Easy Homemade Pizza Dough
This homemade pizza dough makes a crispy exterior and bottom. It holds up perfectly to toppings. It has a great chew that you want in a good pizza dough.
JUST LIKE YOUR FAVORITE PIZZERIA
I think one of the most soothing and relaxing things for me to do is to work with yeast dough. A few years ago I was hesitant about making anything with yeast. It was intimidating and just seemed like a lot of work. All that kneading and waiting for stuff to rise. But I decided to conquer that fear because of my love for all things yeast-y. I think working with dough is a lesson in patience. Also, there really is nothing like a homemade pizza dough. It can truly make or break a pizza!
SOME TIPS FOR MAKING PIZZA DOUGH:
- Two good rules for working with yeast that I have learned: have active yeast and knead dough until smooth and elastic. That is really the basics right there. I buy a jar of rapid rise yeast and I store it in the fridge. Doing that keeps it fresher, longer.
- You want to get yeast that says fast-acting or rapid rise. Check the expiration date on the package.
- If you have a bread machine, this recipe works great in one. Just put all ingredients in your bread machine (add the wet ingredients in first.) Put bread machine on dough setting and allow dough to rise. Once dough has risen, take out and continue with the rest of the recipe.
- This dough makes a crispy exterior and bottom, it holds it really well, nothing floppy! It also has a great chew that you find in a good pizza dough.
- For a more “chewy” dough, try using bread flour. It has more gluten and therefore will will produce a softer, chewier dough.
- This dough can be used for more than traditional pizza. It can be used to make garlic breadsticks. You can also use it to make a sweet pizza, like my Apple Dessert Pizza.
- You must try this pizza dough with my Homemade Pizza Sauce.
- This recipe makes two 10-inch pizzas. If you only use one dough ball, just wrap up the other dough ball in plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Use that other dough ball within a week. Dough cannot be frozen.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- very warm water
- active dry yeast
- granulated sugar
- all-purpose flour
- kosher salt
- vegetable oil
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH:
Place the warm water, yeast, and sugar into the body of a stand mixer with the hook attachment. Stir to combine and let it sit for about 5 minutes until a bubbly foam forms on the top of the water.
While the yeast is activating, place the flour and salt into a medium-sized bowl and whisk together until combined.
Once the yeast is activated, pour the flour mixture into the bowl. At slow speed, stir the flour mixture and yeast mixture together until a dough forms, scrape down the sides as needed. Crank the stand mixer up to medium-high and knead the dough for 5-7 minutes. The dough will form a smooth ball. If the dough sticks to the sides or bottom of the mixer while you are kneading, add a small amount of flour at a time, about 1 tablespoon until it no longer sticks.
On a clean work surface lightly dusted with more flour, knead the dough a few times to form a ball. Place the vegetable oil into a large bowl and grease the sides with the oil.
Place the dough ball into the bowl and roll it around in the oil so it is coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough sit and double in size. About 90 minutes or so.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly grease a pizza pan with cooking spray and set aside. With your hands or with a rolling pin, take half of the dough and place it on a lightly floured clean work surface and roll it out into a 10-12 inch circle. Place the dough on the pizza pan and stretch it out to about 10-inches wide.
Add pizza sauce and toppings of your choice.
Place into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until the cheese is browned and the crust is golden around the edges. Optional garlic butter: In a small bowl whisk together the melted butter and garlic powder. Using a pastry brush, brush the pizza crust as soon as you take it out of the oven.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES? GIVE THESE A TRY!
Homemade Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 1 cup very warm water (110°F)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Optional garlic butter:
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Place the warm water, yeast, and sugar into the body of a stand mixer with the hook attachment. Stir to combine and let it sit for about 5 minutes until a bubbly foam forms on the top of the water.
- While the yeast is activating, place the flour and salt into a medium-sized bowl and whisk together until combined.
- Once the yeast is activated, pour the flour mixture into the bowl. At slow speed, stir the flour mixture and yeast mixture together until a dough forms, scrape down the sides as needed.
- Crank the stand mixer up to medium-high and knead the dough for 5-7 minutes. The dough will form a smooth ball. If the dough sticks to the sides or bottom of the mixer while you are kneading, add a small amount of flour at a time, about 1 tablespoon until it no longer sticks.
- On a clean work surface lightly dusted with more flour, knead the dough a few times to form a ball. Place the vegetable oil into a large bowl and grease the sides with the oil.
- Place the dough ball into the bowl and roll it around in the oil so it is coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough sit and double in size. About 90 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly grease a pizza pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- With your hands or with a rolling pin, take half of the dough and place it on a lightly floured clean work surface and roll it out into a 10-12 inch circle.
- Place the dough on the pizza pan and add toppings of your choice. Place into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until the cheese is browned and the crust is golden around the edges.
- Optional garlic butter: In a small bowl whisk together the melted butter and garlic powder. Using a pastry brush, brush the pizza crust as soon as you take it out of the oven.
Notes
- Two good rules for working with yeast that I have learned: have active yeast and knead dough until smooth and elastic. That is really the basics right there. I buy a jar of rapid rise yeast and I store it in the fridge. Doing that keeps it fresher, longer.
- You want to get yeast that says fast-acting or rapid rise. Check the expiration date on the package.
