HOMEMADE DOUGH FOR PIZZA

ball of pizza dough on a floured surface, mozzarella and tomato sauce in the background

Learning how to make Homemade Dough for Pizza has never been easier! This simple to follow recipe is quick to make, great for beginners and comes out perfect every single time. It really is the only pizza dough recipe you will ever need!

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Rest Time 20

Total Time 50

Servings Pizzas

Ingredients

5 cups All Purpose Flour divided
2 cups WARM Water*
1 tbsp Active Dry Yeast
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp - 1 tbsp Salt*
Extra Virgin Olive Oil for greasing

Instructions

Mix warm water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer* Let sit 5 minutes until yeast proofs (it should look bubbly, slightly cloudy and active).
Add 2.5 cups of the flour and mix well, using the dough hook attachment. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
Add the remaining flour, salt and Italian seasoning.
Knead until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The dough should form a nice ball and no longer cling to the bowl.
Cover with siran wrap and allow it to rest for 10-20 minutes or until it has risen nicely and just about doubled in size.
Remove the dough from the bowl and transfer to a floured surface, using more flour to alleviate the stickiness if necessary.
Cut the dough into 2 equal portions.
Shape into individual balls.
Use a floured rolling pin to thinly roll each one out.
Line two 9x13 baking trays with parchment paper and generously grease with olive oil. Carefully transfer each pizza dough onto the pans, using your hands to stretch them out into the shape of the pan. If you're having difficulty, allow the dough to sit in the pan for a few additional minutes before trying again.
Top with desired pizza toppings, making sure to leave a 3/4-inch space around the edges for the crust (I love topping mine with everything but the bagel seasoning).
Bake in a 400°F oven for 18-20 minutes or until the pizza and toppings are fully cooked through.

Notes

Your water has to be WARM. If it's too hot, it'll kill the yeast. And if it's too cold, the yeast won't wake up like we need it to. And therefore, your pizza dough will never rise. I normally use my finger to check for warmness. But if you're uncertain, use a thermometer. In order for the yeast to proof properly, the water has to be between 110-115°F.

If using this homemade pizza dough recipe to make something savoury (such as cinnamon rolls or sticks), omit the Italian Seasoning, use less salt, and subtract 5 minutes from the cooking time.

I normally use 1 tbsp of salt for this recipe as we love salt in our house. However, that can be too salty for some people. If you're not generally a person who enjoys the taste of salt, I recommend only using 1 tsp.

For thicker crust: After rolling the dough out into your desired shape and thickness and transferring it to the pan, let it rest for a few minutes before topping. It'll rise again slightly creating a thicker and puffier crust.

For thinner crust: Roll the dough into 3 pizzas instead of 2 and top and bake right away.

No stand mixer? No problem. You can easily mix this homemade pizza dough by hand. However, it will take a bit longer and be a little bit more tedious though you'll still end up with delicious results.

This homemade pizza dough freezes beautifully. Please see the body of the post (under the FAQ sections) for detailed instructions.

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