Pizza Dough is so easy to make when you have the secret to the perfect recipe. This foolproof pizza dough is so simple and with my step-by-step photos and easy-to-follow directions, you will have the best pizza every time!
This homemade pizza dough recipe is a family recipe passed down from my mom and is an absolute winner. It is one that we use in our house weekly and it always turns out perfectly.
If you read the five star reviews on this post you will see that this recipe really is foolproof. With my step-by-step photos and detailed recipe, you will never use another pizza dough again.
I’m definitely saving this recipe because I just made the most perfect pizza for dinner and it’s because of this perfect crust. Absolutely the perfect balance of tender/chewy/fluffy/crispy.
The Secret to Perfect Pizza Dough
The key to this amazing recipe is water temperature. Yes! It really is that simple.
The temperature of your water needs to be between 110 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Within that perfect temperature range, the yeast will activate. With water that is too cold, the yeast won’t activate. With water that is too hot, the yeast will die.
While my husband and I are at the point where we can feel the water and know that it is in the right range, I highly suggest that you use an instant read thermometer.
Believe me, I wasted lots of dough before my mom, fed up with my phone calls to her about why it wasn’t working, just gave me her thermometer. She could tell the correct temperature by touch and after many batches of dough, you’ll be able to also.
Temperature to Proof Yeast
In order to proof your yeast, the temperature of the water needs to be between 110 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
How to Make Pizza Dough
This step-by-step tutorial will give you a broad overview of how to make this foolproof homemade pizza dough. For the full recipe with detailed instructions and measurements, you will want to see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Gather Your Supplies
You will need a measuring cup with one cup of water, some active dry yeast, a little sugar, and your thermometer. There is a big difference between instant dry yeast and active dry yeast, so please be sure to grab active dry yeast. You can read more on this below.
Heat the Water to the Right Temperature
As mentioned above, your water needs to be between 110 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit to properly activate the yeast. I highly suggest using an instant-read thermometer for this. Over time, you will find that you will make this enough you just know the right temperature, but to start, use a thermometer.
Instant-Read Thermometer
Activate the Yeast for the Dough
With the water at the right temperature, add 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast and one teaspoon of sugar. Let it sit for about five minutes and you will see the yeast start to grow.
Let the Yeast Grow
As mentioned above, we are giving the yeast about five minutes to grow. This next part is extremely important. If the yeast does not look like the picture below after five minutes, throw the whole thing out. Without this great looking yeast, you are not going to get a great pizza dough. You will want to completely start over and try again. I would much rather you waste a little yeast, sugar, and water than end up with a bad batch of dough or pizza.
Combine the Pizza Dough ingredients
I prefer to bring my pizza dough together in a food processor, but a stand mixer with a dough hook or a wooden spoon will also work well.
Combine 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and the yeast mixture in a food processor. It will begin to come together and you will add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Once the dough has come together, you will finish it by hand, kneading it into a ball (this should be extremely minimal kneading), and then place it in a greased mixing bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel. Let it rise for at least one hour.
Let the Dough Rise
After an hour or two, you will see that your dough has doubled in size. This is your sign that it is ready to be made into pizza dough. You can divide it into two balls and roll them out to make two 12-inch pizzas.
Active Dry Yeast vs. Instant Yeast
As mentioned above, we are using active dry yeast in this recipe. You cannot replace it with instant yeast and get the same results. The two are both yeasts, but the way you use them is very different.
Active dry yeast must be activated to be used in a bread or dough recipe. That is what you are seeing above with the sugar, water, and letting the mixture sit for five minutes. With instant yeast, you simply add it to the other ingredients and move along with your recipe.
Please stick with active dry yeast for this recipe.
Flour for Pizza
I’ve had multiple readers ask me on this recipe if they should be using 00 flour or why I am not using 00 flour. If you are unfamiliar, that is the gold standard for flour in Italy. It differs from other flours in the fact that it is much more finely ground.
I do not think 00 flour is necessary for this recipe. We have tested it with both all-purpose flour and 00 flour and we really didn’t notice a difference when it came to several different categories. It rolled out similarly, we did not notice a difference in texture, and we did not notice a difference in taste (which makes sense, as finely grinding it wouldn’t change taste).
All of that is to say that if you want to use 00 flour, absolutely go for it. But it is not necessary. You will have great results with all-purpose flour.
Using this Dough for Pizza
I have many different pizza recipes that I know you will love, but you can really use this to make any pizza. You can make two 12-inch pizzas from this dough. Follow the steps below to make a simple pepperoni pizza.
- Roll out the dough. On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough so it makes a 12-inch circle. Transfer it to a pizza baking sheet or a pizza stone.
- Add some pizza sauce. I typically use about 1/2 cup of pizza sauce per pizza.
- Top the pizza with cheese and pepperoni. Add about 2 cups of freshly grated mozzarella cheese to the prepared pizza dough over the sauce. Top with pepperoni and a dash more cheese.
- Bake the pizza. Place the pizza in a preheated oven set to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the edges of the crust begin to brown.
Pizza Sauce Recipe
Pre-Baking Pizza Dough
If you are working with a pizza that is heavy on the toppings, I would suggest pre-baking the dough. I like to bake it for about five minutes before taking it out and topping it when I make my Meat Lovers Pizza.
