Best Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

Homemade Pizza Dough is easier to make than you might think! Our simple recipe produces a thin, chewy crust that will rival anything you can get at the pizzeria! We’ve got all the tips and tricks to help you create delicious, homemade pizza right in your own kitchen.

Why You Should Be Making This Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

We’ve been making homemade pizza in our home for YEARS. Everyone loves it and it’s a fun way to get the kids involved in the dinner prep. Not only that, homemade pizza is cheaper, healthier, and (once you’ve nailed down the recipe) so much tastier than delivery pizza! Everyone gets exactly what they want on their pizza, because they are all making it themselves. It’s become one of our favorite dinner traditions.

I’ve played around with a lot of different recipes over the years, some of them better than others. But I’ve finally found a recipe that I can definitively declare the BEST Homemade Pizza Dough recipe. It’s easy to make with simple pantry staples. It’s practically fool-proof and easy to work with. And it produces a light, airy, and chewy pizza crust that rivals any dough we’ve had a pizzeria. Today I’m going to share all my tips and tricks to help you become a master pizza artist.

Ingredients you need for Homemade Pizza Dough:

• Yeast– Yeast is an important ingredient in pizza dough! It’s the leavening agent that will give you an airy, bubbly, chewy crust.
• Sugar– Sugar helps to activate the yeast in the dough.
• Water
• Salt– We used sea salt. Salt will greatly improve the flavor of your dough.
• Oil– We like to use olive oil in our pizza dough, but any neutral oil will work.
• Flour– The type of flour you use depends on the kind of crust you want! We usually use all-purpose flour, but read on to learn how the flour will affect your final crust.

What kind of flour should I use to make homemade pizza dough?

The type of flour you use will change the texture of your dough.  Here is a guide: 

• Crispy Pizza Crust: All-purpose Flour
• Chewy Pizza Crust: Bread Flour
• Crispy and Chewy Pizza Crust:  OO Flour (a finely ground Italian flour commonly used for pasta and pizza dough)
• Dense Nutty Pizza Crust: Whole Grain Flour
• Gluten-Free Thin Crisp Pizza Crust:  Almond Flour

How To Make Homemade Pizza Dough:

1. Activate the yeast. In a stand mixer with a dough hook attached, combine yeast and water and let it sit for a few minutes until it gets bubbly. If your yeast doesn’t bubble, it’s most likely old and you should use fresh yeast.
2. Mix up the pizza dough. Add oil, salt and 4 cups of flour. Mix until combined, then add the remaining 1 cup of flour in 1/4 cup increments until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. The dough should be soft and not overly sticky. You don’t want to add too much flour! This will give you a tough dough that will be difficult to get thin. Let the mixer knead the dough for 5 minutes.
3. Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.
4. Stretch the dough. Stretching the pizza dough, as opposed to rolling it, allows the dough to retain those lovely bubbles it got during its rise, creating a chewy, airy, artisan-style crust. Lightly oil your hands to prevent sticking. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Flatten the dough into a disc and use your fingers to gently press the dough into a circle. If the dough is quickly shrinking back and difficult to spread, allow it to rest for 10 minutes or so, covered with a clean kitchen towel. To stretch the dough you are going to carefully pick up the dough with both hands on one edge and let the rest of the dough hang down. Rotate the dough like you are turning a steering wheel, moving your hands in one direction pulling the dough from hand to hand. You should end up with a circle that is about 11 inches in diameter. If it isn’t perfectly round, no worries!
5. Create your pizza. Transfer your pizza dough to a pizza stone, peel, or baking sheet. Add your desired toppings.
6. Bake your pizza. The secret to creating delicious, homemade pizza is baking your pizza at a really high temperature. We bake our pizza at 475 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Our Favorite Homemade Pizza Toppings:

There is something about a classic pepperoni pizza, but if you make pizza every Friday night then it is fun to switch it up!  Here are some of our favorite pizza topping combinations:

• Chicken Pesto: Grilled chicken + Pesto Sauce + Mozzarella
• Margherita: Plum Tomatoes + Fresh Mozzarella + Basil Leaves
• Fall Veggie Pizza: Sweet Peppers + Carmelized Onions + Oven Dried Tomatoes + Pesto + Mozzarella
• Hawaiian Pizza: Natural Ham + Pineapple Chunks + Mozzarella
• BBQ Chicken Pizza: Shredded BBQ Chicken + Sautéed Red Onion + Mozzarella Cheese + Cheddar Cheese + BBQ Sauce/Ranch Sauce
• Classic Veggie: Tomatoes + Sweet Peppers + Mushrooms + Pineapple + Onions + Olives

Favorite Homemade Pizza Recipes:

• Veggie Packed Pizza Rolls
• The Best Veggie Pizza
• Sausage and Kale Pizza
• Rainbow Pepper Pizza