Pizza Dough Recipe

By: Leigh Anne WilkesPosted: 6/10/23Updated: 5/07/24

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This easy pizza dough recipe gives you a crust that is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside for the perfect slice of pizza!

Why You’ll Love This Recipie

What is pizza without the pizza crust? This is the homemade pizza dough recipe that we have been using for years. The crust can make or break the pizza. This recipe is perfect for a medium thickness of crust, not too thin and not too thick, and crisp on the bottom. No soggy crust!

I grew up in the midwest, an hour north of Chicago in a very Italian town. We had lots of amazing pizza restaurants and I ate a lot of great pizza. Over the years I have come to learn a thing or two about making the best pizza dough recipe.

Ingredients

Bread Flour. You can also use all purpose flour but bread flour give you a more tender crust.
Active Dry Yeast.
Sugar
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Warm Water

How To Make Pizza Dough

Combine yeast and sugar with warm water and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes until bubbly
Using a stand mixer with a dough hook, add flour, salt, and olive oil into the bowl. Pour in the yeast mixture and knead until smooth. It will still be a little sticky.
Place dough in a greased bowl (use olive oil), cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow dough to rise for at least one hour at room temperature. Longer is better.

To Bake:

Place pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. You want to do this about 30 minutes before the pizza goes into the oven. You want that stone nice and hot! If you do not have a pizza stone, just preheat your oven.
Cover pizza peel or a pizza pan with a light layer of cornmeal.
Roll out dough on a floured work surface with a rolling pin and place on a pizza pan or a pizza paddle if using a pizza stone.

Add sauce and favorite pizza toppings to dough. I highly recommend my homemade pizza sauce. It goes great with just about any topping.
Slide pizza onto hot pizza stone or place pizza pan in oven.
Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, until edges are golden brown.

Tips

Let the dough dough rise for at least an hour. A couple of hours won’t hurt either. I’ve even been known to let it rise for most of the day!
Use bread flour. All purpose flour will work, but it will not give you the same results. You will get a more tender crust and better texture with bread flour.
If you enjoy making homemade pizza, a wooden paddle and a pizza stone are must have items.
Put a light coating of cornmeal onto the pizza paddle before you roll out your dough. It helps prevent the dough from sticking and gives it a great texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use instant yeast instead of dry active yeast?

Yes, you can. If using instant yeast or rapid rise yeast, just add the yeast in with the dry ingredients and then add wet ingredients. There is no need to proof the yeast.

Can I freeze pizza dough?

This recipe makes enough dough for two 12-inch pizzas. You can divide the dough in half after the dough has risen and freeze half of it to use later. After the pizza dough rises, divide it in half and form into a ball. Lightly cover the ball of dough with olive oil. Place in a zippered freezer bag and remove as much air as possible. Then place in freezer and freeze for up to 3 months.
To thaw pizza dough, place in the fridge overnight. Let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling out.

Can I freeze baked pizza?

A baked pizza can be wrapped airtight in plastic wrap and then foil and kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. Bake frozen.

Check out some of my favorite pizza recipes:

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