushrooms or pineapple? Is your oven fully preheated before the pizza went in?
When you roll out your dough brush it with olive oil, it sort of makes a barrier so the sauce doesn’t make it soggy, You can also put a little shredded cheese on top of the olive oil before the sauce
Has anyone tried this with spelt flour?
yes I have and it works. my neighbor makes spelt. I’m lucky
Has anyone tried freezing the dough? I generally make a bunch ahead and freeze it.
This is a fantastic dough recipe.
Another if your in a real hurry is
1 cup of flour
1 cup of plain greek yoghurt.
Sounds weird but tastes good
I’m going to try that! I always have greek yogurt on hand!
I believe it has to be self-rising flour not plain flour. I’ve made this recipe but it has to be self rising flour to make it work properly.
This is a great dough recipe! My husband who doesn’t much care for pizza .. Went crazy over it.. I used a generic pizza sauce and cooked it in my cast iron skillet..yum thank you :)
I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed it Belinda! :)
Great recipe! I have been looking for a pizza dough that was simple that I could use to make a deep pan pizza, this worked wonders! It was a bit plain so next time I will be doing a cheese stuffed crust as suggested by another commenter, or a garlic bread crust. This dough would be great for making cheese-y sticks for dipping in soups as well.
Thanks for this great dough recipe! I make pizza on a regular basis now, so much cheaper than eating out whenever my husband wants pizza. He loves the pizzas I make. This dough works really well for cheese stuffed crust too! Just line mozarella sticks around the edge of the pan and fold the dough over top. For me this recipe makes one nice thick crusted pizza! The sauce is great too, I use it for a bunch of recipes, not just pizza!
Great recipe and thanks so much for sharing this. :) Seems not too daunting now. :)
If I may, just a few thoughts; for the sauce, you can save time, money and clean up by purchasing a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes. I buy a case when they go on sale for 79 cents a can, great for super easy and cheap Salsa.
Back to the pizza thing. Whenever I have the veggie urge, for toppings I add onions and green bell peppers. By the by, they seem to taste better if I saute them first in the oil just until the onions turn translucent and then add the tomatoes. Sometimes I’ll add powdered garlic and simmer the whole mess for 5 to 15 minutes. For a flavor nuance, I often add crushed red pepper flakes, but omit the seeds (that’s where the heat is). Actually, I’m not really a fusspot, I’ll eat pizza any way I can. Throw it on the floor and I’ll eat it like a dog. Maybe that’s why mom called me a chow hound.
I subscribe to all types of foodie sites- I spend hours each day just going through email. I now consider myself an internet foodie critic, and I must say, your site is da bestest! Thanx for the great reads and info.
Any whoo, if this is a girly only site, my nom de plume (did I spell that right?) is Nicola. If I spelled it wrong, my pen name is….. Nikki, Niky, Nicky,or whatever. Just don’t call me late for breakfast- I hate cold pizza.
Regards, n.
Yum! Thanks for the great tips! So many things you can do with this dough!!