Pizza Dough Recipe

This is absolutely the best pizza dough recipe you can make at home. The dough comes out with so much flavor, great texture, and a beautiful airy interior. It can be stored in the fridge or freezer for ultra convenience and bakes up just as fresh. Full Video and TIPS on perfecting pizza!

You can roll it thin or thick and crisp it up to your preference. Use as many of your favorite toppings as you like and dig in because once you make this pizza dough you will never want a store-bought dough again.

This Pizza dough recipe is perfect for pizza night and you can make endless recipes with it! I share the Margherita Pizza to show you how amazing it comes out! While I LOVE making pizza dough–I also love me a shortcut on crazy days. That’s when I’ll make my Air Fryer Pizza Rolls –LIFE CHANGING Pizza recipe!

Oh an those Pizza Bites were a crowd pleaser and family favorite ever since I made it at my kids daycare once. Every family had made it since! It’s super easy and FUN!

And while we’re on the topic of pizza, my NO COOK PIZZA SAUCE recipe has been a hit at the cooking school–so give it a try!

I love pizza, and I know many people do. I also love making my pizza dough at home, and now I know many people who do too! It only takes a couple of times and you will be hooked on this dough too!

And I say a couple of times because you’ll want to try it thick, thin, baked the same day, baked a few days later, baked defrosted from the freezer, baked with different toppings, and then you’ll find that every time you crave pizza, this dough will save you!

• It’s tasty-like the baked pizza is TASTY!
• It comes together in minutes if you have a stand mixer–fuss free.
• If you don’t have a stand mixer, then you can knead it by hand. 
• If you’re not into kneading–I can’t urge you enough to make my No Knead Pizza Dough–it’s a viral recipe that has become the go to pizza dough for many readers!
• Easy No Knead Bread is another no knead must try recipe!

Pizza Dough Ingredients

• Water. You need the water to be perfectly lukewarm and not too hot so that it helps the yeast rise without killing it.
• Instant or Active Dry Yeast. Either will work, Instant Yeast may yield a faster rise.
• Honey. Adds just a touch of sweetness to the dough, but mostly it feeds the yeast for a perfect rise.
• Bread Flour. All-Purpose Flour Works too.
• Kosher Salt. For flavor.
• Olive Oil. The perfect fat because it adds so much flavor to the dough!

Make Homemade Pizza Dough

A quick note before we get started on how this beautiful dough comes together: if you don’t have a stand mixer and don’t want to ( or don’t like to) knead the dough, check out the best no-knead pizza dough recipe (it requires less work but longer rise time which happens overnight so the dough is ready the next day).

How to Make the Best Pizza Dough Ever

Start off by mixing body temperature water, yeast, and honey in a measuring cup.

You’ll wait until the yeast starts to bubble and show activity. This should take no longer than 3 minutes. 

In a stand mixer, add the yeast mixture and start by adding in the flour. NOTE about the flour, you want to add it gradually while mixing. That’s because every flour is different and you may find that you need a bit more or less than the recipe. 

The salt goes in to the dough after it has been mixed for 4 minutes. Kosher salt is best. 

Now you’ll need the mixture until the pizza dough comes together and starts to pull off from the side.

You want the pizza dough to form an even ball shape, BUT you also want it to stick slightly to your finger when pressed in and pulled out slowly. This is KEY to fluffy, airy and crisp pizza crust! 

You’ll now need to let the dough rise for the first time. This rise needs to allow the dough to double in size, and depending on the temperature , humidity and your kitchen light, this process may take anywhere between 1-2 hours. 

Make sure to coat the bowl with quality olive oil before rolling the dough in oil and then covering it to rise. 

Shaping the Pizza Dough

When you set the dough aside to rise, form it into a ball and roll it back and forth in your hands for a minute to form a nice smooth surface. This gives the dough a predisposition toward the round shape of a traditional pizza. If your pizza pan of choice is shaped differently, you can of course make adjustments.

Use your hands or a rolling pin to shape the dough

Baking the Pizza Dough

Once you roll out your dough to your desired thickness, your pizza will only need to bake at 425º for 8-10 minutes. Follow our tips and tricks to adjust the texture and crunch of the dough by adjusting the baking time and temperature.

Pizza Dough Tips

There are many tricks to adjusting pizza to your preference. When I first met my husband, I found out he prefers a rather softer, thicker pizza crust which made me realize I need to find a way to perfect his favorite crust and my favorite crust without doubling the work!

I love a nice crisp crust that is not too thin not too thick, but sometimes it depends on the toppings—some toppings I prefer a thicker crust with, others I prefer a really thin crust with. And even though I have tested many concepts and recipes for pizza dough, I found that the best way to reach your desired texture of the dough is by adjusting baking times, baking temperatures, and rise time —while keeping the dough as is. I’m included many different tips to help you adjust your dough to your family’s preference. These notes are also on the recipe card and are adjustments to the original recipe instructions.