Pizza Stone
Storing Leftover Dough
When we only make one pizza, I store the extra crust covered on my countertop at room temperature and we get to have pizza again tomorrow night. I would not recommend storing this dough for longer than three days.
I haven’t personally frozen this pizza dough recipe because we always eat both pizzas, but several readers have. After they divide the dough into two balls, they make one into a pizza and freeze the other in an airtight container and have had great results.
FAQ
This homemade pizza dough recipe can be made up to 24 hours in advance and stored on your countertop.
No, you do not. It is just a really quick way to bring the dough together. You can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook or a wooden spoon and your hands like in my easy dinner roll recipe.
No. This recipe requires active dry yeast.
I have not tested this recipe with whole wheat flour. If you decide to do that, I would only replace 50% of the flour with whole wheat at the most.
This recipe has not been tested with gluten-free flour.
You do not. We have tested this recipe with both 00 flour and all-purpose flour and do not notice a difference.
I have not tested this recipe in a bread maker.
Pizza Recipes
I already told you how to make a simple pepperoni pizza, but if you are looking for other more out of the box recipes, try one of these!
- Buffalo Chicken Pizza: This is a fantastic pizza that you will totally fall in love with.
- Taco Pizza: Not your typical pizza recipe, but my goodness, so amazing!
- Pesto Pizza: I actually really love this as an appetizer for parties! So easy and delicious!
If you make this easy pizza dough recipe, leave me a comment to let me know how it went and what you topped your pizza with!
The Secret To Perfect Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon water heated to 110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit (251.4 ml)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (8.1 grams)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (4.125 grams)
- 3 cups all purpose flour (360 grams)
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt if using table salt, use 1/2 teaspoon (2.6 grams)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (14.8 ml)
Instructions
- Heat water to between 110 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit. (You will use the full 1 cup and 1 tablespoon all at once.)1 cup + 1 tablespoon water
- Sprinkle the active dry yeast over the water. Then sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar over the yeast. Let it sit until the water has become frothy. If it doesn't froth as pictured above, dump your water and start again.2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- In the bowl of a food processor add the all purpose flour and salt. Pulse for a few seconds to evenly distribute the salt. (Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook, or a wooden spoon and then clean hands to knead the dough.)3 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- With the food processor running, add the oil. Then add the yeast water combination with the food processor still running until a dough ball forms. (See note.)1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Put the dough ball in and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to double in size, about an hour to an hour and a half.
- Pull the dough apart to create two dough balls for two pizza crusts. On a well floured surface, roll the dough balls out into two 12-inch pizzas.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- On a well floured surface, roll the dough balls out into two 12 inch pizzas. Place the dough on a pizza stone or pizza baking sheet, add pizza sauce, your favorite toppings, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheesy is bubbly and the edges of the crust are golden brown.
Notes
Robin says
This recipe saved our pizza night! I forgot to start my dough at toddler naptime so had little time to let something mix and rise. This came out great in my short amount of time! Some of my liquid (maybe a lot) leaked out of my cuisinart, so I would probably use my mixer next time. It rolled out thinner than I am used to, but still came out of the oven great.
I’m glad to hear it! I love this recipe so much.
Maia says
Nice recipe! I’ve been wanting to make pizza for a so long and my oven just got delivered. Quick question though, for one ball of pizza dough, how many inches would the cooked pizza be? I’ve been trying to find a good 12-inch pizza recipe but some people don’t state how big the pizza will turn out to be. It’d be so great to hear back from you. Thanks!
I can get two 12 inch pizzas out of this recipe. You certainly can get two 14 inch pizzas out of it if you roll the dough thinner. We also sometimes make 6 individual pizzas.
Beth says
Just wondering…..can I half this recipe to make one 12 inch pizza?
You sure can!
Glenda says
I made cheesy bread with your dough, I was very impressed with the texture and taste. I did add Italian seasoning and garlic powder.
What a great way to use this recipe!
Tracy says
I do not have a food processor. Can I use my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook?
Yup! I’ve done it that way and it goes very well.
THERESA FIELDS says
This is the easiest and the BEST pizza dough! You won’t be disappointed! This is my go-to recipe and I’ve been making pizza dough for quite some years now!
Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave this review!
Diane says
Can you mix by hand….dont have a stand mixer or a processor
I haven’t kneaded this dough by hand, though I’m sure it will work.
Ruth Eggert says
to check to see how hot the water should be, before adding yeast..my mom used to use the inside of her wrist..if it is too hot just wait till it cools down…she use the same technique to check if the baby bottle was to hot before giving it to us!! I do the same for my yeast water…
Samantha says
I haven’t tried this yet, but wanted to comment on Quenne’s post & your reply about yeast. I tried to “Reply” but nothing happened. Personally, I prefer to use instant yeast & follow Cook’s Illustrated tips:
To substitute active dry for instant (or rapid rise) yeast: Use 25 percent more active dry. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of instant yeast, use 1 1/4 teaspoons of active dry. And don’t forget to “prove” the yeast, i.e. dissolving it in a portion of the water from the recipe, heated to 105 degrees.
To substitute instant (or rapid rise) yeast for active dry: Use about 25 percent less. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 packet or 2 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast, use 1 3/4 teaspoons of instant yeast. And you do not need to prove the yeast, just add it to the dry ingredients.
Kimberly Babbitt says
I have made this dough several times. Always turns out amazing and it so easy. Thank you again
I’m so glad to hear that you like it, Kimberly!