This easy pizza dough recipe is a great recipe for pizza night! With just 5 ingredients this homemade pizza dough makes for the perfect crispy, chewy crust.
We have make your own pizza night at home all the time. Everyone gets to pick their favorite toppings and the kids love getting creative and helping make dinner. I love to make my own pizza dough because the taste is so much better than store-bought.
I recently spent a few days last month working on this recipe and it is the BEST pizza dough recipe!
Left to rise in the refrigerator for 24 hours, this pizza dough recipe makes for easy dinner prep. I know that seems like a long time, but the long cold ferment time makes a huge difference in the taste and texture.
Jump to:
🍕 Ingredient notes
- Flour - 00 flour is a fine ground Italian flour that has strong gluten, but less elasticity. This is the best flour for homemade pizza dough and homemade pasta as well. It is a bit more expensive and harder to find, so bread flour is my second choice. Bread flour contains more protein in it than all-purpose flour so it creates more structure and chew. It will make your pizza dough more chewy than 00 flour, but will still be great. All-purpose flour will also work as a substitute as needed.
- Yeast - Dry active yeast is what I usually keep around the house for bread and dough recipes. Instant yeast will work as well but might make the dough rise in less time.
🥣 Step by step instruction
First, pour the warm water into a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Let this sit for about 5 minutes until it starts to get foamy.
Add 4 cups of the flour along with the olive oil, and sea salt to the yeast mixture. Stir the mixture together until the dough forms a rough ball.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Place the ball of dough into zip-top bag or airtight container. Let the pizza dough rise in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours for best results.
Remove the pizza dough from the refrigerator and let the dough rest for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 475˚.
Stretch the pizza dough out onto a pizza pan, pizza stone or baking sheet. Top pizza sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings.
Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the cheese has melted.
If you ever don't recognize a tool or skill that is mentioned, be sure to look it up in our Glossary of Cooking Terms and Definitions for more information.
⭐ Expert tips
- If you are using active dry yeast, make sure to let it sit in the warm water for a few minutes to give it a head start.
- The pizza dough should be tacky, but not stick to your fingers. Add as much flour as needed in small amounts during kneading so it doesn't stick.
- Knead the dough until it has a smooth texture and bounces back when you press your finger into it.
- At least 8 hours or overnight should do the trick for the rising time on this pizza dough. If you can let the dough sit for the full 24 hours, the taste and texture of the finished product will be so much better.
- Make sure to put the dough in a large enough container or bag to allow room for it to double in size.
- For more immediate use, place the dough in a clean oiled bowl covered with plastic wrap. Leave it to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.
- Take the pizza dough out while the oven is preheating. This helps it to come to room temperature so it's easier to shape.
- Make sure to oil the pizza pan or sprinkle cornmeal over your pizza stone or baking sheet. This will help the pizza dough to not stick during cooking.
- This recipe makes two pounds of dough which is enough dough for two large pizzas or 3-4 smaller pizzas.
🍕 The best pans for cooking pizza
- Baking Sheet - An everyday non-stick baking sheet (affiliate link) is fine for making pizza at home. If you don't have the storage space for specialty pizza pans, stones or steels, this is a great multi-purpose pan. Make sure you drizzle the pan with oil or sprinkle it with cornmeal to help create that crispy crust and prevent sticking.
- Pizza Pan - If you have the room, one of my favorite everyday pans to use is this aluminized steel pizza pan (affiliate link). It's easy to store and helps create crispy crust. Make sure to use olive oil or cornmeal to help create the best crust and prevent sticking as well.
- Pizza Stone - A pizza stone (affiliate link) is also a popular choice for home cooks who make pizza often. It mimics the high heat absorption and retention of a traditional pizza oven, giving you an irresistibly crispy crust. This is bulkier and harder to store, but it is versatile. They can be found in round, square and rectangle shapes and used both in an oven or for cooking pizza on the grill.
- Pizza Steel - A higher end option is a pizza steel (affiliate link), which has superior heat conductivity for a crisp crust and a faster cooking time. This can also be used in the oven or on the grill and is a fantastic option for baking crusty bread!
- Cast Iron Skillet - One last option to cook pizza is in a cast iron skillet. While it requires a few extra steps, Cast Iron Skillet Pizza makes for a super crispy crust that is still fluffy and chewy. Cast iron skillets are also a great multi-purpose pan in the kitchen. They can be used for making roast chicken, homemade drop biscuits, a complete pot roast dinner, or a cast iron skillet cobbler.
⏲️ Make ahead and storage instructions
This easy homemade pizza dough recipe is great to double or triple to save for use later. It will last for 1-2 days after its 24-hour rise in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
To freeze, wrap the risen dough in plastic wrap and store it in a zip-top bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed the next day.
🍕 Pizza recipes to make
Now that you have the in's and out of making homemade pizza dough, here are some recipes you can try it out on!
🍝 Recipes to go with homemade pizza
If you loved this easy pizza dough recipe, check out these recipes that will go perfectly with your homemade pizza!
๐ Recipe
Easy Pizza Dough Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup warm water
- ½ teaspoon dry active yeast
- 4 - 4 ½ cup 00 flour (affiliate link), bread flour
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Pour the warm water into a large bowl (affiliate link) and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let the yeast mixture sit for 5 minutes until it gets foamy.
- Add 4 cups of flour along with the extra virgin olive oil and sea salt and stir until the rough ball of dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough should be tacky but not sticky. Add more flour a little bit at a time if needed.
- Once kneaded, divide the dough into two pieces and place each dough ball in a zip top bag or airtight container. Place in the refrigerator to rise for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours for best results.
- After rising, take the dough out to come to room temperature for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 475˚.
- Stretch each dough ball out onto an oiled 12-inch pizza pan (affiliate link) or pizza stone (affiliate link) or baking sheet (affiliate link) that has been sprinkled with cornmeal.
- Add the desired toppings to the pizza and bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Notes
- This recipe makes 2 pounds of dough which is enough dough for two large pizzas or 3-4 smaller pizzas.
- Knead the dough until it has a smooth texture and bounces back when a finger is pressed into it.
- At least 8 hours or overnight should do the trick for the rising time but the full 24 hours will give the best taste and texture.
- Place the dough in a large enough bag or container to allow for it to double in size.
- For more immediate use, place the dough in a clean oiled bowl covered with plastic wrap. Leave it to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
- Take the pizza dough out of the fridge while the oven is preheating so it's easier to shape.
- Make sure to oil the pizza pan or sprinkle cornmeal over your pizza stone or baking sheet. This will help the pizza dough not stick during cooking.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
- The pizza dough can be doubled or tripled if needed. It will last 1-2 days after its 24-hour rise in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- To freeze, wrap each risen dough ball in plastic wrap and store it in a zip-top bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost frozen dough in the refrigerator overnight.
Comments
No Comments