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Homemade pizza has never been easier with this pizza dough recipe! Easy to follow, minimal ingredients and always delicious. Enjoy your pizza, calzones and breadsticks!

The hardest part of pizza making at home is the crust. I’ve been making my own pizza dough for years but I could never get it just right. It was never chewy and/or crispy enough. But after lots of testing and switching over to bread flour, I recently perfected my crust, getting it up to par with the pizza restaurants. I did lots of research and lots of testing and I’m so happy to share this Pizza Dough Recipe with you today!

Pizza Dough Recipe

Ok, friends, here’s the list of ingredients you’ll need to make the best homemade pizza dough ever:

Warm Water – warm water helps the yeast bloom faster. But if the water is too hot it can kill the yeast. So be careful!

warm water helps the yeast bloom faster. But if the water is too hot it can kill the yeast. So be careful! Yeast – fast acting or regular old active dry yeast is fine! This makes the pizza dough rise. This is my favorite brand.

fast acting or regular old active dry yeast is fine! This makes the pizza dough rise. This is my favorite brand. Honey – to help activate the yeast. You can use granulated sugar in a pinch.

to help activate the yeast. You can use granulated sugar in a pinch. Salt – to season the dough.

to season the dough. Olive Oil – or canola oil. The difference is the taste.

or canola oil. The difference is the taste. Bread Flour – this flour specifically has more gluten in it, yielding a chewier crust. In a pinch, you can also use all-purpose flour, but you just need to knead the dough a little longer. This is my favorite bread flour.

How to Make Pizza Dough

In a large mixing bowl, preferably that of a stand mixer, stir yeast and honey into warm water. Sit for 5-10 minutes or until bubbles form and mixture starts to foam. This tells you that the yeast is alive and kicking. Pour in salt, oil and half the flour and mix.

Once that flour is incorporated, start adding flour in bit by bit until you get the pizza dough to the consistency you want: slightly tacky, but when you touch it, it doesn’t stick to your hands.

Once you reach this stage, turn the mixer on a low to medium speed to knead for 6 minutes. Turn a timer on and walk away! Resist the temptation to stop earlier than 6 minutes! That seems to be the magical number. The dough should be smooth and easy to work with. And the bowl should be clean!

Lightly grease the bowl & the dough so it doesn’t dry out, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise 1-2 hours. That’s it! Now you can turn this dough into anything your little heart desires (maybe try grilling your pizza). To spread the dough you can use a rolling pin but I always just use my hands!

Tips and Tricks for amazing Homemade Pizza

Here are the details of my pizza dough recipe that you are going to want to know:

Use Warm Water – not hot, not cold. Pleasantly warm. Yeast likes warmth. Don’t overthink this step. If it feels nice and warm like baby bathwater, then you’re good. I don’t ever use a thermometer because thermometers are annoying for this kind of stuff. (If you’re into thermometers, 105 degrees Fahrenheit).

not hot, not cold. Pleasantly warm. Yeast likes warmth. Don’t overthink this step. If it feels nice and warm like baby bathwater, then you’re good. I don’t ever use a thermometer because thermometers are annoying for this kind of stuff. (If you’re into thermometers, 105 degrees Fahrenheit). Use Honey – I seem to get better results with honey. I don’t know why. You can use sugar if you prefer.

I seem to get better results with honey. I don’t know why. You can use sugar if you prefer. Bread Flour – you must must must use bread flour. Bread flour means more gluten. More gluten means chewy crust. Chewy crust = good. The end.

you must must must use bread flour. Bread flour means more gluten. More gluten means chewy crust. Chewy crust = good. The end. Knead, Knead, Knead – Kneading means gluten! And we all know what gluten means. Knead your dough for 6 minutes pretty please.

Kneading means gluten! And we all know what gluten means. Knead your dough for 6 minutes pretty please. Use a Pizza Stone – This is a great pizza stone. Put it in your cold oven, and then crank that baby up to the hottest temperature it will go to. For me, it was 500 degrees. That will really give you a crispy bottom like you get at the restaurants. If you don’t have a pizza stone use an upside-down cookie sheet.

That’s pretty much it!

Freezing

Yes(!!!) you can freeze this pizza dough recipe to save it for later. And it’s the perfect recipe to do this because it makes two mediums pizzas! Use half now and the rest later.

To Freeze: Simply follow the directions all the way stopping after you knead the dough for 6 minutes. This is the point when you could freeze your dough!! Divide into portions, place into freezer bags, seal, removing all air, and freeze for up to three months.

To Use: Remove from the freezer and let sit out to get to room temperature and double in size; 6-8 hours. Then use it as you’d like.

Make-Ahead

If you aren’t interested in freezing your dough but still want to prepare it ahead of time, you can! Follow the directions all the way through and then cover and refrigerate for up to three days. Letting your pizza dough sit in the refrigerator for 18-24 hours really develops that delicious yeasty flavor. Not a necessary step but a delicious one. Next time you make pizza dough, give this a try! It’s tasty 🙂

Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks

I turned my pizza dough recipe into delicious Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks. Buttery, salty, cheesy, garlic-y goodness. 9 minutes in a hot oven and these bubbly bites come out ready to be eaten. And made our kitchen smell divine. Give them a whirl this weekend!

Preheat oven to 500 degrees with pizza stone inside. {If you don’t have a pizza stone, use an upside-down cookie sheet…a tip I got from Natalie!} Mix butter and garlic in a small bowl and set aside. Spread pizza dough out into a 12-inch circle on parchment paper. {This makes it easier to transfer to the pizza stone.} Spread the butter and garlic mixture over dough and top with parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Top with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper, if desired. {That step is totally optional!} Bake 9-10 minutes or until bubbly and golden. Remove from oven and cool 1-2 minutes before cutting. Serve hot, with marinara.

Need More Pizza Recipe Ideas? I’ve got you covered!