The Best Pizza Dough
This Best Pizza Dough recipe is so easy to make. It creates the most delicious dough ever. My family asks me to make this all the time!
There is a huge debate over who has the best pizza. New York? Chicago? Italy? Well, my friends, let me be the one to answer this puzzling question and say that it’s none of them! That’s right! With my Best Pizza Dough recipe, the world’s greatest pizza will come straight from your oven, and the best part is that it only requires 6 simple ingredients.
Combine water, honey, yeast, and salt in a stand mixer. Once these are all mixed begin to gradually add the flour. When the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl it only requires a quick knead for a few minutes. This gives it some love and helps keep the dough tender. Cover and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.
Once the dough is ready, it’s time to get creative. Flatten out the dough to fit your baking pan and then go nuts with your sauce and toppings. PRO TIP: If it’s difficult to spread and flatten the dough into a pizza shape, let it rest for another 5 minutes or so. Your dough is ready when it is easy to work with.
We love having pizza nights at our house. It’s one of my favorite dinner activities to have with my family. Everyone gets to be their own chef and have whatever they want on their personal pizza. Pizza memories made in your very own kitchen is by far the best pizza in the world.
HOW MANY PIZZAS DOES THIS DOUGH MAKE?
This dough recipe creates 1 large pizza, OR 2 small pizzas, OR 4 personal size pizzas.
CAN I FREEZE THE DOUGH?
Yes! This dough freezes beautifully. Place it in a freezer-safe bag. Make sure to squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing the bag. Freeze dough for up to two months. Let the dough thaw in the refrigerator for at least 10 to 12 hours, then let sit on the counter to bring it to room temperature before making a pizza. You want the dough to be soft, and workable.
CAN THIS BE MADE GLUTEN FREE?
Yes! Substitute gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour.
ENJOY THIS RECIPE? HERE ARE A FEW MORE TO GET THE FAMILY INVOLVED!
Mexican Pizza – Tortillas filled with ground beef, cheese, refried beans, and enchilada sauce.
Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs – Tender marinated pieces of chicken, pineapple, onions, and bell peppers.
Margherita Flatbread Pizza – Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella cheese, and garlic on flatbread.
Ham and Cheese Sliders – Tender ham, melty cheese, on a toasted slider bun.
The Best Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (100 degrees F.)
- 1 tablespoon honey (or granulated sugar)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook, mix the warm water, honey, oil, yeast and salt. Add the flour gradually until a soft dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (The dough should be soft and smooth. You can add up to another 1/2 cup of flour, but no more than that.)
- Knead the dough for 3 minutes in stand mixer.
- Cover dough with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Shape and flatten dough out onto a greased pizza pan or greased baking sheet. Top evenly with your favorite sauce and pizza toppings.
- **If using a pizza stone, place stone in the oven while it preheats. Shape the dough out onto a large circle on parchment paper. Then carefully transfer the pizza dough onto a pizza peel that is dusted with flour and cornmeal. Top dough with pizza sauce and toppings, then carefully slide pizza onto the stone and bake.
- Bake pizza at 450 degrees F. for 12 to 14 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly, and edges of crust are a nice golden-brown. Carefully remove from oven. Allow pizza to stand and cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
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Made this MAny times, it is our favorite and FOOLProof
i have made this dough twice and for the life of me, cannot get it to cook all the way through. i end up having to bake it longer than the instructions. also i have discovered that it’s best to pre-bake first before making a pizza with it. i discovered that the hard way.
Kelly, I have honestly never had that issue. I am so sorry it’s been happening to you. All ovens are calibrated differently so it’s hard to say exactly what the problem is. I never pre-bake mine. But if that’s what has worked for you I am so happy. Again, I am so sorry about the problem you have had with this dough.
Can I use bread flour instead? Why do you use honey? I am planning on making pizza for dinner over this up-coming weekend but haven’t found a great dough and this one looks like it would be perfect. Thanks for posting it.
Yes I believe you can use bread flour. And the honey gives the dough a very light sweetness to it. It’s delicious!
Im planning to MAKE this tonight. Tgere are several comments about freezing the dough, but havent seen any about refridgeratinG it fOr a couple hours before baking. Any suggestions?
Thank you.
Yes, you can refrigerate it for at least 24 to 48 hours before using. Just make sure it is tightly wrapped to prevent from drying out. 🙂
Dough was super easy & quick to make! I think the cooking temp might be off, I thought that 475 was high so i put ours in for 450 and at the 7 minute mark the bottom is so scorched and the top is raw? 🙁
Pizza is typically cooked at a really high temperature. 475 degrees is what I have always used. I am so sorry it burnt the bottom of yours. Is your pizza pan dark? That could be a reason why. And all ovens heat differently so maybe if you want to give it a try again, cook it at 400 to 425 for just a longer amount of time to see if that helps. Again, I am so sorry it burnt your bottom crust.
