Best Homemade Pizza Dough
This is the Best Homemade Pizza Dough. It is definitely the only Pizza Recipe you will ever need. Make it by hand or in your stand mixer. No need for take out, it will make your pizza night even more special. Any topping goes!
Some of our favorite topped pizzas are an Italian Sausage and Artichoke Cheese Pizza to one of the Italian’s favorites, Grilled Zucchini Pizza. But if you want to try something different why not give this Potato Pizza a try!
Authentic Italian Pizza never tasted so good. Everything you need to know to make this your family’s new favourite Pizza Recipe. In your house what day is pizza day? If you are like us it could mean any day!
Why you will love this pizza dough recipe
- Easy – the recipe can be made the same day or left to rise overnight in the fridge, the longer it is left to rise the more delicious it is. Perfect either way. Make a Fresh Tomato Pizza or a popular Pizza Bianca, and of course you can make your preferred thin or thick pizza crust!
- Versaitile – the dough is perfect for making a traditional pizza, mini pizzas or calzone, some readers have even used it to make bread!
- The Best – I can and so can everyone that has tried it say that it is the best pizza dough they have ever tried!
Ingredients needed
- Water – Always use lukewarm water, make sure the temperature is between 98-105F (36-40C). Never use hot or you will kill the yeast and with cold water the yeast will take forever to rise.
- Yeast – I like to use active dry yeast but you could also use instant yeast, for every teaspoon of active dry yeast substitute with 3/4 teaspoon of instant.
- Sugar -It is considered food for the yeast, which converts it to carbon dioxide and alcohol. It also helps enhance the flavour of the pizza.
- Olive Oil – It helps to tenderize the dough and add a wonderful flavour.
- Flour – I usually use all purpose or bread flour, you will need a flour that has at least 12% protein. Bread flour will produce a chewier crust.
- Salt – Is necessary to add flavour to the dough.
How to make the Best Pizza Dough
This is a very simple recipe that can be made by machine or by hand, scroll down to the bottom of the page for the to find the recipe card.
In the bowl of your stand up mixer (or a large bowl if you knead by hand) add the warm water and sugar, sprinkle the yeast on top, let sit, then stir to combine.
Add the olive oil, flour and salt, with the hook attachment start to combine on low speed, scrape the hook and then raise to medium speed, knead until you have a smooth elastic dough. Or if making by hand, combine the ingredients with a fork and knead by hand.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, roll the dough to cover lightly with the oil, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a large clean kitchen towel, leave in a warm draft free area until doubled in bulk.
Pre-heat oven. Punch the dough down a few times and divide into 1-3 balls, let the dough rest. Place the dough in the desired prepared pizza or baking sheets and shape the dough into the desired shapes. Top with your favourite toppings, bake until crust is golden and cheese has melted.
Variations
With this Pizza Dough Recipe I made two large and one small pizza. Sometimes I will make an all veggie one, with fresh, halved, cherry tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and onions. Or I will sauté a couple of Italian sausage (casing removed) with sliced mushrooms, peppers and a small onion and place the mixture on a pureed tomato sauce (with just a few spices and a little olive oil). For the third pizza I top with chopped fresh tomatoes and sliced black olives and of course all the pizzas are topped with shredded firm mozzarella.
In Italy it is so easy to get a good pizza dough. Sometimes I would stop at my local bakery (forno) and pick up a pound or two of dough. But when I tasted a pizza made with this dough, I thought no matter how good the bakery dough was, it was now a thing of the past for me. That pizza made me determined to make my own pizza dough from then on.
Needless to say this pizza dough was one of those recipes that was passed down for I can’t tell you how many years. And trust me it is the best Pizza Dough. You can make it thin crust or thick crust whatever suits you, then you can top it with whatever fresh ingredients you want.
Recipe Tip
Be sure to let the dough rest before forming it in the pan, resting will keep it from springing back. And use your hand to gently stretch the dough to fit the dough in the pan and not a rolling pin, using your hands preserves the gas bubbles formed during fermentation and keeps the dough from deflating.
Since there are very few ingredients in Pizza Dough it is important that all the ingredients are good quality and active.
More Pizza Dough Recipes you can try
- No Yeast Pizza Dough – out of yeast? But still want pizza!
- Beer Pizza Dough – adding some beer gives it an extra taste boost
- Lievito Madre Pizza Dough – the Italian sourdough starter way
- No Knead Pizza Dough – no kneading or machine necessary
So however you like your pizza, thick crust, thin crust, double cheese, vegetarian or with pepperoni, I hope you make it with this Pizza dough recipe! Buon appetito.
