Best Basic Pizza Dough Recipe

35 Replies

Almost every Friday night, you’ll find an oven blazing with a round baking stone heating up inside. Homemade pizzas were made weekly when I was growing up and we’ve continued the tradition.  Try this basic pizza dough recipe and join in the tradition!

Last week I shared some ways to make homemade pizza frugally so that even if you are on a budget you’ll still be able to enjoy pizza night and my sauce recipe is here. Today I have my basic pizza crust recipe and baking instructions for you!

two lumps of pizza dough. The best basic pizza dough recipe and tips for making a perfect pizza. This is amazing and so easy. You need this for your pizza night tradition!

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My number one tip for a successful homemade pizza: A baking stone! We have a 15 inch round stone from Pampered Chef. It has become well seasoned over the years and is well worth the investment. 

My second tip: Don’t roll all of the air bubbles out of the dough. I use a combination of stretching, tossing, and rolling. I like to use my mini pizza and pastry roller (one similar to this).

My third tip: Preheat the oven and the stone. Give it longer than when your oven says it’s ready. You want the stone good and hot.

My fourth tip: Use a high temperature. I turn the oven to 475 degrees.

I know crust thickness is somewhat a personal preference. This crust recipe fits a 15 inch stone. in a hand tossed/New York Style type of thickness. If you like super thin and crispy, cut the flour back. If you like your crust thicker, increase it to 2 3/4-3 cups. Don’t forget, this means the water amounts will change as well. Gradually add the water to the flour until you come up with the right dough consistency. The first time you make this, it will be a little bit of a guessing game. Simply tweak it the next time to your family’s preference.

I prefer to let this dough rise for several hours but when I’ve been in a rush I’ve made and used it after a short 15-30 minute resting period and it was still good.

We’ve also used part whole wheat flour and all whole wheat flour. This will change the texture slightly and you’ll end up using more water.

Now that we are a family of 5, I always double this basic pizza dough recipe. Use a full tablespoon of yeast in a double recipe.
Picture of a lump of pizza dough and a yummy cooked pizza. The best basic pizza dough recipe and tips for making a perfect pizza. This is amazing and so easy. You need this for your pizza night tradition!

Basic Pizza Dough Recipe

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Homemade Pizza Crust
Author: 
Recipe type: Main Dish
 
An easy and delicious pizza crust recipe that your family will love!
Ingredients
  • 2½ cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons sugar (optional, I no longer use)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • Scant tablespoon yeast
Instructions
Dough
  1. Place flour in mixer bowl.
  2. Top with salt, sugar, and yeast.
  3. Add water and oil. Should make a soft dough that isn't sticky at all.
  4. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic.
  5. Cover mixing bowl and let dough rise until at least doubled - a couple of hours. It's okay if it goes longer.
Preheat
  1. Thirty to sixty minutes before you are going to bake your pizza, preheat the oven and stone to 475 degrees.
Rolling the Dough
  1. Gently put the dough on a lightly floured surface.
  2. Next roll, stretch, and toss your dough into a 15 inch circle. When rolling, do it gently so not to deflate all of the air bubbles. I prefer to use my mini roller.
Topping
  1. Remove the stone from the oven and carefully carry and place the crust onto it.
  2. Spread with sauce of choice.
  3. Top with meats, vegetables, and cheese.
Bake
  1. Bake for 8-15 minutes.
  2. Cut and serve
Notes
I always double this recipe and simply use a full tablespoon of yeast.

 

a lump of easy pizza dough! The best basic pizza dough recipe and tips for making a perfect pizza. This is amazing and so easy. You need this for your pizza night tradition!

35 thoughts on “Best Basic Pizza Dough Recipe”

  2. Chris at Hye Thyme Cafe

    I’m busted … I made a BBQ brisket last week and had extra sauce, so I wanted to make a BBQ Chicken Pizza. I got lazy and picked up a Boboli crust – wasn’t happy with it. Should have read this sooner. 😉 [#PinItThurs]

    Reply ↓
    1. Deanna Michaels Post author

      Yum! BBQ pizza is so good. It’s been a while since I made one. Ha ha, I know the disappointing feeling of purchasing bread products. I once purchased naan from Wal-Mart. That was a mistake. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply ↓
  3. Kim

    I’ve been looking for a good pizza dough recipe. Of course, this one will require me to put some effort i and plan ahead to give the dough time to rise but that’s not a bad thing!!!

    Reply ↓
    1. Deanna Michaels Post author

      We love this recipe and it is super easy. I like it best when it’s had plenty of time to rise but don’t tell, I’ve made it in a hurry before and it’s only had 30 minutes.

      Reply ↓
  4. Marlin

    This is looks yum…! as a matter of fact I made BBQ chicken pizza from scratch for the first time yesterday. My husband and I loved how it turned out. Beside we save money we also have lots of fun to prepare it.

    Reply ↓
  6. sparkling74

    WOw, this is the recipe I already use, from my bread machine recipe book! I dont’ cook mine at 475 though. I’d be so afraid it would be too burned too fast. One day, when I’m feeling frisky I might try it.

    Reply ↓
    1. Deanna Michaels Post author

      How funny that it is the same recipe! It is really easy and good. It doesn’t take long to cook at the temperature, that’s for sure! Makes the crust super yummy though.

      Reply ↓
  7. Kimberlee

    Thanks for sharing your crust recipe and tips. I just made homemade pizza last night. I like to use part bread flour and part whole wheat pastry flour for our dough and honey instead of sugar. I will have to consider getting a pizza stone. I use those pans with the holes in the bottom and they seem to work well in my oven – which is old.

    Reply ↓
    1. Deanna Michaels Post author

      We love to mix up the flour combinations too! The whole wheat gives it a nice body. I use honey sometimes as well. Love how easy it is to adapt. My parents had one of those pans! We love our pizza stone – maybe someone has one you can try sometime before purchasing.

      Reply ↓
    1. Deanna Michaels Post author

      Homemade pizza is amazing!!! Oh my goodness, I completely agree. Freshly shredded cheese if the way to go – so much better and it really doesn’t add any time.

      Reply ↓

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        1. Deanna Michaels Post author

          Hey, pizza for Friday nights is always good! I hope you daughter enjoys making it and gets it perfected. It will be fun for her to have “her” meal that she makes for the family.

          Reply ↓

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    1. Deanna Michaels Post author

      I’m sorry, I don’t. Since we’ve started wheat free I have stopped baking. If it becomes long term I might have to do some experimenting. I googled gluten-free hot cross buns and several came up but unfortunately I can’t make any recommendations. 🙁 Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply ↓

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  20. Merrideth

    Definitely going to experiment with some pizzas with this. Have you tried using the pizza dough for other things like stromboli or pizza pockets? If so, I’d love to hear how you did it!

    Reply ↓

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