Homemade Pizza Dough

My kids could eat pizza every night, so I decided that we were going to make our own pizza dough. They loved to be able to add all their favorite toppings and now it has become an every Friday night meal.

This pizza dough recipe is easy to make and a great recipe for beginners. If you love pizza as much as my kids, try Big Mac Pizza, Hot Honey Pepperoni Pizza and all of our favorite Easy Pizza Recipes.

Why We Love This Recipe

This pizza dough recipe is loaded with flavor and with the best chewy texture. There is no fancy ingredients needed and it is easy to blend. The hardest part is waiting for the dough to rise but that only takes about 30 minutes.

You can even prepare the dough ahead of time to save time on pizza night. Pizza is a great meal to serve as a weeknight meal or to feed a crowd. Add a side salad and some cheesy bread to complete the meal for the best homemade pizza dough.

Ingredients

• All Purpose Flour – You can also use bread flour or whole wheat flour
• Instant Active Dry Yeast – For the best dough, make sure the yeast has not expired
• Sugar – Increases the yeast activity and helps to tenderize the dough
• Salt – Add flavor and you can use kosher salt or pink salt
• Garlic Powder – If you are out, see The Best Garlic Powder Substitute
• Dried Basil Leaves – See Fresh Basil Substitutes if you are out
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Use oil of your choice

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.

How to Make Homemade Pizza Dough

Step 1 – Mix the Dry Ingredients together – In a large bowl, stir together 1 cup of the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, garlic powder and basil leaves with a wooden spoon. I am mixing this by hand but you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook.

Step 2 – Mix in oil and water – Add in the olive oil and the warm water to the yeast mixture.  Stir until well combined. 

Step 3 – Form dough into a ball – Then slowly add in the remaining flour, stirring until the dough is formed into a ball and begins to pull away from the inside of the bowl. The ball will be sticky but still easily manageable with your hands.  

Step 4 – Step 4 – Coat dough in oil – Drizzle some olive oil in a separate bowl.  Move the pizza dough into this bowl and gently roll the pizza dough around the edges of the bowl until it’s coated in the oil. 

Step 5 – Allow dough to rise – Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep it in a warm place.  Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.  

Step 6 – Knead the dough – Once the dough has risen, move the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead the bread a few times until it’s smooth.  Then roll the dough into a 12 inch circle with a rolling pin. 

• Step 7 – Poke holes in dough – Transfer the pizza dough to a pizza pan or pizza stone and use a fork to poke holes all over the center of the pizza dough to keep it from bubbling in the oven. 
• Step 8 – Top Dough with your favorite toppings – Then top the pizza with your preferred sauce and toppings.  Make sure to leave approximately 1 inch of the crust around the outside of the pizza. 
• Step 9 – Bake for 13 minutes to 15 minutes until the pizza crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted. 
• Step 10 – Slice and Enjoy – Slice and serve the pizza with a pizza peel.  Enjoy! 

Recipe Tips

• Prepare Dough – This pizza dough can be made ahead of time.  Let the dough rise at room temperature, then deflate it and wrap the dough in plastic wrap (so it doesn’t dry out) and refrigerate for 2-3 days.  
• Combining Ingredients – There is no need to use a stand mixer to combine the ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon and then knead with your hands.
• Bread Flour – We used regular all purpose flour recipe and it turned out great. There is no need to get different flours to make this homemade pizza dough.
• Divide the Dough – If you want to make mini pizza’s, you can divide the dough. This allows everyone to get their own pizza to add their favorite toppings.
• Dough Texture – When combining the ingredients the dough maybe a little sticky and manageable with your hands.
• Allow Dough to Rise – Place the pizza dough in a oiled bowl and cover. Allow the dough to rise and double in size before cooking.
• Knead Dough – Knead the dough until the dough is smooth on a flour surface. Then roll the dough out into a 12 inch circle.
• Poke Holes in Dough – Before placing the dough poke holes with a fork. This keeps the dough from bubbling up on the griddle.
• Fresh Ingredients – For best results use fresh ingredients when you are making the dough. This is really important for the yeast. If your yeast is expired, I would buy another one. This helps to get the dough to rise and the pizza crust will be delicious.
• Baking Sheet – You can line your baking pan with foil or parchment paper. This helps for serving the pizza and makes cleanup a breeze.

How to Freeze Pizza Dough

You can store pizza dough in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, but you can also freeze pizza dough.

Freezing pizza dough is an easy way to prepare the pizza dough ahead of time and freeze.

• Once the pizza dough is prepared, divide the dough into two dough balls.
• Spay the dough with non stick cooking spray and wrap in plastic wrap.
• Place the wrapped dough in a zip lock freezer bag or air tight freezer container. If using freezer bags, make sure you push out any air.
• Place the dough balls in the freezer and the will last about 3 months.

How to Thaw Pizza Dough

We recommend placing the frozen dough in the fridge overnight to thaw out.

If you need your dough to thaw faster, simply allow the dough to sit on the counter. It will take about 2 hours to thaw the dough.

Favorite Pizza Toppings

If you are anything like my family, we all like something different on our pizzas. In today’s recipe, I made a classic pepperoni pizza, but you can add any of your favorite toppings and this Pizza Seasoning.

That is what I like to make everyone their own pizza so they can pile their own personal crust with their favorite toppings.

Sauce

• Marinara Sauce
• Homemade Pizza Sauce
• Alfredo Sauce
• Tomato Sauce
• Pesto

Cheese

• Mozzarella Cheese
• Cheddar
• Parmesan

Protein

• Pepperoni
• Chicken
• Sausage
• Hamburger
• Canadian Bacon

Veggie Toppings

• Black Olives
• Onions
• Mushrooms
• Bell Peppers
• Tomatoes
• Fresh Basil

What to Serve with Homemade Pizza

There are many things that can be served with homemade pizza. Our favorite thing is inviting our friends over and making a Pizza Bar. Everyone brings there favorite sides and make pizza together.

These are our favorite sides:

• Easy Caesar Salad Recipe
• Garlic Bread Cheese Sticks
• More Sides for Pizza