Homemade Pizza Dough recipe that comes together in just a few minutes and turns out better than any take-out pizza you order now! If you have always wanted to learn how to make pizza crust at home that is crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, just read on my friend.
Last year, we moved to a really small town in the middle of nowhere Minnesota and one of the biggest changes it created was how infrequently we go out for dinner anymore. Since we have no desire to get pizza from the only gas station in town, I have become a pizza making master over the past 16 months. We have homemade pizza every week and it is the BOMB!
I’m not here to tell you what to put on your pizza because that is a very personal decision, except to beg you to please grate your own mozzarella cheese. You don’t want all the nasty additives they put on the pre-shredded stuff. Shred your own and enjoy the perfect melty, stringy cheese you love on a great slice.
I am here to give you a homemade pizza dough recipe that will end your search forever. Read on for the super easy recipe as well as my three tips that will give you the great results I’ve learned over time.
How to Make Pizza Dough
- Use Bread Flour – All Purpose Flour is exactly as its title describes. It is a general use flour that will result in decent product in all baking situations, including in your pizza. But what if you are as obsessed with pizza as I am and you want a slice that has the ultimate texture and chew?Protein is the key difference. Bread flour has around 14% compared to 9% in AP flour. This higher protein amount allows the flour to absorb more liquid, which creates a pizza crust that holds its shape better and rises upward instead of outward. A flour’s protein content also determines how much gluten can be formed in a dough. The more protein, the more gluten, and the denser and chewier the finished texture will be. So yes, the use of bread flour is worth it!
- Use Corn Meal on the Surface to Roll Out the Crust – This trick is one I’ve recently discovered and has made a generous improvement to my homemade pizza crust. the corn meal that gets stuck onto the bottom of your dough actually “lifts” the dough off the surface of your baking stone or cookie sheet. This allows the moisture in the dough to escape and creates a beautifully crisp crust on the outside. It does add a hint of a nutty flavor and some texture to the outer layer of the crust.
- Invest in a Baking Stone – If you don’t own a baking stone, it is worth the $25 solely for making killer pizzas at home. When it comes time to preheat your oven, that baking stone goes into the oven at the beginning and it becomes 475 degrees as well. When you slide that pizza onto the stone, it bakes quickly at this high temperature which creates a crisp crust on the outside while allowing the inside to stay soft and chewy. Honestly, a baking stone will convert you to homemade pizza permanently.
If you like this pizza dough recipe, then be sure to hop on over to my Hot Italian Sandwich Braid recipe where you can use this pizza dough in a whole new way for dinner!
Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe VIDEO
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Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe
This homemade pizza dough recipe is the one you’ve been searching for 🙂
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 – 1 lb dough balls – 16 slices 1x
Ingredients
1 1/4 C warm water
2 Tb sugar
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
2 Tb vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
3 C bread flour
Instructions
Mix: In the bowl of your mixer with the dough hook attachment, mix together the water, sugar and yeast. Allow it to sit for a couple minutes until the yeast begins to bubble then add the oil, salt and 2 cups of the bread flour. Mix well before adding the remains 1 C of bread flour. Allow the dough to knead 3-5 minutes.
Raise: Remove the bowl and the dough hook, then use your hands to form the dough into a ball. Cover with a towel and place in a warm, draft free place to rise for 1 hour. While the dough rises, preheat your oven to 475 degrees. If you have a baking stone, allow it to heat up in the oven.
Roll: Dust your counter with a bit of flour before dumping the risen dough onto it. Divide the dough into half and form each half into a tight ball. Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Once it has rested, roll our your dough in some corn meal using a rolling pin to shape it into a 12″ circle. If the dough won’t stretch, simply cover it and let it rest again.
Bake: Preheat your oven to 475 degrees and let it get hot! Top your pizza as desired and transfer it onto the hot baking stone in your oven, or onto a cookie sheet dusted with corn meal if you don’t have a baking stone. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
Notes
*A baking stone results in the best texture for your pizza so consider purchasing one if you don’t have one!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 103
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 145 mg
- Fat: 2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: pizza, homemade crust
Heather says
Hi. I tried this recipe, but I’m wondering if your amounts of water and flour are correct. When I used 2 1/4 cups of water with 3 cups of flour, it was like thick soup. I have added 2 more cups of flour and am hoping it turns out. Help!!
Hi Heather! My apologies because the water amount was a typo. It is 1 1/4 C of water. I have made the correction on the recipe and again, my apologies!
Kelly daniels says
Glad I came back and looked at the recipe. Thought I had lost my mind when dough was soupy. Glad I wasn’t the only person thiamin happened to. Will try again this weekend.
Thanks Kelly! I appreciate your understanding 🙂
Shelly says
I’ve tried so many different pizza dough recipes and this one is hands-down the best! We cook ours on a hot pizza stone and it turns out perfect every time. Every Friday night is pizza night!
Woo hoo!! Love hearing this Shelly! Thank you for coming back and leaving a review because it really helps!
Rhona says
Awesome recipe just a note I scoop flour instead of spoon and level. I have made this several times and it is my go to for Friday night pizza!!!!