Crust Variations

1. To make a crisper pizza: roll out the dough thinner than you prefer (it will still puff up to double its’ size during baking) and right away add your toppings and bake the pizza. Do not let it wait for 10 minutes after being rolled out.
2. To make a soft interior pizza with a good crisp on the outside, be sure to roll out the dough and cover it for at least 10 minutes before adding your toppings and baking it.
3. To make a softer crisp on the pizza, allow the rolled-out dough to sit for half an hour before adding your toppings and baking it.
4. To make a really soft pizza, roll out your dough and let it sit half an hour before adding the toppings and bake it at 425 degrees for about 12-15 minutes (depending on the thickness and size of your dough). To make an even softer feel to your pizza, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the dough ( Right after adding the water mixture to the flour mixture, add the oil).
5. To add a more airy texture to your pizza, Let the dough feel sticky after you knead it, and when it’s ready to shape, use your handle and apply minimal pressure to the dough. Shape it by stretching and pulling rather than pressing.

THIN CRUST PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE

Make this dough your next challenge if you haven’t attempted dough yet. Make it your next “to-do” pizza dough if you’ve made dough before. In both cases, you will be pleasantly surprised. Make double the batch next time and freeze the rest for a happy day.

HOW TO STORE PIZZA DOUGH

Keep your pizza dough in the refrigerator. Allow the dough to sit back in the oiled bowl in the fridge for up to 3 days. To bake, simply take it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature before shaping and baking.

Keep your pizza dough in the freezer. Double wrap the dough in plastic wrap and then place it in a ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. To bake, take out from the freezer and out of the wrap and place it in an oiled bowl over the counter or fridge (depends on when you need to bake it) until it defrosts, and then allow it to come to room temperature before baking.

MORE GREAT PIZZA RECIPES

Margherita Pizza

Mushroom Pizza

Pizza Sauce

Air Fryer Pizza Rolls

3.13 from 16 votes

Print

Best Pizza Dough

This is absolutely the best pizza dough you can make at home. It has so much flavor, great texture and a beautiful airy interior. It can be stored in the fridge or freezer for ultra convenience and bakes up just as fresh.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword best pizza dough, how to make pizza dough, pizza dough, pizza dough recipe

Prep Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Servings 2 medium Pizza

Calories 60 kcal

Author Mahy

Ingredients

• 1 cup of lukewarm (body temperature water)
• 1/2 Tablespoon of instant or active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons of honey
• About 2 cups of bread flour ( All purpose flour works too!)
• 1/2 Tablespoon of kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil for the bowl

Instructions

1. In a measuring cup, add the honey and yeast to the water and allow that mixture to sit for 1-2 minutes. It will start to go opaque and may foam and show bubbles on the top the longer you leave it—which is ok.
   
2. In a mixer bowl, add the flour and salt and mix them well. Then add the ready water mixture and knead the dough until smooth. This dough should not be sticky, but should not feel hard or dry to the touch, it should stick slightly to your fingers.
   
3. In a large bowl, add the olive oil and cover the entire inside of the bowl with it. Then put your pizza dough in the bowl and roll it over the oiled surface so it’s entirely covered with a thin layer of oil.
   
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough proof (rise) in a warm spot (like inside your oven while it is shut off) for about 1 1/2 -2 hours until the dough doubles in size at least.
   
5. Divide the dough in half ( or more, if making individual small pizzas) and work with one at a time.
   
6. About half an hour before that point, preheat the oven to the highest setting.
7. Place a pizza stone on the middle rack of your oven, and if you don’t have one, place a rimless cookie sheet directly on your oven rack. If you don’t have one either, take a regular cookie sheet and place it upside down on the rack (the rim of the cookie sheet should land on your oven rack).
8. Using a rolling pin, or with your hands, shape the dough into your desired shape and thickness—Remember the dough will puff in the oven to double the thickness you roll it into!
9. cover the dough for 10 minutes while you gather your toppings.
10. Sprinkle your favourite toppings and bake the pizza for 8-12 minutes ( depending on the size and thickness of your dough).
    
11. NOTES:
12. *To make a crisper pizza: roll out the dough thinner than you prefer ( it will still puff up to double its’ size during baking) and right away add your toppings and bake the pizza. Do not let it wait for 10 minutes after being rolled out.
13. To make a soft interior pizza with a good crisp on the outside, be sure to roll out the dough and cover it for at least 10 minutes before adding your toppings and baking it.
14. To make a softer crisp on the pizza, allow the rolled out dough to sit for half an hour before adding your toppings and baking it.
15. To make a really soft pizza, roll out your dough and let it sit half an hour before adding the toppings and bake it at 425 degrees for about 12-15 minutes (depending on the thickness and size of your dough). To make an even softer feel to your pizza, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the dough ( Right after adding the water mixture to the flour mixture, add the oil).
16. To add a more airy texture to your pizza, Let the dough feel sticky after you knead it, and when it’s ready to shape, use your handle and apply minimal pressure on to the dough. Shape it by stretching and pulling rather than pressing.
17. To freeze or chill the remaining dough:
18. Fridge: allow the dough to sit back in the oiled bowl in the fridge for up to 3 days. To bake, simply take out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature before shaping and baking.
19. Freezer: Double wrap the dough in plastic wrap and then place in a ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. To bake, take out from the freezer and out of the wrap and place it in an oiled bowl over the counter or fridge (depends on when you need to bake it) until it defrost and allow it to come to room temperature before baking.

Recipe Video

Nutrition Facts

Best Pizza Dough

Amount Per Serving

Calories 60 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 1752mg76%

Carbohydrates 13g4%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 13g14%

Protein 1g2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Related Posts

No Knead Pizza Dough Burrata Pizza Caprese Pizza Air Fryer Pizza Rolls