Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

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This Easy Homemade Pizza Dough is made with simple ingredients, and works perfectly for everything from thick crust to thin crust, or even grilled pizza.  We’ll walk you through everything step-by-step so that you'll be making delicious pizzas like a pro in no time.

Jump to:

• Make-Ahead Pizza Dough
• How to Make Homemade Pizza Dough - For Beginners
• How to Freeze Pizza Dough
• How to Thaw Pizza Dough
• Homemade Pizza Dough Ingredients
• What Is the Best Pan for Baking Homemade Pizza?
• How to Make Homemade Pizza
• What Is the Best Temp To Cook Homemade Pizza?
• Sauces for Homemade Pizza
• Toppings for Pizza
• Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

Make-Ahead Pizza Dough

We don’t call this recipe Easy Homemade Pizza Dough for nothing.  It uses just 6 ingredients, no fancy flours, and comes together in a snap. 

You can even make the dough a day in advance - all it takes is a few minutes out of your day, and a little refrigerator space.  Making it ahead of time actually improves the flavor of your dough because the yeast has enough time to sit and do its thing

If you don’t have time for a slow rise, no worries.  Go ahead and let the dough rise for about 15-30 minutes at room temperature before shaping and baking. 

Or, you can make the dough first thing in the morning and throw it in the fridge to use later on the same night.  There isn’t really an exact timeline for how long the dough needs to rise.  We’re telling you, this recipe turns out great every time!

How to Make Homemade Pizza Dough - For Beginners

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast and mix well.  Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes, or until it becomes frothy and bubbly.  
2. Once your yeast has “proofed,” add the olive oil, salt and about 1 ½ cups of flour.  Using a paddle or dough hook, mix until all the ingredients are completely combined.  
3. Add in the rest of the flour, about a ¼ cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl.
4. Mix on low speed for another 1-2 minutes until the dough is nice and smooth, then transfer to a lightly floured surface and shape the dough into a ball.
5. If you are making the dough ahead, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight. Otherwise, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it rest in a warm place for about 15-30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

How to Freeze Pizza Dough

Whenever you make pizza dough, you might as well double (or triple) it.  It’s no more difficult to make extra, and it is super simple to freeze for another day.

Before you freeze your dough, let it rise completely, then shape into rounds and transfer each dough ball to a freezer bag.  Press gently to remove any air from the bag and flatten the dough slightly, then seal it completely.  It can remain frozen for up to 3 months.

It also works to freeze dough that has risen slowly in the fridge, so don’t worry if you’ve made your dough and then plans have changed by the next day.  Just toss it in a freezer bag and save it for a rainy day.

How to Thaw Pizza Dough

To thaw your dough, pull it from the freezer the day before you want to use it and let it thaw overnight in the fridge.  The next day, remove the dough from the cooler and let sit at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes, then use however you’d like.

Homemade Pizza Dough Ingredients

• Flour - we use all-purpose flour but you can also use bread flour.
• Salt - salt is important for the flavor and for the structure of any bread, so don’t forget to add it!
• Water - warm water is best because it helps to wake up your yeast.  It should be between 95-110 degrees F.  
• Yeast - we use active dry yeast in this recipe, which needs to be proofed.  (check out our Homemade White Bread recipe for more info on activating yeast).  If you use instant yeast, you can skip the proofing step and just mix the dough together, knead and then let rise.
• Sugar - we use regular granulated sugar, but you could also substitute honey.
• Oil - olive oil, or else any other cooking oil that you’d like to use.  It’s best to use something with little flavor, like avocado oil.

What Is the Best Pan for Baking Homemade Pizza?

• Cast Iron Skillet or Cast Iron Pizza Pan: This is a great option for baking pizzas at home. Cast iron bakes very evenly and holds heat well, making for a crispy and chewy crust.  They are also very sturdy and will last forever - just make sure not to wash in your dishwasher.
• Round Non-Stick or Aluminum Pizza Pan: Another great option is to use a wide-rimmed round pizza pan and a pizza wire.  Pizza wires help distribute heat evenly, and can be found at restaurant supply stores, or on Amazon.  They’ll give you a crispier crust.  You can also try and find a perforated pizza pan, which would eliminate the need for a pizza wire.
• Pizza Stone: Place the pizza stone into a cold oven, then preheat them both together so that it gets nice and hot.  Shape and build your pizza directly on a baking peel, then transfer the pizza onto the hot stone to bake.  
• Baking Sheet: If it’s all that you’ve got, that’s all you’ve got!  You can absolutely use a rectangular baking sheet, just be sure to lightly grease the pan before you add in your dough.
• Deep Rectangular Cake Pan: If Detroit-style pizza is your thing, you can use a 2.5” deep cake pan.

