Simple Homemade Pizza Dough

I make homemade pizza dough more weeks than I don’t. It started as a Movie Night with Mommy thing, back when pizza and popcorn were the entire ritual, and it never really stopped.

Five ingredients, one bowl, and that’s the whole list. If you’ve never worked with yeast, this is the recipe I would hand you first, because it forgives almost everything you can do to it.

Pizza is a go-to dinner. My kids love to customize their pizzas with their favorite ingredients.

We use this dough for more than just pizza. It’s what I use for homemade calzones, and it’s the base for pizza roll-ups when I want to jazz up our pizza night. In the summer, it goes straight on the grill.

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How to Make Simple Homemade Pizza Dough

Start with warm tap water and yeast in your mixing bowl. You want it to be warm to the touch but not uncomfortably so.

Let it proof for five minutes, especially if you haven’t used it lately. When it gets foamy, this verifies your yeast is good to go. If it doesn’t, get some new yeast and start again.

Add the olive oil, salt, and flour to that same bowl, then run the stand mixer on low with the dough hook. Everything goes in one bowl, so there’s nothing extra to wash in your sink.

Once the dough comes together, it should be sticky but not so wet that the dough sticks thickly to your fingers. If your dough is too sticky, add more flour a tablespoon at a time.

Mix well between additions to ensure the dough fully incorporates the flour. Adding too much flour is tempting, so add it slowly.

Let your stand mixer go for seven or so minutes, or knead by hand for 10-15 minutes. The dough should feel smooth and soft like a baby’s bottom and spring back a little when you poke it.

Once it’s well kneaded, remove the dough hook or return the dough to your bowl if you kneaded by hand. Cover with a damp towel in a warm place for 30 to 60 minutes.

Divide the risen dough into two equal-sized pieces. Either store in the fridge for two to three days loosely covered (let some air in so the yeast doesn’t die) or use it immediately.

Does Pizza Dough Need Sugar?

No. I get this one a lot, but pizza dough needs no sugar – not even when you proof the dough. You will find some recipes that call for it, but it isn’t necessary.

Yeast eats sugar faster than grains, so a spoonful speeds things along. But yeast feeds on flour perfectly well on its own, and this dough rises without any help at all.

What Kind of Flour Should I Use?

I use the same all-purpose unbleached flour I use for everything else. You don’t need to buy a specialty flour to use once and then stare at for two years.

Bread flour and whole wheat both work here, though you may need to add a little extra water because these higher-protein flours absorb more water than all-purpose flour. Readers email me to say they make it that way all the time, so go for it.

Skip cake flour. There’s not enough protein in it to form the gluten strands you need, so you’ll end up with a crust that tears rather than stretches.

Can I Make Pizza Dough Without a Stand Mixer?

You definitely can. People made pizza dough for decades before anyone had a mixer on the counter.

Do NOT reach for your handheld kitchen mixer, however. It will burn out the motor, and it won’t mix the dough properly anyway.

Use a wooden spoon or a wide spatula to mix the ingredients until the dough comes together and you can no longer move it. Then turn it out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for about ten minutes.

How Hot Should the Water Be for Pizza Dough?

You want your water warm to the touch, but not so hot that you’d pull your hand back out from under the tap.

Most homes cap the tap at 120 degrees, and that’s plenty warm. Above 130 degrees, you risk your yeast, and at 140, it’s gone.

Cooler water still works. I tested it with cold tap water once, and it rose, though more slowly than with warm water.

Want the whole picture on yeast? My guide to baking with yeast answers every question I’ve ever been asked about it.

Can I Freeze Pizza Dough?

Yes, and it freezes beautifully. Divide it into pizza-sized pieces before it goes in, or you’ll be thawing one giant brick and trying to cut it.

To freeze the dough, put it in a zip-top bag, push out all the air, and seal it. It keeps about a month in the freezer.

How Do I Thaw Frozen Pizza Dough?

Move the dough to your fridge the night before you want to use it. It will thaw overnight and rise just a little. Let it sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes to make it easier to roll out.

If you’re in a hurry, leave it sealed in the bag and submerge the sealed bag in a bowl of cold water for an hour or two. Once it’s pliable, you’re good to go.

Warm water is faster, but change it every 10 to 15 minutes to keep it warm, and make sure it isn’t so hot that you accidentally start cooking the dough. If you need dough in the next 20 minutes, just make a fresh batch.

How Do I Bake Homemade Pizza?

This recipe makes enough for two pizzas, three if I make smaller and very thin-crust pizzas.

Roll the dough out on a well-floured surface. Move it to a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal, or onto an oiled baking sheet if you want a chewier crust.

I always bake my pizza on a pizza stone in my oven (or move the stone to my grill if I am grilling it), as it creates a significantly better crust than baking it in a metal pan. Put your stone on the rack you plan to use, and preheat it for at least 20 minutes.

Use your cornmeal-encrusted pizza peel to slide it carefully onto the stone, and let it bake there. It won’t stick to the stone and ensures you end up with the perfect crust texture.

Prep your dough with sauce, toppings, cheese, and then bake it in a 450-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes. The more toppings you add, the longer it needs to bake.

If you need inspiration, try my asparagus and goat cheese pizza or my family’s favorite – a dessert s’mores pizza.

Pizza Dough Troubleshooting

Your yeast never foamed. The water was too hot, or the yeast is past its lifespan. Toss it and start over with fresh yeast, because dough made with ineffective yeast never recovers.

The dough is sticking to everything. Add the flour one tablespoon at a time and mix fully between additions. Dumping in a half cup at once is the fastest route to a dry, tough crust.

Nothing rose in an hour. A cold kitchen slows yeast down more than most people expect. Give it more time or move the bowl somewhere warmer, and check that it doubled rather than watching the clock.

Your dough keeps springing back when you stretch it. The gluten is tight, and it’s pulling itself in. Walk away for ten minutes, and it will relax enough to cooperate.

The crust came out tough instead of chewy. You added too much flour, almost every time. I stir the flour in the canister to fluff it, then gently scoop, because a packed cup adds more flour than you intend.

My crust was soggy and pale. Generally, that means that you didn’t sufficiently preheat your oven or bake the pizza long enough. This also happens if you add too many toppings. We never add more than three here to ensure the heat gets all the way through the pizza as it bakes. It can also happen if you use too many “wet” toppings like raw tomatoes or other veggies that sweat out their moisture as they bake.

Have you ever made homemade pizza dough?

Check out some of my favorite pizza ideas:

• S’mores pizza
• Chimichurri pizza
• Asparagus goat cheese pizza
• Strawberry goat cheese pizza
• Individual pizza pot pies

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