Best Homemade Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 2 cups lukewarm water
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1½ tablespoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5¼ cups all purpose flour or bread flour
- 1½ teaspoons salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand up mixer (or a large bowl if you knead by hand) add the warm water and sugar, sprinkle the yeast on top, let sit for 5-10 minutes, then stir to combine. Continue with Machine or Hand.
MIXING BY MACHINE
- Add the olive oil, flour and salt, with the hook attachment start to combine on low speed #1, scrape the hook and then raise to medium speed #2 and knead for approximately 5-7 minutes or until you have a smooth elastic dough (scrape the hook halfway through kneading).
MIXING BY HAND
- Add the olive oil, flour and salt, then with a fork mix until the dough starts to come together. On a lightly floured surface remove dough from the bowl and knead until dough is smooth and elastic approximately 10 minutes (if dough is really sticky add a little extra flour).
NEXT STEPS
- Place in a lightly oiled bowl, roll the dough to cover lightly with the oil, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a large clean kitchen towel, leave in a warm draft free area until doubled in bulk, approximately 2 hours.**
- Pre heat oven to 450° (250° celsius). Punch dough down a few times and divide into 1-3 balls, let dough rest for 20 minutes.
- Place the dough in the desired pizza or cookie sheets (lightly oiled) and shape the dough into the desired shapes (using your clean hands).
- Top with your favourite toppings, bake for approximately 15-20 minutes until crust is golden and cheese has melted. Enjoy!
- **At this point, dough can also be refrigerated, place in plastic bag, remove air and tie securely up to 24 hours.
EASY PIZZA SAUCE
- In a medium bowl add a can of diced or pureed tomatoes, add 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon basil, a sprinkle of salt, tablespoon or two of olive oil and stir to combine. Top pizza dough.
FRESH TOMATO SAUCE
- Chop fresh tomatoes (15-20 grape or cherry or 3-4 roma tomatoes)if you use roma tomatoes then remove the seeds, toss with 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon basil (or even 5-6 fresh basil leaves chopped) 1-2 pinches salt and a tablespoon or 2 of olive oil.
STIRRED FRIED VEGGIES & ITALIAN SAUSAGE
- In a medium frying pan add Italian sausage (casing removed and chopped) and fry until starting to brown, add thinly sliced, onion, pepper and mushrooms and a drizzle of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, basil, salt and pepper to taste, cook on medium for approximately 10 minutes. Use as topping for pizza (on the sauce and then bake).
Notes
Substitute instant dry yeast for active dry yeast
If using instant yeast instead of active dry use 3 teaspoons of instant yeast. In the bowl of the mixer add the flour, yeast and sugar and combine, then add the water and oil, start to mix with the dough hook and add the salt, continue to knead for about 8-10 and continue with the recipe. When using active dry yeast your dough may rise a little quicker so keep your eye on it.How To Flavor The Dough
If you like to give your dough a bit of extra flavour then you can certainly add a couple of dashes of garlic or onion powder, or even oregano, thyme, Italian seasoning or basil or if the Italian had is way a couple of good pinches of hot pepper flakes. Whisk them into the flour before adding to the yeast mixture.How Do You Know When The Pizza Dough Has Risen Enough?
With your knuckles or a couple of fingers make an indentation in the dough, If the indentation disappears, the dough needs more time to rise. If the dent remains, the bread is ready to bake.What Weight Should The Pizza Dough Weigh?
If you are looking for a pizza such as pizza Napoletana then I would go with 250-255 gram (9 ounces) dough ball if you want a thicker crust then 280-285 grams (10 ounces) would be the weight, this if for a pizza approximately 28-32 cm (12 inches).Can the dough be made in advance?
The dough can rise in the fridge, overnight works perfectly. Prepare the dough, place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight in the refrigerator, leaving the dough to rise in the fridge from 12-24 hours is considered the best amount of time. Although the dough can remain in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. If the dough smells sour it has probably gone bad and should be discarded. Remove the dough from the fridge and bring it to room temperature, about 30-60 minutes, punch it down, then divide it into 2 or 3 parts, again let it rest for about 20 minutes, form into your preferred shape and top as desired.How to freeze the dough
Let the dough rise before freezing, then divide the dough into your desired pizza portions, place in airtight freezer bags and freeze. Dough will last up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw the frozen dough overnight (8 hours) in the refrigerator. When ready to use, remove it from the fridge and bring it to room temperature, approximately 30-60 minutes on the counter will do. Continue with the recipe from step 4. Or remove the frozen dough from the bag or container, then place it in a bowl with enough room to allow it to expand, cover it with plastic wrap. Let it sit for a couple of hours, giving it time to thaw and rise. Then it is ready to use.How to store the pizza
Any leftover pizza, as long as it hasn’t been left out for more than two hours, should be placed in an airtight container or wrapped well in plastic wrap or foil and placed in the refrigerator, it will last up to four days in the fridge. Cold pizza for breakfast anyone?!Nutrition
Republished from January 6, 2016.