DONT you have to raise the dough first ?
No, not with pizza dough
I can’t even tell you how many times we’ve made this dough… we love it! We’ve used it for normal pizza, calzones, and dessert pizza, all with great results. thanks so much!!!
I’m so happy you love it too! I love the idea of dessert pizza with this dough. I need to try that! 🙂
I made the pizza dough tonight, it’s really the best I have ever made/tasted. Thank you so much for sharing.
First time doing pizza and it turn out so good. Than you!!!
Can I adapt this recipe to a bread machine on a “Dough only” setting?
I made the Dough today and it was amazing. I used reguLar dry yeast so I I let it rest about 30-40 minutes. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
hi Holly,
im priming myself to get ready to make my first dough ever:). so hard to choose on pinterest!
2 questions, only have active dry yeast on hand and bought a huge bag of bread flour. can i use that or should I use all purpose for this one ? thanks 🙂
Hi Sue! Yes you can use the active dry yeast and I have never used bread flour with this dough, only all-purpose, but I’m sure the bread flour would work just fine. 🙂 Let me know if you try it!
hi Holly. me again, Shoot, im making this now, and am using the active yeast but you didnt mention adding sugar?. this is my second crack at the yeast foaming and its not happening. hmm. I just bought it and already made bread and foamed great? any tips ?
should i add apinch of sugar with the warm water and yeast tnx so much
hi Holly. me again, Shoot, im making this now, and am using the active yeast but you didnt mention adding sugar?. this is my second crack at the yeast foaming and its not happening. hmm. I just bought it and already made bread and foamed great? any tips ?
should i add apinch of sugar with the warm water and yeast tnx so much
THIS is Truely the BEST PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE! I HAVE MADE IT SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST 2 MONTHS. ITS SIMPLE AND MY FAMILY REALLY LIKES IT! THANK YOU!!
Thank you, Amy! So great to hear you loved it!
Can i use EVoo instead of veg oil?
Yes you can, Jo!
Can you double the recipe?
Yes, definitely! 🙂
Best dough recipe yet!!! I won’t be buying it anymore at whole foods! I found i needed a little more flour and it was perfect!!! My pizza came out so light and crispy… excellent recipe!!!
Diane, I am SO happy it was such a success for you too! I am actually going to make it tonight for some homemade calzones for us 🙂
I WANT TO KNOW IF I CAN BAKE THIS ON A SHEET PAN ? I DON’T HAVE A PIZZA PAN.
Yes, JC. You can bake this dough on a sheet pan!
Tried this last week and loved it! Wondering if I can double it though or if I need to make two SEPARATE batches?
I chOse this recipe because Of how easy it seemed and i had all the basic ingredients. I Truly cannot believe how good it turned out. Let me tell you what i had to work with thO and it still came out delish: I used my new convection oven that ACCOMMODATES a med pizza tray. However it only bakes up to 450 degrees. So i just baked for 2 minutes longer each time it was in there. I am by no means a Pizza making expert but this was too easy and tasTy. The crust was more Like a deep dish which is fine by me not really intO thIn crust and it had that wonderful Quality of crunchiness When you bite into it but then like soft warm bread throughout. It was so fast to Prepare and i will be making more pIzza from now On. Stroke Of genius with the hOney! Love it and thank you so much!
I Have neVer made pizza before today. This recipe is so good And was eaSy to make. My pizza turned out great and Is delicious. Thank you for your recipe. I am going to try more of your dishes.
Can this be used to make a thin crust pizza?
Definitely! You will just need to roll the dough out thinner.
i found ur recipe and switched from my yogurt recipe. i abosolutely love it. but my question is why the change u made to prebake the crust? i believe i did this the first time i made it but have not done it since. i have made thin crust, thick crust, bread knots and they all have turned out great even with alot of toppings on them. i do bake my pizza on a pizza stone so not sure that it may make a difference also.
It’s just a personal preference to pre-bake the crust. You can always top it with the toppings and then bake it as I originally had the recipe posted.
Then best pizza recipe i ever know
My go to recipe from this day forward! Although, I do let the the yeast bloom with an addition of honey to the water and yeast for about 10 min. To the Four I add about a teaspoon of dried basil and a teaspoon of dried oregano. Also, I split the salt to 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt. I love the simplicity of this recipe, the great texture, and how well it holds up to any types of toppings. I love it!!!