Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

Name: Easy Homemade Pizza Dough
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1.38 cups (325 ml) water, warm, 105–110°F (40–43°C); 2 teaspoons (6 g) instant yeast; 1 teaspoon (4 g) granulated sugar; 3¾ cups (500 g) bread flour, spooned into the cup and leveled; 2 teaspoons (10 g) fine sea salt; 2 tablespoons (27 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, for the dough; 1 tablespoon (14 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, for greasing the rising bowl; 2 tablespoons (16 g) bread flour, for dusting the counter and peel

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A reliable, forgiving bread-flour pizza dough that comes together in one bowl and rises in about an hour. It bakes up with a crisp bottom, a chewy interior, and a lightly blistered rim.

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 20 min
Wait: 1 hr 20 min
Total: 2 hr 5 min
Makes: 2 balls of dough (two 12-inch / 30 cm pizzas, 4 servings)

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Steps

Before you start

Measure the flour by weight if you can. Scooped cups of bread flour vary a lot, and too much flour makes dense dough.
Warm the water to 105–110°F (40–43°C). It should feel comfortably warm, not hot. Water above 120°F (49°C) can kill the yeast.
Plan on about 2 hours from start to finish. The dough rises for 1 hour, then rests 15 minutes after shaping into balls.
Have your toppings ready before you shape the dough. They are not part of this recipe. Plan on about ½ cup (120 ml) sauce and 4 oz (115 g) cheese per pizza.
If you have a pizza stone or steel, you will preheat it for 45 minutes. Start that during the rise (step 5).

1
Activate the yeast
- Pour the 105–110°F (40–43°C) warm water into a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in the instant yeast and sugar.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes.
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Ready when: The surface looks cloudy and foamy, with small bubbles and a yeasty smell.
Tip: If there is no foam after 10 minutes, the yeast is likely old or the water was too hot or cold. Start over with fresh yeast.
2
Add flour and salt
- Add the 500 g bread flour and the salt to the yeast mixture.
- Stir with a wooden spoon or your hand for about 1 minute, until no dry flour remains and a shaggy, sticky mass forms.
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Ready when: No dry patches of flour remain.
Tip: Adding the salt with the flour, not directly onto the yeast, keeps it from slowing the yeast down.
3
Work in the oil
- Drizzle the 2 tablespoons (27 ml) olive oil over the dough.
- Squeeze and fold the dough in the bowl for about 1 minute so the oil is absorbed and the dough holds together.
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Ready when: The dough forms a cohesive ball and the bowl looks mostly clean.
4
Knead the dough
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter, using a little of the dusting flour.
- Knead for 8 minutes by pushing it away with the heel of your hand, folding it back, and turning it a quarter turn.
- Or knead in a stand mixer with the dough hook on medium-low (speed 2) for 5–6 minutes.
- Add flour only 1 teaspoon at a time if it sticks badly.
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Ready when: The dough is smooth and elastic, slightly tacky but not sticky, and springs back slowly when poked. A small piece stretches into a thin, translucent window without tearing.
Tip: Resist adding too much flour. A slightly tacky dough gives a lighter, chewier crust.
5
Let the dough riseOven 500°F / 260°C
- Grease a large clean bowl with the 1 tablespoon (14 ml) olive oil.
- Add the dough and turn it once to coat.
- Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and leave in a warm spot (about 75–80°F / 24–27°C) for 1 hour.
- About 15 minutes before the rise ends, put a pizza stone, steel, or inverted baking sheet on the middle oven rack and preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) so it heats for at least 45 minutes.
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Ready when: The dough has doubled and a floured finger pressed in 1 inch leaves a dent that fills back in slowly.
Tip: In a cool kitchen the rise can take up to 90 minutes. Judge by the dough, not the clock.
6
Divide and restOven 500°F / 260°C
- Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured counter and press down gently to deflate it.
- Cut it into 2 equal pieces (about 435 g each).
- Shape each into a tight ball by pulling the edges underneath and pinching them closed.
- Place the balls seam-side down, 3 inches (8 cm) apart, on the floured counter.
- Cover with a towel and rest for 15 minutes.
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Ready when: The balls look puffy and relaxed, and they spread slightly.
Tip: If the dough keeps shrinking when stretched, cover it and rest it another 5 minutes.
7
Stretch the dough
- Dust the peel or a sheet of parchment lightly with flour.
- Working with one ball at a time, press it into a flat disc with your fingertips, leaving the outer 1 inch (2.5 cm) edge untouched.
- Lift the dough and drape it over your knuckles, rotating it so gravity stretches it to a 12-inch (30 cm) round.
- Lay it on the peel or parchment.
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Ready when: The dough is an even round about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick, with a slightly thicker rim.
Tip: Avoid a rolling pin. It squashes out the air bubbles that give the crust its airy rim.
8
Top and bakeOven 500°F / 260°C
- Add your favorite toppings, going light so the crust cooks through.
- Slide the pizza, with the parchment if using, onto the hot stone or steel.
- Bake at 500°F (260°C) for 8–10 minutes.
- Repeat with the second dough ball, letting the oven come back to temperature for 3 minutes first.
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Ready when: The rim is deep golden brown with a few darker blisters, the underside is browned and firm when lifted, and the cheese is bubbling.
Tip: Heavy, wet toppings make a soggy center. Blot wet ingredients like fresh mozzarella with paper towels first.
9
Rest and slice
- Move the pizza to a cutting board and let it rest for 2 minutes.
- Slice and serve hot.
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Ready when: The cheese has stopped bubbling and the slices cut cleanly.

Good to know

Tips

Weigh the ingredients. 500 g of flour and 325 g of water gives 65% hydration, which is easy to handle and bakes up crisp and chewy.
For the crispiest bottom, preheat the stone or steel for the full 45 minutes. A baking sheet works but gives a slightly softer base.
Cold dough is hard to stretch. If you refrigerated it, let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour before shaping.
If your oven goes higher than 500°F (260°C), use its top setting and shorten the bake by 1–2 minutes, watching closely.

Make ahead

"For better flavor, after kneading, place the dough in the oiled bowl, cover tightly, and refrigerate 12–72 hours instead of the 1-hour rise. Divide into balls, rest them covered at room temperature for 1 hour, and shape as in step 7."

Storage & reheating

"Unbaked dough balls: refrigerate in oiled, covered containers up to 3 days, or freeze up to 3 months (thaw overnight in the fridge, then rest 1 hour at room temperature). Baked pizza: keep at room temperature up to 2 hours, refrigerate up to 3 days, or freeze up to 2 months. Reheat slices in a skillet over medium heat, covered, for 3–4 minutes, or in a 425°F (220°C) oven for 8–10 minutes."

Substitutions

bread flour → all-purpose flour. The crust will be a bit softer and less chewy. Reduce the water to 300 ml (1¼ cups) to start, and add a little more only if the dough feels dry.
instant yeast → active dry yeast. Use 2¼ teaspoons (7 g). Stir it into the warm water with the sugar and wait the full 5–10 minutes until foamy before continuing.
granulated sugar → honey. Use 1 teaspoon (7 g). It feeds the yeast and adds light browning.
fine sea salt → kosher salt (Diamond Crystal). Use 1 tablespoon (about 15 g) because the flakes are larger and less dense. For Morton kosher, use 2½ teaspoons.