Easy Homemade Pizza Dough
A dependable everyday pizza dough with a crisp golden edge and a chewy centre, enough for two 12-inch pizzas.
- Measurements grams + cups
- Cuisine Italian-American
Why You'll Like This Recipe
- One rise, one bowl, and the dough is ready in about an hour and a half.
- Makes two pizzas, so it feeds four people or leaves one ball for the freezer.
- The dough improves if you leave it in the fridge overnight, which turns pizza night into a ten-minute job.
Recipe
Easy Homemade Pizza Dough
One bowl, one rise, enough dough for two 12-inch pizzas.
Ingredients
Ingredients scaled. The method below still refers to the original quantities.
Instructions
- Step 1. Combine the warm water, sugar and yeast in a large bowl.
- Step 2. Add the flour, salt and olive oil. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Step 3. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth, stretchy and slightly tacky.
- Step 4. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and rise for about 1 hour, until nearly doubled.
- Step 5. Heat the oven to 245 C / 475 F. If using a pizza stone or steel, preheat it for at least 30 minutes.
- Step 6. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Stretch each into a 12-inch / 30 cm round.
- Step 7. Add sauce, cheese and toppings without overloading the centre.
- Step 8. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden and the cheese is bubbling.
Notes
- Get the oven as hot as it goes and give it time. Domestic ovens read their target temperature long before the stone or tray has actually absorbed the heat, and a cool surface gives a pale, floppy base.
- Stretch by hand from the centre outwards, leaving the outer 2 cm alone. A rolling pin pushes the air out of the rim, which is where the puff comes from.
- Do not overload the middle. Wet toppings piled in the centre steam the base and it never crisps.
Easy Homemade Pizza Dough — Simple Table Recipes · https://simpletablerecipes.com/recipes/easy-homemade-pizza-dough/
Ingredient Notes
- Bread flour or all-purpose
- Bread flour has more protein, which means more gluten and a chewier crust that pulls when you bite it. All-purpose gives a softer, more tender base. Both work; they are different pizzas rather than better and worse.
- Sugar
- Ten grams feeds the yeast and helps the crust brown at high heat. Without it the edge stays pale even at 245 C.
- Olive oil
- Goes into the dough rather than only on the pan. It softens the crumb slightly and helps the base crisp rather than dry out.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl or stand mixer
- Baking sheet, pizza stone or steel
- Rolling pin, optional
Substitutions
- Instant yeast
- Active dry yeast works in the same quantity — dissolve it in the warm water with the sugar and wait 5 to 10 minutes for it to foam before adding the flour.
- Shaping
- The same dough makes calzone, focaccia-style pan pizza, or garlic knots. For a thicker pan pizza, press one piece into an oiled sheet pan and let it rest 20 minutes before topping.
Storage & Freezing
Storing: Refrigerate the kneaded dough, covered, for up to 24 hours — the slow cold rise noticeably improves the flavour. Bring it back to room temperature for about 30 minutes before shaping.
Freezing: Freeze dough balls after the first rise, lightly oiled and bagged, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and rest at room temperature before stretching.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make pizza dough ahead of time?
Yes, and it is better for it. After kneading, refrigerate the covered bowl for up to 24 hours. The slow cold fermentation develops flavour the one-hour rise cannot. Let it come back to room temperature before stretching.
Why does my pizza dough keep springing back?
The gluten is tight and needs to relax. Leave it covered for 10 minutes and try again — it will stretch far more willingly. Fighting it only tears the dough.
Do I need a pizza stone?
No, but preheated metal or stone makes a real difference to the base. An upturned baking sheet left in the oven while it heats is a reasonable substitute. What matters is that the surface is already hot when the dough lands on it.
Why is my pizza base soggy in the middle?
Too much sauce, wet toppings, or an oven that was not fully preheated. Spread sauce thinly, drain anything watery like fresh mozzarella or mushrooms, and give the oven a full half hour.
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?
Yes, in the same quantity. The crust comes out a little softer and less chewy. Many people prefer it for a thin, crisp base.
How thin should I stretch the dough?
About 12 inches / 30 cm from each piece, which is thin enough to crisp but thick enough to handle. Leave the outer couple of centimetres thicker so the rim puffs.
Did you make this?
Let other people know how it went. One tap, nothing to fill in.
Thanks — that helps.
