Forget about pizza take out! Make your own fluffy homemade pizza dough with just 6 simple ingredients. This is a foolproof recipe for a deliciously crispy crust that’s soft and chewy inside.
If you’ve never made pizza at home, you should definitely give it a try! There is nothing wrong with calling for take out, but it will never taste the same as a homemade meal.
It will be a great recipe for a cozy lazy night or fun summer cookouts! Serve it together with Potato Salad with Bacon, BLT Pasta Salad, or any other party meal!
Let me show you how to make the best homemade pizza dough with just 6 basic ingredients: water, yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil, and flour.
Why this recipe works
Pizza is all about the crust! You want it to be soft and chewy with a delicious crispiness.
The main trick here is water. If you don’t put enough of it, your dough will be tough. Put too much and it will spread and won’t keep the shape. So, we need to put just enough water to keep it moist, resulting in crispy crust that is soft and chewy inside. It’s very similar to how you make Homemade Sandwich Bread.
How to make Homemade Pizza Dough
1. Make the Dough
In a stand mixer bowl add warm water (about 110°F), yeast, and granulated sugar. Give it a stir and let it sit for 5 minutes. The mixture will start to bubble (Photos 1-4).
In 5 minutes, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and all-purpose flour (Photos 5-8).
In a stand mixer, using a dough attachment, mix the ingredients on low speed until combined. After it’s mixed, let it knead for 5 minutes. The dough will be a little bit sticky.
NOTE: Because different brands have different flour texture and moisture, you might need to use less or more flour. If your dough is too sticky, simply add a little bit more flour. Though, make sure you don’t add to much. It should be soft and a little bit sticky. That will help you to have a chewy and soft texture.
If you don’t have a stand mixer, first, mix all ingredients with spatula, then knead with your hands.
When done, add another 2 tablespoons olive oil to coat dough from all sides.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean towel. Let it rise for 2 hours, it will double in size.
2. Shape and Bake
Preheat the oven to 475°F.
When ready, take off the towel and plastic wrap from the bowl and gently press dough to deflate. Divide it in half.
Place one half on a round baking pan. Using your hands, flatten and stretch dough into a 12-inch disk, leaving the edges lifted (Photo 9).
Top with pizza sauce (or Homemade Marinara Sauce), cheese, and pepperoni, and bake at 475°F for 15-18 minutes on a middle rack (Photos 10-12).
Tips for Best Results
- Because different brands have different flour texture and moisture, you might need to use less or more flour. If your dough is too sticky, simply add a little bit more flour. Though, make sure you don’t add to much. It should be soft and a little bit sticky. That will help you to have a chewy and soft texture.
- When proofing the dough, I like to keep it in the oven (which is turned off). The reason being, that this is a perfectly contained place without any wind.
Toppings Ideas
- Classic. Pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni (optional).
- Margherita. Pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, basil.
- BBQ Chicken. Pizza sauce, BBQ sauce, chicken, mozzarella cheese.
- Hawaiian. Tomato Sauce, cheese, ham, pineapple.
- Fig and Prosciutto. Tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, arugula, prosciutto, figs.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can refrigerate it for up to 2 days. Grease it with a little bit of oil, place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge. When ready to bake, let it sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes to warm up.
Yes! Divide the dough in half (if you freeze both) and lightly cover them with oil. You can wrap them individually in a plastic wrap, then in foil, or just put in individual zip lock bags. Freeze up to 3 months. When ready to use, put it in the fridge overnight. Take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before baking.
Did you make this recipe?!? I’d love to know how it turned out! leave a comment and a rating below👇 thank you!
Soft and Fluffy Homemade Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups warm water (about110°F)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a stand mixer bowl add 1 ¾ cups warm water (about 110°F), 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast, and 1 tbsp granulated sugar. Give it a stir and let it sit for 5 minutes. The mixture will start to bubble.
- In 5 minutes, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 ½ tsp salt, and 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour.
- In a stand mixer, using a dough attachment, mix the ingredients on low speed until combined. After it’s mixed, let it knead for 5 minutes on low speed. The dough will be a little bit sticky. (If you don't have a stand mixer, first, mix all ingredients with spatula, then knead with your hands.)
- NOTE: Because different brands have different flour texture and moisture, you might need to use less or more flour. If your dough is too sticky, simply add a little bit more flour. Though, make sure you don't add to much. It should be soft and a little bit sticky. That will help you to have a chewy and soft texture.
- When done, add another 2 tablespoons olive oil to coat the dough from all sides.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean towel. Let it rise for 2 hours, it will double in size.
- When ready, preheat the oven to 475°F.
- Then take off the towel and plastic wrap from the bowl and gently press the dough to deflate. Divide it in half.
- Place one half of the dough on a round baking pan. Using your hands, flatten and stretch the dough into a 12-inch disk, leaving the edges lifted.
- Top with pizza sauce (or Homemade Marinara Sauce), cheese, pepperoni, and bake at 475°F for 15-18 minutes on a middle rack.
- When done, let it rest for 5 minutes, cut into 8 slices with pizza cutter and serve.
Notes
Can I freeze it? Yes! Divide the dough in half (if you freeze both) and lightly cover them with oil. You can wrap them individually in a plastic wrap, then in foil, or just put in individual zip lock bags. Freeze up to 3 months. When ready to use, put the frozen dough in the fridge overnight. Take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before baking. Toppings Ideas
- Classic. Pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni (optional).
- Margherita. Pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, basil.
- BBQ Chicken. Pizza sauce, BBQ sauce, chicken, mozzarella cheese.
- Hawaiian. Tomato Sauce, cheese, ham, pineapple.
- Fig and Prosciutto. Tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, arugula, prosciutto, figs.
I loved this recipe!
I was wondering if I can make the dough-prepare the pizza-then freeze?
Then take it out of the freezer all assembled and put in over to bake… I saw I can freeze dough alone and thaw to make. But wondering if there is success with a pre assembled pizza as well?
amazing texture and flavor
Just as it claims. Super fluffy soft and crispy!
I have searched for a long time for a Pizza Dough that compares to a Pizza Shop near me. FINALLY, THIS IS IT!!! It is light and fluffy, yet crispy on the outside. I have made the dough and weighed it and froze it in Ziplock bags, then pulled it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge the night before so I can have it for dinner. I use thin sliced provolone cheese draped over the edge of the crust. I bake until the cheese is crispy brown. PERFECT. Thank you so much for this. I will never buy pizza dough or crusts again.