This homemade pizza dough recipe is so easy to mix up, you’ll have better-than-delivery pizza whenever you want! Thin crust or thick, or even made into calzones, this recipe of pizza crust is delicious every time!
My family loves pizza night, and we’re always on the quest for the best pizza ever.
Our search for the perfect pizza started several years ago, and we worked our way through multiple pizza shops, but none of them quite hit the spot (and the one that tasted the best closed!).
We LOVE crispy East Coast-style pizza, so I was determined to find an easy and yummy replacement we could make at home. After many attempts, I have fine-tuned both the pizza dough recipe AND the pizza sauce. Now you can enjoy it too!
What is the secret to making good homemade pizza dough?
Using just a few simple ingredients, making sure to fully knead the dough, and baking the pizza crust in a hot oven means you’ll end up with a go-to pizza recipe that’s better than delivery every time!
EASY HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE
Besides the fact that this homemade pizza dough recipe is so tasty and super quick and easy, it’s also:
- Healthier. With only a few simple ingredients, this recipe is free of anything artificial. By making real-food pizza dough from scratch, we avoid all of the additives and sweeteners commonly found in pre-made, processed doughs.
- Easy beginner dough. Pizza dough is an easy, forgiving yeast dough to learn to make yourself, and it tastes delicious! (Learn all about baking with yeast here.)
- Frugal. Making homemade pizza dough saves money with each pizza you make!
- Freezer-friendly. Pizza dough can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen for longer-term meal planning. Here’s the full tutorial for freezing pizza dough.
After trying this easy pizza dough recipe, you’ll be making dough for pizza nights on a regular basis!
EASY PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE INGREDIENTS
The best pizza dough recipe has just 5 simple ingredients:
- Warm Water. You want it between 105-115 degrees to activate the yeast.
- Active Dry Yeast. Yeast helps your pizza crust to rise, turning out airy and light, slightly chewy, and crispy outside.
- Granulated Sugar or Honey. To feed the yeast. The yeast eats most of the sugar, so using a natural sweetener isn’t as important in this recipe.
- All-Purpose Flour. You can substitute einkorn flour or whole wheat flour as well. (If you’ve been here since WAY back in the beginning when I first posted this pizza dough recipe, you can also use the original mixture of 1 cup of whole wheat flour, ½ cup of semolina flour, and 1 ¾ cups of all-purpose flour. I’ve since simplified the recipe. The best flour is up to you!)
- Salt. To enhance the flavor.
Psst! If you’re going to add salt, I highly recommend Ava Jane’s Kitchen. You may think all salt is created equal, but unfortunately, 90% of the salt produced around the world contains microplastics (gross, right?). Ava Jane’s Kitchen is an exception. Their salt is 100% microplastic-free, and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!)
HOW TO MAKE RECIPE OF DOUGH OF PIZZA
Follow these step-by-step instructions for great pizza:
Step 1. Combine warm water, yeast, and sweetener. Allow it to sit and bloom for five minutes, until the mixture bubbles and gets foamy on top.
Step 2. Add all purpose flour and salt, and knead for 10 minutes using the dough hook on the stand mixer (or knead by hand), until the dough is elastic and springs back into place after pressing your thumb into it.
Add additional flour ¼ cup at a time as needed, up to ½ cup total, until the dough comes together and pulls away from the side of the bowl. You want it to be slightly sticky but not glob onto your finger if you poke it.
Step 3. Cover with a towel and let the dough rise in a warm room temperature until doubled in size, 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Step 4. To make your pizzas: Preheat the oven to 550F or as high as it will go. Pound or roll out one dough ball at a time on a lightly floured surface on your counter – this pizza dough recipe makes enough for two 12-inch pizzas. A thin crust will stretch further; a thicker crust will be smaller.
Top with your favorite pizza toppings as desired with sauce, mozzarella cheese, vegetables, and pepperoni. A sprinkle of fresh basil and oregano is tasty too!
Step 5. Bake the pizzas in a hot oven on a hot pizza stone or preheated pan for 4-6 minutes.
If your oven doesn’t reach as high a temperature, you can also bake pizza at 425F for about 15 minutes, although the crust may not crisp up as much at a lower temperature.
Eating foods made from simple ingredients is a great start, but it’s not enough. You also need to make sure you’re including all of the nutrients your body needs. That means getting enough protein to fuel your body. Try one of my favorite High Protein Recipes on Repeat – these are the meals I return to again and again to hit my protein goals!
RECIPE OF PIZZA CRUST TIPS
- When combining the warm water, dry yeast, and sweetener, I use either a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer (I use a KitchenAid). A glass measuring cup works for proofing the yeast as well.
