Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe | How to Make Dough From Scratch (2024)

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By Melissa

on Jul 20, 2017, Updated Oct 31, 2022

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Wondering how to make Easy Homemade Pizza Dough? This is my go-to recipe. You only need 6 ingredients and 10 minutes to make this easy, versatile dough!

I got you covered when it comes to Pizza. Here are a few of my favorites: Amazing No-Knead Refrigerator Pizza Dough, Homemade Supreme Pizza Recipe and 30 Minute Meaty Margherita Pizza.

Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe | How to Make Dough From Scratch (2)

Table of Contents

  • Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe
  • What should I bake this pizza in?
  • What should I do with the other half of the dough if I only want 1 pizza?
  • Looking for a fun Friday night activity with the kids?
  • How long do I let the dough rise?
  • Can I use whole wheat flour to make pizza dough?
  • What is the best homemade pizza sauce to go with this dough?
  • How do you know if yeast is still good?
  • Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe Recipe

Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

There are a few skills that I feel are essential for being a good mom. Making homemade pizza is one of them. I don’t know why, but being able to make a mean pizza is important to me! I meal planbased on genre. Friday at our house is pizza night! Every Friday I make a version of one of the following: pizza, deep dish pizza, personal pizzas, sheet pan pizza, calzones, Stromboli, or pizza rolls.

For all of my pizza options, this is the super easy pizza dough that I use. You can’t go wrong with a simple dough that works every time. It only has 6 simple ingredients, and it’s very forgiving (you really can’t ruin this dough, trust me!).

For this recipe I have also included my favorite pizza baking method (because those two things go together). It’s very pizzeria in style. The dough is a medium thickness, the bottom gets nice and brown, and the cheese around the edge gets crusty, edging on burnt. Mmmm…that crusty dark cheese! Don’t be tempted to overload on cheese and toppings. With pizza, more is not always better. The crust won’t cook through if you get too crazy, and very few things are grosser than doughy pizza.

Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe | How to Make Dough From Scratch (3)

What should I bake this pizza in?

I have added my recommendations on how to cook the pizza but you can really cook this however you like. Press it in a sheet pan, in a pizza pan, in a cast iron skillet,or however you like to make pizza.

What should I do with the other half of the dough if I only want 1 pizza?

If you don’t want 2 large pizzas, make 1 large pizza and a batch of breadsticks with the second half of the dough.

Looking for a fun Friday night activity with the kids?

Use this dough to make mini or individual pizzas. Let the kids do the rolling and top with what they like. My kids love DIY pizza night.

How long do I let the dough rise?

The rising time if very flexible. The longer it rises, the more fluffy/bready the baked dough; the shorter it rises, the more chewy/dense it will be. I just let it rise as long as it takes me to prep my veggies, cheese, and sauce.

Can I use whole wheat flour to make pizza dough?

Feel free to use half whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour, so delicious. This is my favorite 100% whole wheat pizza dough recipe if you are in the market.

What is the best homemade pizza sauce to go with this dough?

Looking for the best (and easiest) pizza sauce recipe? You’ll need 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, and 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes. In a small sauce pan, cook the oil and garlic together over medium heat until the garlic starts to smell good. Add the tomatoes and simmer until it thickens a bit, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. DONE! Really. Three ingredients and it tastes amazing!

How do you know if yeast is still good?

Fill up a small measuring cup with a little warm water. Add 1/4 teaspoon of your yeast and then add a pinch of sugar and lightly stir it together. Wait for 5 minutes. If the yeast is still active you will see little bubble along the top of the water and it will start to “foam”. I think the date on the yeast package is a good guide, and I like to store my yeast in the fridge to help keep it fresh. When in doubt, get new yeast. Nothing is worse than a unrisen loaf of bread because of old yeast!

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Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe | How to Make Dough From Scratch (5)

Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

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  • Author: Melissa Griffiths – Bless this Mess
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 min.
  • Yield: 2 large pizzas 1x
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Description

Wondering how to make easy homemade pizza dough? This is my go-to recipe. You only need 6 ingredients and 10 minutes to make this easy, versatile dough!

