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.
- 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!)
- Add to some of the flour, salt, yeast, herbs and garlic. We’ll start with just 2 cups of the flour.
- Mix to make a wet dough. Use a dough whisk or your mixer; dough will be very wet and sticky.
- 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.
- 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!
- Let it rise. Cover and rise about 1 hour till doubled (less if using instant yeast).
- Punch down and shape. Roll or press it out into a 12-inch circle, or press into a sheet pan.
- Add toppings. Use what you like!
- 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.
baking tip:How to help your dough rise faster
- Oven: Heat your oven to its lowest setting for a few minutes, then turn it off. Place the covered dough on the center rack and close the door.
- Microwave: Heat 1 cup of water in your microwave for 2 minutes. Remove water and place the covered dough in the microwave and close the door.
- Other: I’ve also risen bread on top of a warm oven, running dryer machine, and even on a chair set over a heater vent.
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
Basic Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 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
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.
This recipe was originally published May 2013.
Can you make this without the salt or reduced salt? I’m not a baker so I am not sure if the salt has a purpose other than flavor. This looks super yummy, and I can’t find pizza crusts without sodium.
You’ll want at least some salt for flavor, but yes you are welcome to reduce it as much as you like!
This pizza dough recipe is exactly what I was looking for. The only pizza crust that I can find with herbs in it is the Great Value pizza crust, which I love. But, this recipe is even better! I made my pizza last night, brought some to heat up at work tonight, and it was still just as soft and yummy as it was last night! Thank you! I don’t have to buy pizza crust anymore because I just found my pizza dough recipe. I added twice as much herbs (italian seasoning) and it turned out perfect! Delicious. ?
I was just wondering if the pizza dough can be froze?
Definitely!
Works amazingly
Solid dough recipe. We used it to make calzones. It made enough for 4 servings.
I found this recipe and the first time I tried it out my kids said “why don’t you ALWAYS make pizza?” For over a year now we’ve been doing family movie night every weekend and I make this pizza (for my family of teenagers and almost teenagers I double this and SOMETIMES we have leftovers!) Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
y u don’t add sugar in the dough can u tell me???
I use honey in place of granulated sugar. If you’d rather use sugar, substitute honey for 1 tablespoon sugar and add it with the dry ingredients.
Homemade pizza dough is the best! I love this easy recipe! Thank you.
This is the first time I have ever left a review. I made this pizza dough last night and my family and friends LOVED it! Thanks for such a great recipe. We will definitely make Again!!
Yay! Thanks so much for the review!
Not a good recipe. Measurements were wayyy off. I followed it EXACTLY had to throw my first batch away and my second batch still did not come out right. Plus you never included the glucose in the recipe
Sorry for the typo! Thanks for bringing it to my attention, I’ve fixed the instructions.
And I’m sorry the pizza dough didn’t work out for you. I’ve made it literally hundreds of times over many years and it’s still a family favorite. If you’d like to troubleshoot some issues via email, I’d be happy to help! completelydelicious@gmail.com 🙂
Your H20 is way off on this recipe .
It’s the ratio I’ve been making weekly for years! 🙂
I’ve tried a few pizza dough recipes but so far haven’t found one that I love. I’m not sure if it’s me, or the recipes, but I’m going to try yours to see if I have more luck. Could you please clarify a few things. I can’t see that your dough has a second rise after being degassed. Is this correct? What technique do you use to shape the dough? If making the dough ahead, how many days can it be kept in the fridge? Will the dough freeze successfully in a ball and if so, could it simply be thawed and then allowed to come to room temperature before shaping or is it best to parbake the dough and then freeze it? Thanks for the clarifications.
I made a double batch of this pizza dough this morning; let it rise about 2 hrs on the counter in bowls covered with plastic wrap. Then I punched it down, kneaded a few minutes, reshaped into balls for a 2nd proofing. I can’t even tell you how good this dough with the herbs and minced garlic smells during rising..OMG!! Hope to get about 10-12 6″ pizzas; maybe more if I can get a nice thin crust.
This was delicious, and came together so quickly! We did a sausage, bacon, Alfredo pizza. My husband said it was one of the best pizzas he’s ever had (and we’ve had a lot of pizza). Thank you for the recipe!!
Annalise – would this recipe work in my bread machine on the dough setting? I am searching for just the right pizza dough for the bread machine as it’s a time saver on work days!