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.
This was a great pizza fix and easy recipe! I’m not sure what I did but my crust was really hard – how do I keep the crust soft? Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Hi KRC27, try brushing the crust with milk before baking that should help keep it soft. Hope that helps. Take care.
Used this dough recipe 3 times now (and about to use a lot more in lockdown!) Perfect recipe. I use pizza stones and an upside down tray in my oven and usually make 3 pizzas with this amount of dough. I hand knead everything as well. Perfect crust – not too thick and not too thin. It has certainly kept our family happy and we are all fussy pizza eaters having spent a lot of time in Italy. For homemade, this is a great recipe.
Hi Kristen, thanks so much, glad everyone likes it. Take care.
Since discovering this pizza dough recipe it’s all I use now for our weekly Friday night pizza night. Thanks so much for an easy but delicious recipe!!
Thanks Lola, glad you like it. Take care.
This is so good! There is only two of us so will the dough be ok if I freeze half of it?
Hi Jill, yes the dough can be frozen, be sure to freeze it after it has risen. Take care.
very good cooked we split into 4 pizza’s. Cooked it on grill finished it under broiler.
Hi Denise, thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it. Take care.
Hi,
Love this recipe however my mixer isn’t working so great with the dough hooks. Can I use a food processor?
Thanks!
Hi Sue, I have never tried it with a food processor, you could probably bring the dough together but you will need to knead it by hand, a food processor can’t knead. Hope that helps.
Can you freeze this dough at any point? I know it says you can refrigerate it, but I was hoping to freeze it for longer than 24hrs
Hi Courtnay, yes you can freeze it after it rises. It will keep up to three months in the freezer. Be sure to thaw it overnight in the fridge, then bring it to room temperature before using.
hi, can I use canola oil instead of olive oil?
Hi Dawn, sure that would work. I hope you enjoy it. Take care.
I love this pizza dough recipe, worked really well ♥️😀
Hi Christine, thanks so much so glad you enjoyed it.
I love this recipe! So easy……So good! I wasn’t sure what a pinch of sugar would be, so I used 1 teaspoon. It came out perfect! Thank you. I will never buy store-bought pizza dough again.
Hi Rosemarie, thanks so much, glad you liked it. Take care.
I found this to be the best pizza doh for dessert pizza. My first rise was way to long as we had to shop at that time. So when I came home to punch it down and put it down we didn’t have time to let it rest. But that shouldn’t have a made a difference. The long rise time may have changed this doh. I’m not sure.
Anyhow… We didn’t like the thick hard crust to much. But it wasn’t yeasty tasting and that I loved. We will make it again because that long rise time may have changed how it baked.
But again… perfect for desert pizza.
How many pizzas does this dough make?
Hi Salma, it make about 3 medium pizzas.
I love your recipes. I am based in Pakistan, have been to Italy and have many Italian friends thanks to my Uni days. I am well aware about their love for food and cooking. So I knew I could trust an Italian with their recipes and I was not disappointed.
I have tried 3 of ur recipes and have loved all of them! For this one, I went by the book but I replaced one cup of lukewarm water with one cup of lukewarm milk. My pizza turned out super crispy and flaky and perfect!
Thank you so much for keeping things simple and easy to follow.
Hi Anum, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. I will have to try with milk next time. Take care.
Hi Rosemary
Have you ever used a pizza stone to bake your pizza? I’m wondering if this would affect the baking time or temperature.
I was so happy to get your post this week. We are hearing terrible stories coming out of Italy related to the virus. I hope you and your family are well
Patricia
Hi Patricia, thanks so much, we are well thank you and I hope you are too. Yes you can use a stone, I haven’t yet used mine for pizza, just bread, but heat while pre-heating the oven, and it may need less time. Make sure your dough is room temperature, cold dough may cause the stone to crack. Let me know how it goes.
Thank you, that’s a great recipe. We had a craving for an Italian pizza during the staying at home 2020. It made the whole house happy!
I’ve made this dough several times now and never truly thought it was the best but tonight I finally figured it out. The yeast requires more sugar, if you’d like a nice cushy crust. So I did one tablespoon of sugar and I never use the full amount of flour. It only requires about 4 1/2 to 5 cups of flour. I always stop at 4 and then just add a little bit until I feel that the dough is right. With a full tablespoon of sugar tonight it came out totally wonderful and tasted like restaurant style pizza.
we loved it so easy perfecto thanks
Hi Ursula, thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it.