- If you have a bread machine, this recipe works great in one. Just put all ingredients in your bread machine (add the wet ingredients in first.) Put bread machine on dough setting and allow dough to rise. Once dough has risen, take out and continue with the rest of the recipe.
- This dough makes a crispy exterior and bottom, it holds it really well, nothing floppy! It also has a great chew that you find in a good pizza dough.
- For a more “chewy” dough, try using bread flour. It has more gluten and therefore will will produce a softer, chewier dough.
- This dough can be used for more than traditional pizza. It can be used to make garlic breadsticks. You can also use it to make a sweet pizza, like my APPLE DESSERT PIZZA.
- This recipe makes two 10-inch pizzas. If you only use one dough ball, just wrap up the other dough ball in plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Use that other dough ball within a week. Dough cannot be frozen.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: January 2012
Updated & republished: April 2021
Hi Tracy, if all you have is all-purpose then go with that. BUT, if you have a bag of bread flour (but no semolina flour) then try to use all bread flour. Bread flour brings a nice and light chewiness to pizza dough and the semolina dough adds a bit of texture which I think makes a really flavorful pizza crust. Are you a fan of Tina from Mommy's Kitchen? She has a pizza dough that is made totally from all-purpose flour and she calls it her no-fail pizza dough. Here's the link in case you want to give that a try too. 🙂 Good luck!!
I have never made anything with yeast or bread flour. Would it be possible to make this with all purpose flour? I have just started to enjoy cooking but really have no idea what I am doing. I have made several of your dishes and they were absolutely FANTASTIC!
Yep, you can freeze the dough before it rises. Just make sure you wrap it well in plastic wrap, then I would also put it in a freezer safe bag and zip it up well. When you are ready to use it, you'll need to allow time for it to come to room temperature and allow it to rise. Hope that helps!
can you feeze the dough? if so, at what stage?
Hi USA Mom!! Woo Hoo! Thank you SO much for letting me know how it turned out for you. Love hearing that you used your bread machine for it too! So happy your family enjoyed it!! 🙂
After making many pizza crusts, I've finally found our favorite. I used 1½ cups bread flour and ½ cup semolina because I wasn't sure of the "crunch factor". Made the dough in my bread machine on the pizza dough setting and it came out perfect. Stretched it out to make a thin crust on an 11 x 17 sheet. Recipe could be easily doubled to make a thicker crust. Baked it with toppings at 445 degrees for about 12-13 minutes. My family gobbled it up. Thanks for posting this great recipe!
I have to admit that even though I make a lot of pizzas, I've never made my own dough. You make it look easy and your result is perfect. I guess it's time to buckle down and do it! Thanks!
Brandie, I can smell this dough from Paris! Loving it and your photos of this are just too tempting as I'm looking at this before dindins on a Friday night! That last one is a killer! Bravo on Top9!
Working with yeast dough is really magical, I smile during the whole kneading process ( not kidding! ) I've never tried semolina flour, thanks for sharing, I will definitely try it now! Congrats on the Foodbuzz top 9!
I love making my own pizza dough. I have never tried it with semolina flour – definitely going to try next time!
Congratulations on the Top 9:) Thanks for the tips on working with yeast. Geri
There is something about the smell of yeast and flour…
I'll have to try the semolina flour next time I make pizza dough. I love the idea of added crunchiness!
Brandie, your dough is PERFECT!!! I need to make homemade pizza soon! Hooray for the Top 9!
Your dough is gorgeous, as well as the pizza. Great job. Thanks for the tutorial. Next time my hubby wants pizza, we'll try this recipe.
Congrats on the Top 9 today!
Bookmarked!! Will try this the next time I make pizzas. Congratulations on the top 9!
Very very delicious looking pizza..and made from scratch even better!!! All your hard work payed off..you made it to the top 9!!! Congrats sweetie!!!
Is there a way to make this dough ahead of time and then use it the next day? Can you let it rise and then refrigerate it for the night and then shape it when you are ready to use it?
Denise, I would recommend making it, but not letting it rise. Just cover the ball with plastic wrap & put it in the fridge (it will still rise some overnight). If you've got a big bowl with a lid, oil that and put dough ball in there. The dough will actually have enough room to rise overnight. And then you won't have to do a warm rise when you go to use it. Hope that helps!
Totally YUMMYAarthi
Wonderful step-by-step! I have no experience with doughs, and I love the browned edge on your pizza 🙂
I have to say though, I can't get over that Fleischmann brand. Nothing is worse that "Meat-man" as a name for butter and bakery goods…
Look delicious!! I actually just made my first homemade pizza dough last night…it just a big harder than expected, but I've never made any homemade dough before. The end result was so yummy, but not as pretty as yours! 🙂
I'll have to use this recipe sometime with the semolina.
Blessings,
Leslie
You're making me want pizza! This looks delicious. I've not tried semolina yet, but I think it's getting added to the grocery list!
Your pizza looks amazing. I've never tried making a semolina dough but I think I might have to now. Great recipe!
Great walk through. I like to make mini pizzas with the grandkids, they get a real kick out of helping shape the pizza. Yours looks delicious.
Golly I'm hungry for a pizza right now! Yours looks so good!