- Pizza dough on its own is not the most flavorful – that’s what makes it a good base for all those toppings! If you want to flavor the dough itself, try adding some Italian seasoning or garlic powder to the pizza dough recipe when you add the flour and salt. Start with 1 teaspoon of either one or add both.
- If your pizza dough bubbles up unevenly when it bakes, try pricking the dough with a fork a few times before baking.
- Using a pizza peel like this one makes moving the pizzas super easy! Parchment paper is also a great option, especially if you’re using a pizza stone instead of a pizza pan.
- Instead of two big pizzas, let everyone make their own pizzas! Make smaller rounds of dough and let each person top their own.
You can also make a recipe of pizza crust with einkorn flour, which is an ancestral grain. Even some people with gluten sensitivity can enjoy Einkorn flour! Try this recipe for Einkorn Flour Pizza Dough, which has a perfectly chewy texture with a slightly nutty flavor.
RECIPES – PIZZA DOUGH TOPPINGS
We tend to keep it simple with pizza toppings.
- Pizza Sauce: Here is my easy and delicious Pizza Sauce Recipe.
- Mozzarella: My favorite cheese for pizza is thinly sliced fresh mozzarella. You can also grate your own favorite cheese using a box grater like this.
- Diced Vegetables: We like onions and bell peppers, finely diced.
- Pepperoni/Meats: Applegate Farms makes a nitrate-free pepperoni that is good. Read more about nitrates here. Top your pizza with whatever meats or veggies you prefer.
PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE VARIATIONS
| Pizza Flavor | Sauce | Cheese | Veggies/Produce | Meats |
| Classic Supreme | Pizza Sauce | Mozzarella | Onions and Bell Peppers | Pepperoni and Italian Sausage |
| BBQ Chicken | BBQ Sauce | Cheddar | Sliced Red Onions | Shredded Chicken |
| Buffalo Chicken Pizza* | Blue Cheese or Ranch Dressing, Buffalo Sauce | Mozzarella, Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola | None | Shredded Chicken |
| Hawaiian | Pizza Sauce | Cheddar and Mozzarella mixture | Pineapple | Ham or Canadian Bacon |
| 5 Cheese Pizza | Pizza Sauce or Garlic Butter | Parmesan, Mozzarella, Cheddar, Romano, Fontina | None | None |
*If you prefer step-by-step, here’s my Buffalo Chicken Pizza recipe!
You’re not limited to just adding toppings for pizza dough recipes – pizza dough also makes a great base for cheesy garlic bread, or fold half of the dough over the toppings for a pizza stromboli or calzone.
CAN I EAT HOMEMADE PIZZA AND HIT MY MACRO GOALS?
Pizza is on the higher side when it comes to carbohydrates. It is on a base of flour dough, after all! It also contains some fat and protein, especially depending on your choice of toppings.
If you are watching your carbs, you might think homemade pizza is out the window. But real life includes all sorts of foods – no eliminating foods or food groups. Understand the nutrition of pizza and how it fits with your macro goals, and supplement with protein so your meals are balanced.
That might mean making a slice of pizza your side dish and loading up the rest of your plate with a lean protein like chicken breast and plenty of produce, like a salad. You’ll have a balanced meal and still get to enjoy that pizza flavor!
HOME PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE FAQS
Can you use bread flour for this homemade dough pizza recipe?
Yes! You can make bread flour pizza dough. I haven’t used it for this recipe – I use all-purpose flour, which is readily available in any grocery store. Bread flour has a bit more protein than all-purpose flour and will make for a slightly chewier pizza crust.
How do you make pizza crust that’s crispy?
To get a crispy crust, you need an exceptionally hot oven and a pizza stone (I have this one). Rolling the recipe of dough of pizza out on the thinner side also helps with getting a crispier recipe of pizza crust.
Preheat your oven to 550F when you start making the dough. This creates a great warm environment for the dough to rise, plus plenty of time for the stone to get piping hot.
What if I prefer a thick recipe of pizza crust rather than New York style?
Thin and crispy New York Style (East Coast) pizza isn’t everyone’s favorite, so if you prefer more of a Sicilian-type pizza (thicker, chewier crust), try this Focaccia Bread Recipe spread out over a 9″x13″ baking sheet, then top with Pizza Sauce and your favorite toppings.
MORE YUMMY PIZZA RECIPES
- Easy Pizza Sauce
- Pizza Bagels
- Homemade Buffalo Chicken Pizza
- Perfect Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
- Homemade Pizza Bagel Bites
High Protein Recipes on Repeat
Download the top 15+ recipes that are on repeat in my house, making it easy to feed my family AND meet my protein goals!WATCH HOW TO MAKE THIS HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE
Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 2 tsp active yeast
- 2 tsp granulated sugar or honey
- 3 ¼ cup all-purpose flour plus ½ cup if needed (406g) (Use bread flour to bump up the protein by 3g per cup!)