How to Make Homemade Pizza

1. 1. Make your dough.
   2. Preheat your oven to between 450-500 degrees F. at least 30 minutes ahead of time.
   3. Choose your pan, as this will decide where you are going to shape and build your pizza.  If you use any type of pan, you can shape and build it directly in the pan.  If you are using a pizza stone, you’ll need to shape and build it on a baking peel.
   4. Stretch and shape the dough.  If your dough was in the fridge, let it come to room temp for about 15 minutes so that it will be more pliable and easier to work with.  Lightly flour your hands, then stretch, pull and press your dough to the size of the pan, without forcing it too much.  If it starts to resist, let the dough relax for a couple of minutes and then continue.  You can also check out this video (around the 6:15 mark) from our Homemade Stuffed Crust Pizza post to see how to stretch and toss a pizza dough like a pro!
   5. Add your sauce, toppings and cheese.  
   6. Optional: Brush the edges with olive oil or butter.
   7. Bake between 450-500 degrees.  The time will depend on the size of your pizza, thickness of the dough, etc, so keep an eye on it and once the edges are golden brown and your cheese has melted, it’s good to go!

What Is the Best Temp To Cook Homemade Pizza?

Short answer - hot!  Those brick oven pizzas at your favorite pizza place can get up to 600 degrees, just to give you an idea.  

Overall, our recommendation is that you bake homemade pizza between 450-500 degrees F.  Go much lower and you’ll find yourself eating a crust that is tough, soggy or both.  

For a pizza with a thicker crust, or for something like Stuffed Crust Pizza, you’ll want to reduce that down to around 400 degrees, so the dough has a chance to bake before the outside gets too dark.

Did you know that you can also grill pizza dough?  It’s such a great way to cook a pizza without having to heat up your house on a hot day.  You can find our recipe for Grilled Pizza Dough here.

Here are a few other tips to help you bake a perfect Homemade Pizza every time:

• You should also let your oven preheat for a minimum of 30 minutes before you bake your pizza.  If you are using a pizza stone, let the stone preheat along with the oven so it’s piping hot when you transfer your pizza onto it.
• Try to minimize the amount of times that you open the oven door and let the heat escape.
• If you have a convection oven, you can probably achieve an even higher temperature.  If so, go for it!

Sauces for Homemade Pizza

We usually use marinara sauce from a can or jar in a pinch, or you can oftentimes find pre-made marinara sauce in the deli area at your grocery store.

When you have a bit more time, these recipes would all make amazing sauces and spreads for your Homemade Stuffed Crust Pizza:

• Make your own Homemade Marinara Sauce!
• Spread a thin layer of Garlic Butter over your crust before adding cheese and any toppings.
• Use Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce to make a white pizza.
• Try using the Homemade Pesto from this Chicken Pesto Pasta recipe.

Toppings for Pizza

Our family is a pepperoni and cheese family all the way.  But it’s also our humble opinion that there are no bad pizza toppings.  Yes, we even support pineapple on pizza - whatever floats your boat!  Here are a few other ideas:

• Meat Lovers with cooked sausage, diced ham, and grilled chicken
• Margherita-style with fresh basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella
• Spinach and Artichoke with artichoke hearts, cooked spinach, and mozzarella cheese
• BBQ chicken with grilled chicken, BBQ sauce, onions and mozzarella cheese
• Veggie pizza loaded with your favorite fresh veggies, red onions, and mozzarella cheese
• Mexican pizza with refried beans, corn, cilantro, sliced jalapeños, and a Mexican cheese blend

Here are some other recipes made we pizza dough that we love!

• Pull Apart Garlic Bread
• Homemade Cheesy Breadsticks
• French Bread Pizza
• Homemade Stuffed Crust Pizza
• Grilled Pizza Dough

If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment on this post. I love hearing feedback from you helps me and other readers too! If you love Pinterest,  feel free to leave a comment and photo there too.  Also, if you like to share, use the hashtag #thecarefreekitchen on Instagram and tag me @thecarefreekitchen so I can find you and give your post some love. You can also find me on Facebook at The Carefree Kitchen. Thank you!!

This Easy Homemade Pizza Dough is made with simple ingredients and can be used for everything from thick crust to thin crust, or even grilled pizza.  Whether you make it a day ahead, freeze it or use it right away, this dough works perfectly every time!