Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe Highlights
Friday nights are pizza nights in our household. And this homemade pizza dough recipe is my absolute favorite! You’ll love just how easy it is to make this homemade pizza dough. Everything goes into the stand mixer, and then all you have to do is proof the dough, portion it out (yup, this makes more than one dough ball!), and let it rise again before rolling it out. The flavor gets even better if you have the time to let it rise or refrigerate the dough overnight. No need to knead this by hand for what feels like forever! What’s even better is that this recipe only needs 6 ingredients. One of the ingredients is water, so is this really a 5 or 6-ingredient recipe? Either way, there’s a good chance that you already have everything you need in your pantry! I like to use Italian-type “00” flour, which is finer ground than normal flour, and it’ll give the dough a fantastic, delicious, and super-smooth texture. I buy this flour online here. You can definitely use all-purpose flour or bread flour; the texture will be slightly different, but it will be delicious.
Flour: I like to use Double Zero 00 flour, but you can also use bread or all-purpose flour if that is what you have. Yeast: I recommend using instant yeast since it doesn’t need to be activated; just mix it with the dry ingredients. Salt: I prefer kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half. Sugar: Regular white granulated sugar or caster sugar. Water: Warm water — the water should be around 105-115º F (40 – 46º C). Water too hot will kill your yeast. Olive oil
1 – Mix The Dry Ingredients
Mix flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a bowl of the stand electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix to combine.
2 – Mix The Wet Ingredients
Add water and oil. Start mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium. Mix until the dough gathers into a ball, about 5 – 8 minutes. At this point, you can: 1 – Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours to use the same day, or 2 – Refrigerate the dough, well covered, for up to 24 hrs to use the next day. To bake the same day, cover the dough balls with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm place for 30 – 60 minutes. To freeze for later use, wrap the dough balls you wish to freeze with plastic wrap, place them in freezer-resealable plastic bags, and freeze them for up to 3 months.
6 – Bake
Bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until crispy and golden. Slice and serve. Note: Cooking pizza at a high temperature on a pizza stone is ideal; a pizza round or sheet pan will also work just fine.
Mix dry ingredients onto a clean work surface and make a well in the middle. Add water and oil to the center of the well. Using a fork, bring the flour in gradually from the sides and swirl it into the liquid. Keep mixing, drawing larger amounts of flour in, and when it all starts to come together, work the rest of the flour in with your clean hands. Knead until you have a smooth, springy dough.
The recipe yields three large pizza crusts, so feed the whole family or freeze one for later use. This pizza dough uses instant yeast. If you only have active dry yeast, you will have to bloom it ahead of time with warm water. Add the active dry yeast to the warm water, and after 8 to 10 minutes, it should be foaming on top. Using active dry yeast will also require you to let it rise for longer than instant yeast, about double the time. Cooking pizza at a high temperature on a pizza stone is ideal; a pizza round or sheet pan will also work just fine.
Leftovers Baked Pizza
If you have leftover pizza, simply store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat the pizza in the oven or microwave until heated through.
Freeze Pizza Dough
If you have extra pizza dough and would like to freeze it, transfer the dough ball to a plastic freezer bag. Make sure the bag is well sealed to avoid freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to use, let the dough thaw and rise for 2 to 4 hours until doubled in volume. Fold the dough back onto itself four or five times and use it as desired.
Recipe Card 📖
The recipe was originally posted in January 2018, post content was edited to add more helpful information, no change to the recipe in August 2022.
My Favorite Pizza Sauce (not cooked)
This No-Cook Easy Pizza Tomato Sauce literally takes 5 minutes to mix up. It tastes much better than any pizza sauce you can buy in the store and is less expensive.