- 1 tsp salt
- Toppings as desired: pizza sauce, mozzarella (fresh or shredded), diced vegetables (we like onions and bell peppers), and pepperoni or cooked sausage
Instructions
- Combine warm water, active dry yeast, and sweetener in either a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Allow the yeast mixture to sit and bloom for five minutes.
- Add all-purpose flour and salt and knead for 10 minutes, or by hand until the dough is elastic and springs back into place after the thumb test. Add additional flour, ¼ cup at a time, as needed for the dough to come together and pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and allow it to rise in a warm place until it’s doubled in size, 1 ½ – 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 550F or as high as your oven will go. Shape into two round balls of dough on a lightly floured surface. Cover with a towel until you are ready to use.
- To make your pizza: pound or roll out dough one pizza at a time with a rolling pin. Top as desired with sauce, mozzarella, vegetables, and pepperoni. Bake in a hot oven on a hot pizza stone or preheated pan for 4-6 minutes. Makes 2 pizzas.
I have the dough ready to go, but I just realized that I am not finding cooking instructions! I must be missing them somewhere in the long post. How hot and for how long should this crust go into the oven? And does it need to be baked some before adding toppings? Sorry, I’m really surprised that I’m not finding this basic information. Thanks!
Oh goodness, Shanae – I’m so sorry!! We top this dough raw and bake at 550F until the cheese is bubbly and golden, maybe 3-5 min.
How long do you cook the pizza at 550 degrees on a circulon (metal) pizza pan?
I have been on a search just like you for the perfect pizza! I went on holiday to Sicily and had both types of pizza, my favourite was a thin base from a little family takeaway in Palermo on the Via Messina Marine. Palermo is lovely and the food brilliant. Thanks for the recipes I am going to enjoy trying them
Hi! If I left out the semolina flour should I sub something in for it or leave it out completely? I’m itching to try this but no stores around me have it and i don’t feel like ordering the flour and waiting for it to arrive.
Sub with whatever other flour you’re using and you’ll be fine!
Do you have any advice for making this ahead? I feel like our schedule requires a couple more hours of waiting than your recipe calls for, and trying to figure out if it’s still possible to use this?
Hmmm… I bet you could put the dough in the fridge first, and then when you have the time, continue with the first rise as written. That won’t harm the process, just retard the initial rise.
Ended up making this today when we could follow the recipe as written. SO good. My new go-to pizza dough!
So glad you liked it!!
Thank you for opening my eyes to the beauty and easiness of homemade pizza making! Now, we aren’t as good yet as Mr. Crumbs, but let me tell you… every since you had us over, we have been excited to make Friday’s our own “Make your own Pizza” night. Next step, personal pan pizzas. I love the creativity of my kids and the toppings they choose 🙂
Oh April, welcome to the club!! I’m so excited for you guys, and I love the idea of personal pan pizzas!! I’m sure the kids will love topping their own, and it makes accommodating allergies much easier! 🙂
The peel you recommended is no longer available! Is there another one you would recommend or certain features you would look for? Thank you!
Oh no! Amazon has this one too: http://amzn.to/2me3wZX
I specifically look for one that is as wide as I need it to be for our pizzas (15″ – our stone is 15″ wide). And I prefer round instead of square since it’s easier to top the pizza and slide in from round. Also, a shorter handle is best for home use. You only need a long handle if you have a commercial oven, otherwise it’s awkward at home. 🙂
Could this be done in a bread machine?
It can Natalie, but I’ve never done it myself so I don’t know the conversion.
I did it! I made the pizza dough and sauce yesterday and it was so EASY!!!!! I had the ingredients for a few weeks but was a little apprehensive to try the recipes. I feel so silly now! So easy! I used the dough and sauce to try the homemade hot pocket recipe that you posted, but they turned out more like calzones. They tasted great but the prep was a little too time consuming for me. Next time, I will just make pizza!!
So glad you liked it Shannon!! I agree that the hot pockets are time consuming. Hopefully we can work out an easier recipe for that!
I got to this recipe via a link in your uses for whey entry. If I were to use whey in this recipe would I just substitute the water for the whey?
That would work Angie, although whey is slightly acidic and might change the flavor of the dough. I’d start with a 50/50 substitution first, just in case the flavor of whey is too strong.
Hi Meg! I haven’t done it myself, but I’ve heard that if you just add it all in according to your machine instructions and choose 1 rise, you’ll be good!
