With simple ingredients and no bread maker required, this is the BEST pizza dough recipe! Learn how to make pizza dough from scratch with easy instructions and first-time pizza making tips.
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I've kind of been on an Italian kick lately, so I thought I'd better bring things full circle with a good pizza dough recipe to go along with my homemade pizza sauce, mini pizzas and calzones.
Homemade pizza pairs well with a simple salad of mixed greens topped with an apple cider vinaigrette or other favorite dressing.
🌿 Ingredients
You don't need a lot of ingredients to make pizza dough at home. If you don't already have them on hand, they are all easy to find at any grocery store. If you prefer a crispier pizza crust, you can use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. And if you don't have instant yeast and only have active dry yeast on hand, that can work too in a pinch.
See recipe card below for exact quantities.
📝 Instructions
Okay, let's get started making pizza dough!
First, we're going to mix the dry ingredients together. Combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl and use a whisk to incorporate.
Next, we'll add the wet ingredients.
But first, check to make sure your water temperature is between about 105-110°F with a food thermometer. If you don't have a thermometer, just make sure the water is fairly warm to the touch but not hot. (You don't want to kill the yeast with hot water, otherwise the dough won't rise.)
Add the warm water and oil to the dry ingredients and use a large mixing spoon to incorporate until a solid ball of dough forms.
Pro tip: You can also use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment if you'd prefer to mix your dough that way.
If your dough is too dry, add a little more warm water; if it's too wet, add a little extra flour.
Kneading and rising
Now we'll knead the dough and then let it rise. Dust a flat surface or cutting board with some flour and knead the dough for a few minutes until it's a bit spongy.
Use a little oil to grease the same bowl and then push the ball of dough around the bowl to coat the dough with oil.
Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about 45 minutes at room temperature, until it's doubled in size.
Pro tip: If your room temperature is cool, you may need to place the bowl on a warming burner for a bit. Or, you can preheat the oven to its lowest temp and then place the bowl inside with the oven off and door slightly open.
Once the dough has doubled in size, pinch it a little to release the air inside. Your dough is ready! You can use it immediately or store it for future use.
To make pizza crust
Divide your dough into two equal-sized balls and roll each one out into a 12-inch crust on a flour-dusted surface with a rolling pin. Pinch the edges bit to form the crust, and then use a fork to poke holes all around it. This will avoid air bubbles in the crust while cooking.
Then, grease the crust with some olive oil and place it on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Top your crust with pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, and any toppings you'd like and bake at 425°F for 14-16 minutes or until the crust and cheese turns golden brown.
📋 Substitutions
This pizza dough recipe is naturally vegan and dairy-free. You can also use the following substitutions:
- All-purpose flour - use bread flour instead if you prefer a crisper crust
- Olive oil - use another mild vegetable oil such as canola oil
- Gluten free - use gluten-free flour but keep in mind that different GF flours may yield different results (I tested with Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and it worked well)
📖 Variations
Here are a couple pizza dough variations you can try:
- Garlic pizza crust - add a teaspoon or more of garlic powder to the dry ingredients
- Herb pizza crust - add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning blend to the dry ingredients, or just add a little dried basil, oregano, parsley or thyme in any combination
🔪 Equipment
You'll need the following equipment to make homemade pizza dough:
- large mixing bowl
- whisk
- food thermometer (optional, but handy to check the water temperature if this is your first time making pizza dough)
🍱 Storage
Pizza dough will stay fresh in an airtight container in the the fridge for up to 4 days, or you can freeze pizza dough for up to 2 months.
🎉 Top tip
Homemade pizza dough is a great thing to have on hand for busy evenings! If you're making pizza from frozen dough, just take it out the morning of and leave it at room temperature to thaw. You can also make homemade pizza sauce ahead of time for even faster meal prep. 😉
Enjoy!
🍳 Recipe
Easy Homemade Pizza Dough
Equipment
- food thermometer optional, but handy to check the water temperature
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour, plus more for dusting; use gluten-free flour for gluten-free pizza dough (see notes)
- 1 packet instant yeast 2 ¼ teaspoons (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 cup warm water (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for greasing
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients: Combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl and use a whisk to incorporate.
- Add wet ingredients: First, check to make sure your water temperature is between about 105-110°F with a food thermometer if you have one, or just use fairly warm water but not hot. Add the warm water and oil to the dry ingredients and use a large mixing spoon to incorporate until a solid ball of dough forms. If your dough is too dry, add a little more warm water; if it's too wet, add a little extra flour. (You can also use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment if you'd prefer to mix the dough that way.)
- Knead: Dust a flat surface or cutting board with flour and knead the dough for a few minutes until it starts to get a bit spongy.
- Rise: Grease the same bowl you used for the dough with a little olive oil and then push the ball of dough around in the oil to coat the dough. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or a piece of plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about 45 minutes at room temperature or until it's doubled in size. If your room temperature is cool, you may need to place the bowl on a warming burner for a bit, or preheat the oven to its lowest temp and then place the bowl inside with the oven off and door slightly open.
- Finish: Pinch the dough to release the air inside and then use your dough right away or store in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To make pizza: Divide the dough into two equal-sized balls and roll each one out into a 12-inch crust on a flour-dusted surface using a rolling pin. Pinch the edges in a bit to form the crust, use a fork to poke holes all around the middle of the crust to avoid air bubbles while cooking, and then grease each crust with a thin layer of olive oil. Place your crust on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and top with pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, and any toppings you'd like. Bake at 425°F for 14-16 minutes or until the crust and cheese turns golden brown. Enjoy!
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