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This is the ULTIMATE Easy Pizza Dough Recipe! This easy pizza crust recipe can be made thick, thin, or personal sized with whole wheat or gluten free flour. Learn how to make pizza dough so many different ways!!
Why You’ll Love This Pizza Dough
Until I started blogging, I was terrified of yeast and making my own bread and pizza dough. It was so much easier to buy a tube of dough or a packaged already baked one, but those never tasted as good as take-out so I was always left wanting MORE. One day I tried making my own pizza dough and OMG >> life changing.
Get over your fear of yeast, okay? Once you have this recipe down, the world opens up. Pizza, flatbread, cheese breadsticks, dinner rolls…you name it, you can make it with this pizza dough recipe.
Making this homemade pizza dough recipe is so much easier than you think it will be. Plus you can control the ingredients – make it deep dish or thin crust, whole wheat or gluten free – I’m showing you ALL the ways to make the best pizza dough in the world!
Pizza Dough Ingredients
- Yeast – You can use Instant Yeast OR Active Dry Yeast but the directions vary so read below the difference.
- Water – We’ll need to heat this according to the yeast you’re using.
- Flour – All-purpose flour is what I normally use but see below for other flour options.
- Salt – For flavoring
- Sugar – Helps activate the yeast
- Olive Oil – a little fat makes adds flavor and texture to the dough.
How to make Pizza Dough
Instant Yeast
Instant yeast does not need to be bloomed so we mix it with the dry ingredients then add the hot liquid. The liquid needs to be between 120-130°F.
Active Dry Yeast
Active Dry Yeast needs to be bloomed before adding it to the flour, so add the yeast and some sugar to hot water (100-110°F) and let it sit until bubbly.
Once you have the dough kneaded and into a cohesive ball, the Instant Yeast allows you to let it rest for just 10 minutes before baking.
With Active Dry Yeast you must allow it to rise until doubled after kneading. Cover with plastic wrap in a greased bowl for at least an hour or two.
Stretching Pizza Dough
After the dough rise or rest, then you roll out your pizza dough on a floured surface. I usually use my hands to stretch it as much as I can. If you’re having trouble you can use a rolling pin but I like using my hands best. Place the dough on parchment paper and add your toppings.
How to make Pizza Dough with different types of flour
Gluten-Free Pizza Dough
You can swap out the all-purpose flour for the 1:1 gluten-free AP flour. Bob’s Red Mill is my favorite kind, it’s a light blue bag.
If you’re making this gluten-free, know that the dough is not going to rise. I let mine sit, but the gluten doesn’t form, because, obviously. So instead you just press the dough into the pan instead of rolling it out. The end result is more like a crunchy crust/chewy cracker.
Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
- Use the same amount white whole wheat flour instead of all purpose.
- Use 1 cup whole wheat flour and the rest all-purpose.
You can also make this wtih bread flour – equal amounts to all-purpose.
Favorite Pizza Recipes
- Top the pizza with sauce and mozzarella cheese and your favorite toppings, like pepperoni or onions and peppers.
- Use barbecue sauce for a BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Hawaiian Pizza has bacon, ham and pineapple.
- Onion Pesto Flatbread has tons of flavor.
- Breakfast Pizza is perfect for brunch!
- Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Grilled Pizza is a great dessert pizza!
- Make a Stromboli or calzone with this crust
- Make Breadsticks by flattening them and using my Cheesy Ranch Breadstick topping!
- My homemade pizza sauce is the best – or make pesto pizza!
Expert Tips
- It’s very important that you have your oven preheated very hot, and that you preheat your pan, especially if you want a crunchy crust.
- Put the baking sheet or pizza pan in the oven to preheat while the oven heats. Make your pizza on a parchment paper then carefully slide it to the hot pan (on the parchment). It’ll sear the bottom to give it a browned and crunchier feel than if you just put the dough on the pan and bake it.
- Make thin crust pizza by cutting the dough in half to make TWO pizzas.
- Make thick crust pizza by using the dough for just one pizza.
- Store pizza dough in the refrigerator tightly wrapped with plastic wrap for up to 24 hours before using. You can also store it in the freezer for up to a month, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Best Pizza Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (237ml) warm water (temperature depends on type of yeast)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active-dry or fast-acting yeast (1 normal sized packet) see instructions for different baking directions
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons (45ml) olive oil
- 3 cups (372g) all-purpose flour (approximate, see notes for alternative flours)
Instructions
If using ACTIVE DRY YEAST:
- Measure warm water (between 100°-110°F) in a measuring cup, then add the yeast and sugar. Stir gently, then let sit until it’s active and foamy. This will happen within 5 minutes. If it doesn’t, your water may have been too hot or cold or your yeast may be old. It is important to use a thermometer to measure your water temp. An instant read thermometer is best but in a pinch a meat thermometer will do.
- Stand mixer preparation: add salt, oil, and 2 cups of flour to the mixing bowl. Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer. Stir the flour mixture gently while adding the proofed yeast mixture. Run the mixer on low speed until the mixture is combined and wet and then add the third cup of flour. The mixture should come together into a ball that is just a bit sticky.
- By hand preparation: stir salt, oil, and 2 cups flour in a large mixing bowl, stirring in the yeast mixture as you go, using a wooden spoon. Add the third cup of flour and then stir until you can’t anymore. Remove the spoon and then use your hands to work the dough into a ball that is slightly sticky.