Ingredients

Scale

For the easy pizza dough

  • 2 1/2 cups warm water
  • 1 tablespoon yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 6 to 6 1/2cups flour

For the Pizza

  • Pizza sauce (about 2 cups), see post for a super simple recipe
  • Cheese (about 4 cups)
  • Toppings

Instructions

To make the dough

  1. In a large mixing bowl, add the water, yeast, sugar, salt, and olive oil. Allow mixture to stand for 5 minutes.
  2. Add one cup of flour, and mix to combine. Add another cup of flour and mix through. Mix by hand for 1 or 2 minutes. The dough should be the consistency of cake batter. Add another cup of flour and mix until well combined. Add flour until you can’t mix it by hand very well.
  3. Sprinkle some flour on your table and turn the dough onto the table. Knead the dough by hand until it is smooth and elastic, adding flour as needed. This should take 6 to 10 minutes of kneading. You can also do this part in a stand mixer if you have one.
  4. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover it with a towel, and let it rise in a warm place for 15 to 60 minutes (This time varies a lot for me – I just let it rise according to how long it is until dinner time).

To make the pizza

  1. While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 500 degrees. If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven to heat, too. I would recommend using a stone for baking this pizza. If you don’t have a stone, you can turn your biggest cookie sheet upside down (so that the flat side is up) or use a rimless sheet. If you are using a stone let the stone heat for 30 minutes. If using a baking sheet, let it heat for 10 minutes.
  2. When the oven is hot, cut your dough in half. Place half of the dough on a piece of parchment paper that is 18 inches long. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough (on top of the parchment paper) into a 12 to 14 inch circle. The dough should be about a half-inch thick. Top with 1 cup of pizza sauce, 1 1/2 to 2 cups of shredded mozzarella, and toppings of your choice.
  3. When the pizza is all ready, slide the pizza, which is on the parchment paper, onto a rimless cookie sheet or one that is upside down. This will help you get the pizza to the oven.
  4. Open the oven and slide the pizza which is still on the parchment paper, from the cookie sheet onto the hot baking stone or hot cookie sheet. I just tug on the edge of the parchment paper with my hands and slide it onto the stone. BE CAREFUL! Your oven is set to 500. It’s super hot, obviously! Make sure the babies are out of the way and be careful when sliding the pizza into the oven.
  5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the top is bubbly and the edges are starting to brown. When the pizza is done, tug the edge of the parchment paper and slide the pizza back onto the cookie sheet you used to transfer it to the oven. Again, be careful!
  6. Let your stone reheat for 10 minutes. While the stone is heating, repeat the whole thing with the second half of the dough and bake the same way.
  7. Enjoy, enjoy enjoy!

Notes

  • I serve it right off of the parchment paper (which gets all dark and cooked looking) or I’ll tear off a new piece and serve it on a crisp white sheet of parchment. Very pretty!
  • This cooking method is my preferred way to make pizza at home but it’s just a suggestion. You can use this pizza dough to make mini pizza, sheet pan pizza, and even bread sticks. Just be sure that no matter what you cook you pizza in/on, the bottom of the crust is golden brown before you remove it from the oven.
  • Don’t need two large pizzas? Make one pizza and use the rest of the dough for bread sticks.
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Cook Time: 25 min
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Slice
  • Calories: 330
  • Sugar: 1.5g
  • Sodium: 234.7mg
  • Fat: 6.4g
  • Carbohydrates: 59g
  • Protein: 8.2g

If you love Pizza, Check these recipes out too:

  • Homemade Pizza with Chicken and Bacon
  • Perfect Pepperoni Pizza Sticks
  • Homemade Supreme Pizza Recipe
  • Breakfast Pizza Sticks
  • Supreme Pizza Stuffed Zucchini
  • 30 Minute Meaty Margherita Pizza
  • 20 Minute Easy Cheesy Pizza Sticks
  • Quick and Easy Flatbread Pizzas
  • Herbed Tomato Bacon Pizza
  • 100% Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe | How to Make Dough From Scratch (6)

And there you have it, the best Easy Pizza Dough on the block. You can’t mess this one up friends, even if you don’t consider yourself a baker or tend to be wary of making yeast doughs. You can do it!

About Melissa

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Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe | How to Make Dough From Scratch (2024)

FAQs

What's the secret to making good pizza dough? ›

There are many tricks to achieving a tasty, homemade pizza dough that rises into a beautiful pizza crust, such as making sure your ingredients are at right temperature, using half bread flour for a stronger dough and half all-purpose flour for a nice rise, substituting honey for sugar to help caramelize the crust and ...

What ingredients is pizza dough made from? ›

All pizza dough starts with the same basic ingredients: flour, yeast, water, salt, and olive oil.

