I’d like to say that pizza is a big favorite with my family, but the truth is I am probably the biggest pizza fan at our house. Lol. This is my most used pizza dough recipe. It’s easy to make with just five basic ingredients, can be ready to bake in about an hour, and it’s that prefect blend of hand-tossed where it’s not super thick but also not thin crust. Just a good traditional pizza dough.
Once this pizza dough is ready, I tend to roll it out to fit my 15-inch pizza pan, but if you want to bake this one a different size or shaped pan it can still work well. You may need to adjust the bake time by a few minutes if you’ve rolled it out to be smaller (thicker), but it’s a very adjustable dough recipe.
Related: Want more pizza dough options? Next up, try whole wheat pizza dough, cauliflower crust pizza, or this high-protein pizza dough.
Ingredients
- Water – warm water is best
- Granulated white sugar*
- Instant dry yeast
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Olive oil
*The sugar is optional but I feel it kind of jumpstarts the yeast, so I almost always add it (and it’s not much). That being said, it’s totally fine to leave it out as well.
Directions
Measure out the warm water and stir the sugar, if using, into it. Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the water and allow to activate for a few minutes. It should look foamy.
In a medium to large mixing bowl, add the flour, salt and olive oil. Pour in the yeast water and stir until a loose dough ball forms. Lightly flour a surface and your (clean) hands and knead the dough for a couple minutes until it begins to feel almost elastic-like in your hands.
Add just a little more oil to the bowl, coating the sides, and place the dough ball back in the bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel. Allow to rise until it’s nearly doubled in size, about 45 minutes to an hour.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a circle. If you want to try tossing it in the air like they do in the movies feel free, but I usually just use a rolling pin. Place on a lightly floured baking sheet.
Cover with sauce, cheese, and other toppings. Bake at 400°F (204°C) for 15-16 minutes.
Tips for Making
- If your yeast does not look foamy and, well, alive after a few minutes—like, if it looks exactly the same as it did when you poured it from the packet—then check the expiration date, as your yeast may be old and inactive.
- If your kitchen is cold or drafty, the dough may not rise as quickly. Yeast likes a warm environment. One option is to warm your oven. It doesn’t need to be hot, just warm, and then place the dough bowl with towel inside to rise.
- Some people will prebake the crust for 5-6 minutes before adding sauce and other toppings and baking for the remaining 10 minutes. I sometimes do this and it does yield a slightly different texture to the crust. And sometimes I don’t prebake and that’s fine too. Either way will make pizza, it just changes the texture slightly.
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Instructions
-
Measure out the warm water and stir the sugar, if using, into it.
-
Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the water and allow to activate for a few minutes. It should look foamy.
-
In a medium to large mixing bowl, add the flour, salt and olive oil.
-
Pour in the yeast water and stir until a loose dough ball forms.
-
Lightly flour a surface and your (clean) hands and knead the dough for a couple minutes until it begins to feel almost elastic-like in your hands.
-
Add just a little more oil to the bowl, coating the sides, and place the dough ball back in the bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel. Allow to rise until it’s nearly doubled in size, about 45 minutes to an hour.
-
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a circle. If you want to try tossing it in the air like they do in the movies feel free, but I usually just use a rolling pin. Place on a lightly floured baking sheet.
-
Cover with sauce, cheese, and other toppings. Bake at 400°F (204°C) for 15-16 minutes.
Notes
If your yeast does not look foamy and, well, alive after a few minutes—like, if it looks exactly the same as it did when you poured it from the packet—then check the expiration date, as your yeast may be old and inactive.
If your kitchen is cold or drafty, the dough may not rise as quickly. Yeast likes a warm environment. One option is to warm your oven. It doesn’t need to be hot, just warm, and then place the dough bowl with towel inside to rise.
Some people will prebake the crust for 5-6 minutes before adding sauce and other toppings and baking for the remaining 10 minutes. I sometimes do this and it does yield a slightly different texture to the crust. And sometimes I don’t prebake and that’s fine too. Either way will make pizza, it just changes the texture slightly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Pizza Dough
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
