Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

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Square feature of a slice of homemade pepperoni pizza. The crust is light browned and crisp. The inside is chewy. In the background is the full 12 inch pizza and toppings.

Make this easy and delicious homemade pizza dough recipe and skip the takeout!

Make this homemade pizza crust recipe for game day or whenever you want a delicious pizza with fresh toppings. Bake it now or store the dough in the refrigerator for later. It will keep for 4 days in the fridge or freeze it in a sealed container and thaw it in the refrigerator overnight when you’re ready to use it.

Making pizza dough requires a little feeling and knowing when the dough is just right. Depending on your elevation and the seasons, you may need more or less flour. See more tips below.

And speaking of flour, there’s a lot of controversy on whether to use bread flour or all-purpose flour when making pizza dough. I’ve used both and prefer bread flour. Bread flour yeilds a crispy crust that’s soft on the inside. All-purpose flour yeilds a crispy but denser crust. Try both to see which crust you prefer.

Below, I share all my tips and the recipe to make the best homemade pizza dough around.

Tip For Blooming Yeast

  • I recommend using active dry yeast and not rapid-rise yeast. Rapid rise yeast rises too quickly and cause the crust texture to be bready.
  • When doubling this recipe you don’t need to double the yeast.
  • Use warm, not hot water to activate the yeast (around 105–115°F). Also, heat the bowl by running it under warm water to help the temperate stay stable longer.
  • Mix yeast, warm water, and sugar, and let sit for about 10 minutes before adding the rest of the ingedients.
  • Properly bloomed yeast looks foamy, almost creamy, and has a few bubbles (see photo below). If your yeast doesn’t look this way it may be old or inactive and your dough won’t rise. Try making a new batch of yeast in warm water and sugar before continuing.
Overhead horizontal photo of a 12 inch homemade pepperoni pizza fresh from the oven and cut into 8 slices. Topping to the side along with a pizza cutter.

Tip For Kneading, Rising, and Baking

  • Knead dough by hand or with a stand mixer and a dough hook attachment until smooth and elastic. If your dough feels too sticky add a tablespoon of flour (or two). If dry, add a tablespoon of water.
    • To knead by hand, combine the ingredients with a spoon then knead the dough with the palm of your hand on a lightly floured surface for about 5-7 minutes.
    • When using a stand mixer with a dough hook, combine your ingredients slowly then knead for about 5 minutes.
  • Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place for one hour before baking. If it’s cold in your kitchen, warm up the oven to 100°F, shut it off, and put the covered bowl in the warm oven to rise.
  • Before baking, brush the crust with extra olive oil for a crispy, golden crust.
  • Poke holes into your dough before going into the oven to avoid bubbles from forming as the crust bakes.
  • Pre-bake your crust for about 5 minutes before adding sauce and toppings. Doing this helps cook the crust through to the center and keeps it from getting soggy from the toppings.
  • Add delicate toppings like fresh basil and herbs after baking to avoid burning them.

Balance the savory with something sweet! Try my Chocolate Bundt Cake With Coconut Filling Recipe.

Closeup of a slice of pizza being lifted from a full pizza. The toppings are classic pepperoni and gooey mozzarella cheese with a sprinkle of Italian seasoning. The crust is golden brown, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. This title of this Pinterest, pinnable image is 'Easy Homemade Pizza Crust Recipe'.

Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

Course

Main Dish

Prep Time

90 min.

Cook/bake time

20 min.

Servings

1 Crust

Here's What You'll Need

A Large Mixing Bowl
One 12-Inch Pizza Pan (or a Pizza Stone and Pizza Peel)
A Kitchen Thermometer

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup warm water (around 105–115°F)
1 package for Active Dry Yeast (1 package equals 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups bread flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon of Olive oil (plus additional to coat the dough)

Directions

Frothy bowl of active yeast that was mixed with warm water and sugar. The yeast is fully proofed and ready to make pizza dough.
1. Proof the yeast by stirring together warm water (around 105–115°F), yeast and sugar in a bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes to bloom. More tips above but your yeast should look frothy and creamy.
2. Add flour, salt and olive oil to the bowl and mix until combined.
Closeup of hand kneading pizza dough on a lightly floured surface.
3. Knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5-7 minutes or with a stand mixer and a dough hook for about 5 minutes. The dough should be smooth, slightly tacky, and elastic, springing back to the touch.
Homemade pizza dough after kneading, set in a ball and rolled in olive oil in prep to rise for 1 hour.
4. Coat the dough with olive oil to keep it from drying out and place it back in the bowl.
Pizza dough covered with a kitchen towel and set aside in a warm spot to rise.
5. Cover the bowl and let rise for one hour in a warm place. It should double in size.
Homemade pizza dough after one hour of rising has doubled in size and is ready to make a 12 inch pizza crust.
6. Preheat oven to 450-degrees Fahrenheit.
Brushing the crust of my homemade pizza dough with olive oil so it browns lightly in the oven and comes out crispy. Also shown are holes poked with a fork to keep bubbles from forming in the dough when baking.
7. Stretch the dough onto a greased pizza pan. Brush with olive oil and poke holes into the crust with a fork.
Pre-baking a handmade pizza crust in the oven for 5 minutes before adding toppings so it cooks all the way to the center and the toppings added on too early make for a soggy crust.
8. Pre-bake the crust for about 5 minutes before removing from the oven to add toppings.
Side angle photo of a 12 inch homemade pepperoni pizza fresh from the oven and cut into 8 slices.
9. Add sauce and toppings and bake until golden brown–about 12-15 minutes in a pizza pan –about 5-7 minutes on a pizza stone.

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