Skip to Content

Easy Pizza Dough

This easy pizza dough comes together quickly and after a short rise, it's ready to bake into a chewy, crispy crust that makes the best homemade pizza you'll ever make! This 6 ingredient pizza dough recipe will become a pizza night staple.

Last summer, we hacked a GMG pizza oven to be a Traeger pizza oven, and thus began the summer of experimentation.

We tried many different variations of pizza dough, some with bread flour, some with OO pizza flour, some with all purpose flour, and in the end, this easy pizza crust recipe was our favorite - and it's made with all purpose flour.

I believe that I've officially found the best pizza dough recipe. And after a year of testing, tweaking, and carb-loading I'm finally ready to share it!

This easy pizza dough recipe is dedicated to sharing.

A boule of pizza dough on a lightly floured surface.
Jump to:

Tips + tricks

No. 1 --> Proof that yeast! It only takes a couple extra minutes, but it's worth it. There are a few reasons to proof your yeast, but the most important is to ensure the yeast is still viable - preventing a dinner time disaster.

No. 2 --> Be careful with the temperature of your water! Too hot and you'll kill the yeast, too cold and your rise will take longer. I like to use water right around 100f.

No. 3 --> Use the scoop and level method for measuring your flour. This will help ensure consistent results across batches of homemade pizza dough. To do this, stir your flour then spoon it into a measuring cup and level with the back of a knife.

No. 4 --> If you've got a Traeger, you've gotta check out my wood fired pizza oven! It literally bakes the best homemade pizza!

Pizza dough boule portioned and sitting on a bench knife.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Key ingredients

Flour: I use all-purpose flour for this basic pizza dough recipe, however, you can switch out the flour to suit your tastes. Bread flour will give a crispier homemade pizza crust while sticking with all-purpose gives a nice chewy pizza base.

Yeast: This recipe for homemade pizza dough includes pizza dough yeast, but if you only have active dry yeast, that will work too! Pizza dough yeast is the same as active dry yeast, but it contains additives to relax the yeast making it easier to roll out without snapping back.

Ingredients for pizza dough.

How to make easy pizza dough

Make the dough:

  1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add warm water. Stir in granulated sugar and yeast. Let stand 5-10 minutes or until the mixture is foamy on top and smells like beer.
  2. Dump flour, olive oil, and salt into the mixing bowl and mix at low speed with the dough hook until the dough comes together in a ball.
  3. Continue mixing in the mixer for 5-6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough is ready when it bounces back after being poked.
  4. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, and toss it to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside to rise until doubled in size, this usually takes between 30-60 minutes, depending on the temperature in your kitchen.
  5. if you've got a pizza stone or baking steel, place it into the oven and preheat to 475f while the dough rises. This allows the oven to fully come to temperature before baking and will result in better pizza.

Prepare the dough:

  1. Once fully risen, punch down the dough, and turn onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 4 even portions if baking thin crust pizza, or 2 portions for thicker pizza crust.
  2. Working with one portion at a time, gently flatten with your fingers or roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it reaches your desired size and shape. If the dough is sticking to the work surface, add more flour underneath. We really don't want sticky dough!
  3. If using a baking stone or steel, lightly dust a pizza peel with cornmeal, and slide the dough onto the peel. Once the dough is on the pizza peel, you've only got a short period of time before it begins sticking, so it's imperative to work quickly. It helps to jiggle the pizza dough every so often while it's on the peel. If you're baking on a baking sheet or pizza pan, lightly dust the baking sheet with cornmeal, and slide the pizza onto the baking sheet or press the dough into the pizza pan.
  4. Add the sauce and toppings to the dough and transfer to the oven.
  5. Bake the pizza in the preheated oven for 10-13 minutes for thin crust and up to 20 minutes for thicker crust pizza.
  6. Remove your pizza from the oven and allow it to cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Batch + storage

Batch:

This easy pizza dough recipe makes enough for 4-6 thin-crust pizzas, depending on the desired size - and 2 - 3 thicker crust pizzas. I find one batch to be enough to feed my family of 4 twice.

Storage:

If you've been feverishly baking pizzas and you still have dough leftover, don't fret, simply toss it in a plastic bag and seal it shut. Keep the bag in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

How to freeze homemade pizza dough:

Your homemade pizza dough can easily be frozen! Simply allow it to rise, then punch down, separate into 4 equal sized balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap then slide the wrapped balls into a freeze ziplock bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

How to thaw frozen pizza dough:

It's important to thaw your homemade dough in the fridge to keep the yeast sluggish during the defrosting process. To thaw, place the dough in the fridge and allow it to rest in the fridge for 8-12 hours. Then warm up the dough by resting it at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before you're ready to cook with it!

