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Easy Homemade Pizza Dough

June 4, 2015 by Eileen Gray 5 Comments

Jump to Recipe
a pinterest image for homemade pizza dough

Homemade pizza dough is surprisingly easy to make. A great pizza starts with a great dough. See step by step how to make and form your own pizzas.

a slice of pizza on a cutting board

Everybody loves pizza, don’t they?

For years I made a pizza dough that was very tough and dense.

But, as with almost all of my breads, I’ve gradually changed the way I make the dough. I’ve learned to use a lighter hand for a better bread.

Scroll through the step by step photos to see how to make homemade pizza dough:

a bowl of pizza dough in a mixer
Mix the water, yeast and flour and set it aside. This will help develop the gluten.
pizza dough in a bowl
Once all the flour is added the dough should cling to the hook and clear the sides of the bowl. The dough will still be somewhat sticky.
two balls of pizza dough.
After the first rise, divide the dough in half and form each half into a ball. At this point the dough can be frozen.

Visit this page to see exactly how to shape pizza dough with the best texture.

two pizzas ready for topping
Place the pizzas on a wooden pizza peel, pizza pan or baking sheet. Sprinkle the pan heavily with cornmeal to prevent the dough from sticking. You’re now ready to top and bake the pizzas.
a freshly baked pizza on a cutting board
Freshly grilled pizza topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella

Tips for making great pizza dough.

  • Pre-mixing the water, yeast and some of the flour will give the gluten time to develop before the salt and oil are added. Both salt and oil will inhibit gluten development.
  • Once the dough comes together, knead it just enough to fully develop the gluten.
  • After the dough has risen, handle it gently to keep some of the air bubbles. This creates a more interesting texture and lighter crust.
  • You can replace about 1/3 to 1/2 of the flour with whole wheat flour to make a whole grain crust.
  • After the dough has risen 1x you can freeze it to use later. Defrost the dough then proceed to roll, add toppings and bake.
  • Use fresh summer tomatoes with basil and mozzarella to make a classic Margarita Pizza.
  • Bake your pizza in a very hot oven, 450-500F.
  • If you’ve got a grill, click here to learn how to make charcoal grilled pizza.

Adapt the recipe to use your favorite toppings. The possibilities are truly endless.

a slice of pizza on a plate
the interior of a slice of pizza
Gently handle the dough for the lightest and best crust.

Use this same dough to make Philly Cheesesteak Calzones, Breakfast Calzones or Dessert Pizza topped with fresh berries.

If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review!

Continue to Content
Super Easy Pizza Dough

Super Easy Pizza Dough

Yield: Two 12" pizzas
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Rising Time: 2 hours
Bake Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes

A great pizza starts with a great dough and homemade pizza dough is pretty easy to make.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups (10oz, 300 ml) warm water
  • 1 packet ((2 1/4 teaspoons, 7g) instant dry yeast
  • About 3 cups (15 oz, 420g) all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • cornmeal

Instructions

  1. In a mixer bowl combine the water, yeast and 1 1/2 cups of the flour and mix until it looks like pancake batter. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30 minutes.
  2. If using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook.
  3. Add the salt and olive oil. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour 1/4 cup at a time. The dough will begin to clear the sides of the bowl and gather on the hook. If mixing by hand continue with a spoon or spatula until the dough becomes too thick then turn the dough out onto a floured surface and finish kneading in the flour by hand.
  4. Increase the speed to medium and knead for 3-4 minutes or knead by hand for 5-6 minutes. Dump the dough onto a floured surface and knead into a smooth ball.
  5. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and turn it over to coat the surface. Cover the bowl and leave in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
  6. If you're baking the pizza in the oven, preheat it to 450° F. If you have a pizza stone preheat that too. Alternately, try grilling the pizzas for a special smokey flavor.
  7. Dump the dough onto a floured surface, do not knead out the air. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the dough into 2 equal pieces.
  8. Gently form each piece into a ball by tucking the sides under the dough. Using the tips of your fingers, gently flatten and press the dough into a disc.
  9. Drape the dough disc over your two fists and pull from the edges to slowly enlarge the disc to about 12-14" around. Alternately, you can roll the dough with a rolling pin but I think the texture is better if you form the dough by hand.
  10. Place each pizza round onto a wooden peel, pizza pan or baking sheet sprinkled heavily with corn meal.
  11. Finish with your choice of toppings and proceed to bake or grill.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • All Natural Acacia Wood Pizza Peel 
    All Natural Acacia Wood Pizza Peel 
  • UNICOOK Heavy Duty Ceramic Pizza Stone
    UNICOOK Heavy Duty Ceramic Pizza Stone
  • Dexter Russell Pizza Cutter
    Dexter Russell Pizza Cutter
  • KitchenAid 5-Qt. Stand Mixer 
    KitchenAid 5-Qt. Stand Mixer 

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

© Eileen Gray
Cuisine: general / Category: Savory

Filed Under: Breads, Recipes, Savory

Previous Post: « Banana Cream Pie with Candied Macadamia Nuts
Next Post: Breakfast Calzones with Chorizo and Fried Eggs »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mary Ellen

    May 19, 2016 at 8:31 pm

    Love grilled pizza. Yout dough looks so good.

    Reply
    • Eileen Gray

      May 19, 2016 at 8:42 pm

      Thanks! It’s my favorite way to make pizza.

      Reply
  2. Rick

    August 16, 2015 at 11:57 am

    I have been messing around with pizza dough lately. I haven’t let it rise twice, but I will try that next time. You say to use a wooden peel. I have been using an aluminum peel, but the raw pizza tends to stick to it. It is well “cornmealed” and the toppings go on cold, so I’m wondering if a wooden peel would be better.

    Reply
    • Eileen Gray

      August 17, 2015 at 9:33 am

      Hi Rick, I’ve never used an aluminum peel but I can see how it would be more “sticky” than a wooden peel because it’s a smoother surface than wood. What kind of toppings do you add? Do you bake your pizza in the oven or on the grill?

      Reply
      • Rick

        August 19, 2015 at 3:05 pm

        Hi Eileen,

        Thanks for the reply. I use simple toppings: red sauce, fresh (wet) mozz, fresh garlic and basil. Hit it with a little Romano when it comes out. I have been using a stone in the oven with pretty good results. My next idea is to get the stone onto the charcoal grill. I will look into a wooden peel.

        Reply

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