The Best Pizza Dough
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This is the best Pizza Dough recipe for a perfect pizza crust! Delicious homemade pizza dough made with just 6 ingredients is simple enough for beginners. Crisp outside, yet chewy inside for the best pizzas anytime!
This easy recipe makes the best homemade pizza dough. It comes together quickly and easily. My recipe uses just six simple ingredients that most will have in their pantry – and it’s easy enough for a first-time pizza maker and perfect enough for the pizza experts.
I’ve been making this recipe for many years. My family loves it and it’s frequently requested for our homemade pizza nights. Let me show you how we make it.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Simple ingredients – Uses just six ingredients, including all-purpose flour that most have in the kitchen, instead of requiring a special flour.
Easy to make – Whip together in minutes and then let it rise. I’ve included instructions for making it in one bowl or a stand mixer.
Perfect Every Time – This is a time-tested recipe with reliable results. I’ve made it hundreds of times. Making homemade pizza dough is easy and enjoyable when you’ve got a reliable, delicious recipe!
Great for Meal Prep – Make it ahead and keep it in the fridge or freezer to pull out for pizza in minutes!
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
This recipe uses basic ingredients that are pantry staples. There are six main ingredients for the pizza dough and one ingredient that we use for dusting the pizza stone or pizza peel when cooking.
- Water – heated to 110º F. Double check the temperature to make sure it is not over 110º F as this can “kill” the yeast and prevent the dough from rising.
- Yeast – use your favorite active or instant-rise yeast.
- Flour – we use all-purpose flour.
- Sea salt – to season the dough
- Honey – to flavor the dough and feed the yeast to help the dough rise.
- Olive oil – use your favorite olive oil
- Extra Ingredient: Corn meal – used for dusting the pizza peel or pizza stone to prevent the pizza dough from sticking. This is not used IN the dough, but I’ve included it since we believe it is necessary when cooking pizza dough on a peel or stone.
How to Make Pizza Dough
Prep yeast. Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a bowl. Set aside while preparing the other ingredients.
Add olive oil and honey to the flour mixture.
Add yeast and mix together to form a soft dough ball.
Let the dough rise. Place pizza dough into a glass or stainless steel bowl coated with olive oil. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and place it in a 175º – 200º F oven. Allow to dough in bulk. Punch down and allow to rise again for about 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into portions based on how you plan to use your pizza dough.
Place the dough on a baking pan or pizza stone lightly dusted with cornmeal to prevent sticking.
Top with your favorite pizza sauce and toppings, bake and enjoy.
Favorite Pizza Toppings
- Pizza Sauce – I love my quick and easy homemade pizza sauce recipe. It keeps well in the refrigerator or cubes in the freezer for an easy weeknight meal.
- Cheese – Our favorite is our Three Cheese White Pizza. It is amazing!
- Alfredo Sauce – Have you ever tried this on your pizza? Amazing!
- BBQ Sauce – Use BBQ sauce instead of pizza sauce for a pulled pork pizza or BBQ chicken pizza, etc.
- Pepperoni – It’s always a favorite! I love to make a classic pepperoni pizza with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni. So divine!
- Chicken – I love to use baked chicken that I have shredded and keep in the refrigerator or freezer for a super quick dinner. If you don’t have homemade baked chicken, you can always grab a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store for an easy dinner idea.
- Ground Beef – I also love to keep cooked ground beef in the freezer for a quick meal, it works perfectly on this pizza dough!
- Pulled Pork – The flavors are amazing when you have homemade BBQ sauce and pulled pork! Add some cheese and thinly sliced red onion and it is out of this world!
- Veggies – I also love a good vegetarian pizza! Load up your pizza dough with your favorite seasonal vegetables for one more delicious dinner!
My Favorite Pizza Dough Tip
Make Extra to Freeze – While you’re making pizza dough, go ahead and make two recipes worth. My recipe makes enough for two 14 inch pizzas. Then go ahead and bake the two pizza crusts from one recipe, and prep the others for the freezer!
Even though this only takes a minute to whisk the ingredients together, I love to have extas in my freezer for those times when I need a last minute dinner idea.
Storage Tips
To store: Form the dough into dough ball(s) (this recipe makes dough for two pizzas). Coat each dough ball in olive oil. Place each coated dough ball into a glass bowl that has also been coated in olive oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
This works perfectly for making your pizza dough one night to enjoy the next to make dinner even easier!
To freeze. Simply form the risen dough into a ball, coat it well with olive oil, and then store it in a freezer-safe zip-top bag for up to 3 months.
To use. Remove from the freezer and allow to thaw in the refrigerator. Then, use it as normal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Properly stored, pizza dough should last in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Yes! After the dough rises, form it into a ball, then coat well with olive oil. Store it in the freezer in an airtight, freezer-safe container or zip top bag for up to 3 months. It is one of my favorite things to make for meal prep.
Generally, a 14-inch pizza can be cut into 8 slices and will serve 3-4 people.
If you tried this Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Perfect Pizza Dough
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) warm water, heated to 110º F
- 2 tablespoons (7 g) yeast, active or rapid rise
- 3 1/2 cups (420 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) sea salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (31.5 g) honey
- 1/3 cup (67 g) olive oil
- corn meal, for dusting
Instructions
- Prep yeast. Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a bowl. Set aside while preparing the other ingredients.
- Whisk together the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add olive oil and honey to the flour mixture.
- Add yeast and mix together to form a soft dough ball.
- Place dough into a glass or stainless steel bowl coated with olive oil. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and place into a 175º – 200ºF oven. Allow to double in size, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and punch the dough down. Cover again with a damp cloth and return to the heated oven to double in size, about 20 more minutes.
- Remove the dough from oven and portion into sizes based on how you plan to use.
- To make pizza: Roll dough and place onto a cornmeal dusted pizza stone. Top with favorite pizza toppings and bake in an oven or on the grill for approximately 20 minutes until crust has turned a light golden brown.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
In the instructions for the recipe you say to place the dough in a 200 degree oven for both rises, but above in your description you say on the first rise to use a 175 degree oven and then a 200 degree oven. Could you clarify please? Want to try this as Friday is pizza night in our home.
Do you ever freeze this dough?
I would also like to know your process for freezing this dough. Do you freeze before second rise or after?
I would also like to know if the other half can be frozen.
Absolutely! Just place into a freezer-safe zip top bag and remove as much air as possible. Then, seal and freeze for up to 3 months. I hope you enjoy it!
I often shy away from making my own pizza dough, thanks for demystifying this process for us. Looks like some very yummy pizza indeed 🙂
I can’t wait to hear how your pizza dough turns out, Marla. You’ll be hooked at making your own. So delicious.
OMGoodness, brilliant with honey. I want to make this! I’ll come back and tell you if I do, okay?
Happy Thursday Robyn!
I feel like I need to make a pizza for dinner this weekend now 🙂
Thanks for sharing such great tips!
~Liz
Homemade pizza is a staple at our house! So simple and so good.
Tammy and Parker
Thanks for the basil tip! Mine always burns 🙂
Hello, first time here! Nice space you have. 🙂 We are sucker of homemade pizza. Will try this out once I bought my kitchen aid. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Wow! What a great recipe–I can’t believe the short rising time! I bet it would be divine with italian herbs mixed in.
Oh wow Robyn! What great and helpful post. Love it! Considering how great a planner I am (sarcasm*)I never have an idea what’s for dinner until an hr before. This one would really help a person like me.
Thanks for sharing!
It helps me, too – especially on nights when I’ve planned one thing and my son decides pizza is in order! And the best part, I can have a homemade pizza ready in less time than our local delivery!