Hi, if I’m using fresh yeast how much to I use leave? I’m also having an issue with the dough being very undercooked unless I cook it for a very long time and end up burning the toppings. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Rebecca for fresh yeast you have to double the amount so the amount of active dry is 14 grams so fresh will be 28 grams. Let me know how it goes. It could be your oven temperature is off, try baking it at 425F and what is a very long time? If you are cutting your topping really small that could be a problem too. Let me know.
We love this pizza dough it has become a favorite for us. I do have an issue with the bottom of the pizza being tough and hard. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Linda, maybe you are rolling the bottom too thin or even baking it a bit too long. Let me know.
I love this dough recipe! I have added it to my recipe index and make it every other week now. It makes 3 medium size pizzas (slightly thin crust), which is the perfect amount for my family. It’s light and crispy around the edges. My family is from Italy and we have our own bread/pizza dough recipes but I have to admit I favor this one over our own. Thanks for sharing! Love your blog and all your recipes!
Hi Angela, thanks so much, so glad you liked it. I am so glad you enjoy the recipes. Take care.
Hi,
Want to make this dough today for pizza tomorrow. Regarding step 2. Should I let it rise for 2 hours and then place it in the fridge or it goes straight into the fridge after kneading?
Thank you
Hi Vip, the first rise is done overnight in the fridge, after you have kneaded the dough and placed in a bowl, it goes straight into the fridge, and then remove it from the fridge, bring it to room temperature about 30-60 minutes then continue with the recipe. Let me know how it goes.
This recipe sounds wonderful! I have been trying to use whole wheat flour for my pizza. Can I sub the whole wheat flour completely or should it only be part of the flour?
Hi Jennie, I would sub half for whole wheat and half all purpose. Let me know how it turns out.
If I wanna make one 12″ pizza as we are just 2 people, what should be the proportion of ingredients. Will be using instant yeast and Bread flour .. Thanks for a reply
Hi Sybil, you could half the recipe or you could freeze half the dough after the first rise. It freezes very well. Let me know how it goes.
Hi. You gave a detailed clear explanation. Thank you. Please may I know that how many pizza I can prepare with this given measurements.
Hi Aurifa, thank you, I usually get 2 large pizzas from the dough and they are a thicker crust, rather than thin. 🙂
This is “The Best Pizza Dough” ever! I usually don’t post recipe comments, but had to with this. I’ve made many pizzas used many different recipes, but this is a fantastic dough. Easy to make, great step by step instructions. I halved the recipe, weighed the flour and water. The dough came out chewy yet light. My boyfriend doesn’t eat the crust on pizza, but this one he did! Compliments to your recipe and me. Thank you for sharing it. I will always use it.
Hi Suzanne, thanks so much, so glad you both enjoyed it. Take care and have a wonderful Sunday.
I made your pizza dough recipe yesterday and it was dilizioso.. thank you for your easy blend measurements.
Hi Silvana, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it.
Great recipe – thank you
I did make the dough and it was great. I did not start 24 hours ahead of time. But I was able to do an initial rise of 2 hours, punch it down and then do a second rise of an hour. This will be my pizza dough recipe now. I can’t wait to try the overnight rise. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much Pamela, glad you like it. The overnight rise works very well too. Have a great week.
Love your recipe
Could you tell me which serving size would be right for a thick crust large pizza. We tried the 4 servings and it was not enough. We are just two people.
Thank You
Jerome Pampinella
International Man of Leisure
Hi Jerome I usually use 2 x 28x33cm (11×12 inch cookie sheet) I make 2 oval shaped pizzas, but the pizza doesn’t fill the sides of the pan. And they come out quite thick. Hope that helps.
Whow what a great recipe
Thank you for your time
Hi Tony, thank so much, glad you like it.
Can I use this dough in a high heat egg (Kamodo) bbq with pizza stone? I know it’s better with different moisture levels but not sure where this dough recipe fits in. BTW this is my favourite dough when I make pizza on traditional gas bbq. Thanks you!
Hi Kal, I really don’t know, I have never used a Kamodo bbq, if you try it let me know how it goes. Glad you like the pizza recipe. Take care.
This was amazing! I’ve never made pizza dough before, and this turned out perfect! Instead of baking it in the oven, I grilled it on the BBQ, and now my family wants it done this way all the time!
Hi Anne, thanks so much, great idea making it on the grill. So glad everyone enjoyed it. Take care.