- Spray a second large bowl with nonstick cooking spray, add your pizza dough ball, then spray the top lightly with cooking spray and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place in a warm area of the kitchen and let rise until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.
If using FAST-ACTING YEAST:
- Mix 1 cup flour with salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set aside. If doing this by hand, just mix it in a large bowl.
- Measure warm water (between 120°-130°F) in a measuring cup. Add the oil. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with dough hook, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until a wet mixture forms. Add one more cup flour and continue mixing, then add as much flour as you need for the dough to come together in a ball (about 3/4 cup – 1 cup). If doing this by hand, use a wooden spoon until you can’t anymore then get your hands in the bowl.
- Turn out dough onto a floured surface. Knead for just a few minutes, or until the dough comes together and springs back when pressed with two fingers. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
When you’re ready to bake:
- Note: this pizza dough can make 1 thicker crust or 2 thin crust 10-12” pizzas, or 4-6 small personal sized pizzas.
- When ready to make pizza: turn out dough onto a lightly floured cutting board or a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle with more flour if needed so you can stretch and flatten the dough into your desired size.
- Cut parchment paper to fit the pan you’re using, hanging over just about an inch on all sides our circumference. Preheat oven to 500°F. Place pizza pan in the oven while the oven is preheating. Place your pizza dough on the sized parchment paper and top as desired. Once the oven is up to temperature, carefully transfer the pizza to the hot pan (be careful – pan is HOT). Cook until the cheese is melted and crust is slightly browned, 10-20 minutes depending on thickness, size, and toppings.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Recipe Nutrition
Instant Read Thermometer
This helps make sure your water is the correct temperature. I love Thermapen but you can also find cheaper options on Amazon.
Stand Mixer
A stand mixer makes the dough come together easily when you use the dough hook. Using a stand mixer just means you’ll have less kneading time by hand.
Pizza Stone
I love using a pizza stone for my pizza to give it that crunchy bottom. But you can also just use a cookie sheet or a pizza pan (with or without holes). A pizza peel makes it easy to remove from a hot oven.
Can I mix the dough and store it? I buy dough at Publix that I set out an hour before I need it….would this work like that? TIA
You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Dorothy, just wanted to say thank you! My kids really wanted home made dough so I researched a few recipes and settled on this. I’ve made it 5 times over the last couple of months now and won’t ever need to look at a different recipe.
It’s almost too good as the kids refuse takeaway pizza now as they prefer this 😂
I tend to double up on ingredients and make two large 14 inch stuffed crust pizzas (cheesestrings aren’t something I’d normally buy but make perfect stuffed crusts).
Really amazing!!
Have made this several times, both for pizza and for calzones. Love this recipe!! Thanks for sharing it!!
Awesome instruction video about making pizza crust. Thank you.
Where we live, pizza delivery is not a thing and local pizza places are categorically uninspiring. So I ordered a pizza stone online and we’ve taken to making pizza at home recently. I’m always looking for what we colloquially describe as “greasy, North American pizza” as the end result. I’ve tried a few recipes without success in that regard. Unanimous feedback in the house tonight after trying this recipe was that it was “too doughy”. I made 2 batches; one to spec and the 2nd I removed 20% of the dough before letting it sit in hopes we’d have “less dough” on the finished product. It was still too doughy. I don’t blame the recipe, necessarily; it could be that my stone isn’t big enough to roll out the dough flat enough to get the result we’re looking for. Going to try it again and make 1 recipe but split it into two pizzas.
I never had luck making homemade pizzas in my house oven, so I was looking into an outdoor pizza oven. Specifically, I bought an outdoor pizza oven and then a Kamado grill. I had researched the Ooni pizza oven and the Big Green Egg and the Kamado Joe ovens. All are very expensive, but they both get to the 600°-700° which is where you need to be to quickly roast a pizza! I was ready to pull the trigger and pay the money and then by chance walked through the barbecue section of Walmart and saw last years Kamado grill ($267) and a pizza oven ($97) that were on clearance. What luck!! Both do not have all of the extras of the expensive, brand name models, but I don’t need the extras! I’m in love!! The pizza oven is fun, but I haven’t perfected how to keep it at the required temps, but honestly, the Kamado grill is the bomb!! It quickly gets up to 800 degrees which is essential (600-700° specifically) for roasting a pizza. Even better, it holds the high temperature for long stretches which is perfect for baking all kinds of yummy goodies! So, for example, when the pizza is done I can throw a pan of brownies in for dessert.
I think you need an oven that gets hotter and you won’t have a doughy crust. It makes all the difference. The secret to great pizzas is to toast hot and quick. Hope this helps.
Success! Dividing the recipe into two pizzas (described by Dorothy as “thin crust” in the instructions) gave us a reasonably close facsimile to the style of pizza we were after. Now it’s just down to fine-tuning the process; adjusting the oil, sauce and cheese amounts (and maybe using a rolling pin to ensure a more consistent dough depth from one slice to the next). Crust was a little dry, but again, that might just need subtle tweaking such as a slightly moister dough ball in step 6 above. Thanks Dorothy!
This is the BEST pizza dough recipe ever! It is my go to for pizza night! I don’t even have to add any extra flour, which I really appreciate. I just put the ingredients in the stand mixer and give it a whirl. Thank you!!
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