The Secret To The Perfect Pizza Dough Recipe

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

1. 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.
2. Add some pizza sauce. I typically use about 1/2 cup of pizza sauce per pizza.
3. 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.
4. 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

My Pizza Sauce recipe comes together with just a few ingredients in the blender and adds the perfect flavor to your homemade pizza.

view recipe

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!