What is the most important ingredient in pizza dough? ›

Flour is the main ingredient in pizza dough, and the type you use can have a big effect on the end result. All-purpose flour will work fine, but if you want a chewier crumb and a better hole structure, you should consider buying yourself some high protein bread flour.

What not to do when making pizza dough? ›

The Most Common Mistakes When Making Pizza
  1. Not Letting the Dough Rest. ...
  2. Not Kneading the Dough for Long Enough. ...
  3. Using a Rolling Pin to Form the Dough. ...
  4. Overloading Pizza Toppings. ...
  5. Not Letting the Pizza Cook for Long Enough.

Does pizza dough need egg? ›

Most pizza dough does not contain eggs. Pizza dough typically includes three main ingredients: yeast, flour, and water. Some recipes will also include a tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of salt. Eggs soften the dough and make it taste richer, while egg whites make the crust a little crispier.

What does adding egg to pizza dough do? ›

A: Eggs, as either whole eggs or as egg whites, have been added to pizza dough for many years and for different reasons. Whole eggs can be added to the dough to provide better browning characteristics to the dough. To some extent, they also provide a richer flavor.

What is Papa John's pizza dough made of? ›

Water, Sorghum Flour, Modified Rice Starch, Tapioca Starch, Teff Flour, Cage Free Egg Whites, Whey Powder, Shortening Flakes (Palm Oil, Natural Butter Flavor, Soy Lecithin), Quinoa Flour, Amaranth Flour, Canola/Olive Oil Blend, Yeast, Sugar, Brown Flax Seed, Salt, Cultured Brown Rice, Xanthan Gum, Natural Flavors.

What makes homemade pizza taste better? ›

Cornmeal and olive oil make all the difference

Inspired by the pizza crust often found in delivery pizzas, the publication points to cornmeal as the key to a quality texture and suggests basting the dough with an oil-based spread to enhance the color and flavor.

What spice gives pizza its flavor? ›

Italian Seasoning

Italian seasoning combines herbs like basil, thyme, chili flakes, garlic powder, rosemary, parsley and oregano. Some blends also incorporate dried sage or fennel seeds. Italian seasoning adds extra flavor to traditional-style pizza.

What makes a pizza taste best? ›

Good dough, good sauce, and good cheese together can make a great pizza. the most important part of the sauce is good tomatoes. Italian tomatoes are the best: they just are. Then you need to cook the tomatoes with some fats.

What is basic dough made of? ›

Stick to the basics of making dough: water, yeast, flour and salt. Double or triple the ingredients if you're feeding a larger crowd.

Can I make dough with flour and water? ›

Creating a smooth, pliable dough

Excess water makes a batter, while too little water renders a dough rough, dry and unpliable. Generally speaking, a flour to water ratio of 2:1 achieves a dough of reasonable consistency. So if you have 500g of flour, use about 250 mL of water.

What are the 3 stages of dough? ›

Stages of dough mixing

Clean up: dough is at maximum stiffness and comes together as one cohesive mass. Final development: Dough is at the correct temperature and handling quality (gluten film is visible, and the dough is ready to be discharged from mixer). Letdown: The gluten matrix begins to degrade.

What can you add to pizza dough to make it better? ›

Cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger can increase yeast activity, potentially challenging the slow fermentation process. Dry mustard has the potential to slow down yeast development and can result in a more sour flavored crust. Sweet – If not spice, than sugar is nice.

How do you make pizza dough rise better? ›

Pizza dough loves warmth, so if you can find a way to add some extra heat, your dough will rise faster. One way to do this is to preheat your oven to the lowest setting (usually around 200 degrees Fahrenheit) and then turn it off. Place your pizza dough in the warm oven for 10-15 minutes until it begins to rise.

What makes pizza dough more fluffy? ›

  1. AP flour - pizza requires a high protein (gluten) content to allow for a good stretch and oven spring. ...
  2. No oil, no sugar - both oil and sugar encourage browning and should be used, just sparingly, especially in a home oven.
Jan 21, 2020

What is the key to crispy pizza dough? ›

Preheat oven to 530° DIRECT HEAT, not convection. Lightly brush pan with olive oil, build pizza, place in middle of oven, ready in about 12 minutes. Halfway through, if top crust is browning faster than bottom, place pan on the next lower rack; Higher if opposite. Below, bottom crust on this pizza is as crisp as top.

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