I’m a little late to the party, having just found this post. When we moved 30 miles south four years ago we also went through withdrawals trying to find NY style pizza, but thanfully, we moved to Gilroy and Pinnochios also saved us. It was so strange to see their sign in your post. I still miss our old pizza place in Santa Clara, but Pinnochios helps fill that hole very nicely.
Kenya! Pinnochios was our weekend getaway a couple times a month for a LONG time – they’re such a great family! They watched my son grow up from 8 months old to 8 years, and followed me with kid #2 from pregnancy to 5 years old! The next time you go back, please tell them Mike and Tiffany (from Texas and Delaware, now with 2 kids) say hello!!
Going to try this dough recipe today!! I am confused about the rising part, though. If I have the stone in the oven and the dough rising at the same time, is the dough in the oven? on top? I can’t figure it out from the tips. Sorry, help please? Nik
Hi Nik – I set my dough on the counter next to the oven to rise. Hope that helps, and enjoy the pizza!
It looks awesome, congrats ? I was wondering if you can put the ingredients in grams…I’m from Europe and I would love to make this recipe, but there are different measurements on sites…Thank you
Hi Roxy! Unfortunately I can’t since I don’t usually weigh ingredients first, but I’m sure there are conversion calculators available via any search engine!
Great recipe, we made one tonight and plan on making breakfast pizza tomorrow morning. Only adjustments I made was adding fresh basil and a clove of garlic to the sauce; plus we like a little fresh ricotta on ours
Hey Tiffany!
Thank you for the recipe, I’m so excited to try it (we have pizza night on Fridays too) and it’s always fun to test out new recipes.
I was wondering if you’ve ever read or heard of the book Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day? I use it to make our pizza crust but also our baguettes, rolls, and French loaves and it is SUPER easy. Basically you make a big batch of wet dough and store it in the fridge (up to 2 weeks! ) and just cut off a chunk, shape it and let it rise for 20 minutes when you’re ready to bake it. It becomes more of a sourdough towards the end of the two weeks which is awesome.
If you haven’t read it you might enjoy it 🙂 I absolutely love it! And has saved me so much time on meal prep days.
Happy pizza making! Thanks again for sharing!
-Erica
Hi Tiffany, I make homemade pizza all the time, usually every other week for the two of us. We each get our own to suit our “toppings” taste. He likes thicker, I like thinner crusts. I have some good dough recipes but can’t wait to give yours a try soon. I always use some semolina flour in my dough and also in my sourdough bread.
I have also made homemade pepperoni. It was good, and very tasty, but a bit dry so I usually just purchase some at my local store. Next time in Target I will look for their uncured pepperoni.
I grow my own tomatoes so I will be canning (jarring) some for the sauce.
Will this dough recipe be good for calzones also? My guy is a NY guy and not only loves his NY style pizza but also his calzones.
I’m surprised at the difference in taste that semolina makes! Yes, this recipe is good for calzones too!
I was born and raised in Connecticut, just outside of New Haven, where pizza is religion to some. I never knew our thin crust CT/NY pizza had the name of “East Coast Style”. I moved to Maine 5 years ago and have been in serious withdrawal for “real” pizza like back home. I miss the hot pepper flakes and fresh parmesan sprinkled on top and a crispy crust. In Maine it is very gummy and thick and yeast-y. Plus, I have yet to see anyone fold a slice in half. Sometimes, even though it is still New England, I feel like I am living on an entirely different planet. It’s amazing how one food can be so many different things to so many different regions.. Hahaha!
Thanks for the recipe! I made it tonight and the whole family LOVED it! My husband who prefers store bought pizza over homemade, said it tasted like I bought it – huge compliment!:)
Woo-hoo! Thanks for sharing Janelle – so glad you guys like it!
I have not tried this recipe yet but am looking forward to making the sauce soon. I was wondering if you have heard of or tried “two ingredient” pizza dough? It is our new favorite and super simple! 1 cup of plain greek yogurt and 1 1/2 cups of self-rising flour (or sub regular flour with 1 1/2 tsp baking powder + 3/4 tsp salt). Mix it up by hand, it doesn’t have to rise or anything…top with your favorites and bake at 450 for 12 minutes. It does have a slight sourdough taste but we have been loving it lately. Thanks for listening. 🙂
Hi Tabitha! No, I haven’t heard of that pizza dough recipe. Mr. Crumbs is kinda particular on pizza (have you read our story? LOL!), but this would be fun to use for a quick lunch… and then just imagine all the possible toppings?! Mmm… I could easily get away with a cheeseburger pizza then. Thanks for leaving the idea! 🙂