Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

square image of a pizza dough ball dusted with flour on a plate

Pizza is a staple at our house. Thick-crust, thin-crust, we love it all! With this Homemade Pizza Dough, it's a snap to make any pizza we can dream up!

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Proofing Time 3

Total Time 3 45

Servings 12-inch pizzas

Calories 1159kcal

Author Julie Kotzbach

Equipment

Ingredients

1 ½ cups warm water (105 to 110 degrees F)
0.25 ounce dry active yeast about 2 teaspoons
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for the bowl

Toppings

Pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese shredded
Your favorite pizza toppings

Instructions

Add the yeast to the warm water and give it a quick stir. Let that sit for 5 minutes so the yeast can bloom (get bubbly).
Add 4 cups of flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix using the dough hook attachment. Add the yeast, water, and olive oil to the flour, being sure to get all the yeast out of the measuring cup.
Run the stand mixer on medium-low to mix everything together, about 1 to 2 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. (see note) Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and let it knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes.
Lightly coat a large mixing bowl with olive oil. Transfer the pizza dough to the oiled bowl and roll it around to coat the outside of the dough.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place on the counter for 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size. (see notes for thin-crust pizza)
Unwrap the bowl, and gently punch down the dough. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 1 hour.
Uncover the dough and divide it in half. Roll out the pizza dough into two 12-inch pizzas. Place the crust on a pizza stone, pizza pan, or baking sheet. Bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes.
Carefully remove the crust from the oven. Top with sauce, mozzarella cheese, and your favorite toppings. (I like to brush the edge of the crust with a little olive oil too.)
Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden. Remove from the oven, slice, and serve warm.

Notes

Nutritional information is for 1 pizza crust without toppings.

If you don't have a stand mixer, stir together the pizza dough ingredients until combined. Then turn it out on a work surface and knead for 8-10 minutes to develop the gluten.
If you notice the dough looks dry, add 1 tablespoon of water as needed until the dough starts to stick together. (My dough is always dry, maybe it's an AZ thing. I end up adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup more warm water to the original dough recipe.)
If the dough gets too wet, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it's not as sticky.
For a thinner crust, let the dough rise once for 1 hour and use immediately.
If you don't want to use your dough right away, place it in an air tight container (with room for the dough to rise, because it will) and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Nutrition