Pizza dough in a plastic bag.

Variations + substitutions

  • Whole wheat pizza dough: substitute up to 2 cups of all purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
  • Herb'd pizza dough: add some oregano, parsley, rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, or whatever you feel like to the dough while adding the flour.
  • Calzone: this dough bakes up beautiful calzones too!
  • Breadsticks: Roll out the dough in a thick layer, slice it into strips and brush it with garlic butter.

Stand mixer: I use my KITCHENAID MIXER for so many things. It makes everything much easier - I couldn't live without it for my baking! I've got a faulty (LOL) wrist on my dominant hand, so it makes my life so much easier to have a machine do the heavy lifting!

📖 Printable Recipe

A boule of pizza dough on a lightly floured surface.
Yield: 4-6 thin crust pizzas or 2 thick crust pizzas

Easy Pizza Dough

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Rise Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

This is the best homemade pizza dough recipe ever. It's fast, simple and tastes delicious. You'll never go back to store-bought again! Plus, you can make it in advance so that when you're ready to eat, all you have to do is roll it out and top with your favorite topping.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups warm water
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pizza dough yeast, or active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil + more for oiling
  • 5 cups all purpose, or bread flour + more for flouring
  • 2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons cornmeal, optional

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add 2 cups of warm water. Stir in 1 teaspoon granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon pizza or active dry yeast. Let stand 5-10 minutes or until the mixture is foamy on top and smells like beer.
  2. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 5 cups of all purpose or bread flour, and 2 teapoons of coarse kosher salt into the mixing bowl and mix at low speed with the dough hook until the dough comes together in a ball.
  3. Continue mixing in the mixer for 5-6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough is ready when it bounces back after being poked.
  4. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, and toss it to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside to rise until doubled in size, this usually takes between 30-60 minutes, depending on the temperature in your kitchen.
  5. if you've got a baking stone or baking steel, place it into the oven and preheat to 475f while the dough rises. This allows the oven to fully come to temperature before baking and will result in better pizza.
  6. Once fully risen, punch down the dough, and turn onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 4 even portions if baking thin crust pizza, or 2 portions for thicker pizza crust.
  7. Working with one portion at a time, gently flatten with your fingers or roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it reaches your desired size and shape. If the dough is sticking to the work surface, add more flour underneath. We really don't want sticky dough!
  8. if using a baking stone or steel, lightly dust a pizza peel with cornmeal, and slide the dough onto the peel. Once the dough is on the pizza peel, you've got a short period of time before it begins sticking, so it's imperative to work quickly. It helps to jiggle the pizza dough every so often while it's on the peel. If you're baking on a baking sheet, lightly dust the baking sheet with cornmeal, and slide the pizza onto the baking sheet.
  9. Add the sauce and toppings to the dough and transfer to the oven.
  10. Bake the pizza in the preheated oven for 10-13 minutes for thin crust and up to 20 minutes for thicker crust pizza.
  11. Remove your pizza from the oven and allow it to cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Notes

Batch:

This easy pizza dough recipe makes enough for 4-6 thin-crust pizzas, depending on the desired size - and 2 - 3 thicker crust pizzas.

Storage:

Store your unbaked pizza dough in a sealed plastic bag for up to 24 hours.

How to freeze homemade pizza dough:

Simply allow it to rise, then punch down, separate into 4 equal sized balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap then slide the wrapped balls into a freeze ziplock bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

How to thaw frozen pizza dough

To thaw, place the dough in the fridge and allow it to rest in the fridge for 8-12 hours. Then warm up the dough by resting it at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before you're ready to roll out and bake.

variations + substitutions

  • Whole wheat pizza dough: substitute up to 2 cups of all purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
  • Herb'd pizza dough: add some oregano, parsley, rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, or whatever you feel like to the dough while adding the flour.
  • Calzone: this dough bakes up beautiful calzones too!
  • Bread sticks: Roll out the dough in a thick layer, slice into strips and brush with garlic butter.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 359Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 327mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gProtein: 11g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Pin this easy pizza dough recipe!

Quick and easy pizza dough recipe pinterest graphic.
Share Your Thoughts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Skip to Recipe