Basic Homemade Pizza Dough

This basic homemade pizza dough is easy to make, really delicious and flavorful, and ideal for pizzas baked at home in the oven.

Friday night is pizza night at our house, and this is the pizza crust recipe I’ve used for many, many years. It just makes really great pizza!

It’s light and crispy on the outside while staying chewy on the inside. And adding honey, herbs and garlic guarantees great flavor regardless of whatever toppings you choose to pile on top.

2026 update: I originally developed this basic pizza crust recipe in 2013, and while it’s still a great recipe, I now prefer my easy no-knead pizza dough. It has a higher hydration (ratio of water to flour) and works better for the kind of pizzas I make these days. But this is a great beginners recipe!

Ingredients you’ll need

• All-purpose flour
• Yeast: You can use active-dry yeast or instant/quick-cooking yeast.
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Water
• Herbs: I like to use fresh rosemary, thyme, oregano or basil (or a combination). Dried herbs will work too.
• Honey
• Fresh garlic: Or garlic powder.

The herbs, garlic, and honey are technically optional, but highly recommended. Pizza crust isn’t just a vehicle for yummy toppings, it should have great flavor all on its own!

How to make this basic pizza dough

If making pizza at home from scratch intimidates you, I’m here to tell you: you got this! Read the recipe through a few times, take a deep breath, and then give it a go. After a few pizza nights you’ll be baking like a pro, promise.

1. Heat water, olive oil and honey. This helps activate the yeast, just make sure it’s not too hot (temps above 140°F will kill your yeast!)
2. Add to some of the flour, salt, yeast, herbs and garlic. We’ll start with just 2 cups of the flour.
3. Mix to make a wet dough. Use a dough whisk or your mixer; dough will be very wet and sticky.
4. Add more flour and mix. With your mixer on low, add more flour 1/4 cup at a time, waiting till its incorporated to add more.
5. Stop when dough is smooth and clears the bowl. It should still feel soft and tacky, but holds together. The exact amount of flour you’ll need varies!
6. Let it rise. Cover and rise about 1 hour till doubled (less if using instant yeast).
7. Punch down and shape. Roll or press it out into a 12-inch circle, or press into a sheet pan.
8. Add toppings. Use what you like!
9. Bake. Bake in your kitchen oven at 450-500° (the hotter the better) until crust is golden and cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

Why the amount of flour you’ll need for this recipe varies

Home bakers often get nervous when they see a range amount for an ingredient, instead of a specific amount (like for this recipe, you’ll need about 3-4 cups of flour). And this is because flour is a very dynamic ingredient and the exact amount you’ll need will depend on the humidity in your environment, the brand of flour you use, and how you measure flour.

For this recipe you’ll add a base amount of flour, then mix in more gradually to achieve a dough that’s soft and tacky, but not so soft that it’s a wet, sticky mess. If you add too much flour, you’ll end up with a dry crust that’s hard to work with.

Pro tip: Look for when the dough starts to clear the sides of your mixer bowl, but still sticks on the very bottom. This means you’re just about there!

When to use this pizza dough

This pizza is ideal for pizzas cooked in the oven, as it has a lower hydration and will cook very well at 500°F in about 10 minutes.

I recommend using a pizza steel and preheating your oven (with the pizza steel inside) for 1 hour. Yes, 1 hour! This ensures the oven is as hot as it can be, which will cook the pizza quickly, with the best rise and a nice golden color.

If you have a wood or gas-fired pizza oven that can reach higher temps such as 700-900°F to produce super quick Neapolitan-style pizzas, I recommend using my Easy No-Knead Pizza Dough recipe instead.

More pizza resources

• How to Make Pizza at Home: Your Ultimate Guide (lots more pizza making tips!)
• My Favorite Pizza Tools
• How to Freeze Homemade Pizza

3.70 from 13 reviews

Basic Pizza Dough

Servings: 2 10-inch round pizzas

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Rise Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

The only homemade pizza dough recipe you’ll ever need!

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Ingredients

 

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• ▢ 3-4 cups (375-500 grams) all-purpose flour , as needed (see Notes)
• ▢ 2 ¼ teaspoon (7 grams) active-dry yeast (1 envelope)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh herbs ,finely chopped or 1 teaspoon dried herbs (optional)
• ▢ 1 clove of garlic , minced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
• ▢ 1 cup (227 grams) water
• ▢ ⅓ cup (66 grams) olive oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon (21 grams) honey

Equipment

Dough whisk

Electric mixer

Instructions

 

Prep pizza dough:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or in a large bowl if mixing and kneading by hand), combine 2 cups (250 grams) flour, yeast, salt, herbs, and garlic.
• Heat the water, olive oil, and honey in a small saucepan until barely steaming. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes, or until temperature is between 120-130°F (no hotter or you will kill the yeast).
• Add the water mixture to your dry ingredients and mix on low until combined to make a wet dough (You can also use a dough whisk or spatula for this step, it will combine the ingredients faster).
• With the mixer on medium low, add the remaining flour a ¼ cup (about 30 grams) at a time, mixing until incorporated between each addition. Continue adding flour until the dough clears the bowl but is still soft and tacky to the touch.
• Once enough flour has been added, continue to knead with a dough hook or by hand for a few more minutes until smooth and elastic.

Let it rise:

• Shape dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Put in a warm place and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Shape and bake:

• Preheat oven to 500°F.
• Gently push down on the center of the dough to release the gases and knead by hand on a clean surface a few times. Divide dough into 2 and reshape into rounds. Then let them rest for 10 minutes, covering with plastic wrap so they don't dry out. (This rest relaxes the gluten, making it easier to roll out and shape).
• Working with one pizza round at a time, roll out or stretch dough into a rough 10-inch circle. Or shape into a rough rectangle and press into a well-greased baking sheet pan.
• Top dough with desired toppings and bake until crust is golden, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes

• I like to use fresh herbs like rosemary, sage, thyme. If I use dried herbs I use Italian seasoning.
• You can substitute 1 tablespoon granulated sugar for the honey if desired. Add with the dry ingredients.
• Why the amount of flour you’ll need varies: There are a lot of factors when it comes to making yeast dough, such as the humidity level where you are, the brand of flour you use, or how it’s measured. Go by touch and feel, not by the amount. The dough has enough flour when it’s bulky enough to clear the sides of your mixer bowl, but still feels very soft and tacky to the touch.
• Storing pizza dough: You can let the pizza dough rise in the fridge slowly if you’d like to prepare it ahead of time. Dough it best if used within 24 hours. You can also freeze the dough, tightly wrapped for up to 1-2 months. Let thaw to room temperature and double in size before using.
• Nutrition facts are for one baked pizza crust without toppings.

Calories: 1307kcal, Carbohydrates: 206g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 40g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Sodium: 1183mg, Potassium: 396mg, Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 168IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 38mg, Iron: 12mg

Cuisine: American, Mediterranean

Course: Appetizer, dinner, lunch

Author: Annalise Sandberg

Have you tried this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Leave a rating and review below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious with #completelydelicious.

This recipe was originally published May 2013.