Homemade pizza dough is so simple to make, and yields a perfect pie every time! This versatile dough can also be used for focaccia, calzones, breads, and pretzels.
Hello, lovelies! Today, after years of blogging {and studiously neglecting the need for this}, I am finally sharing my mom's Homemade Pizza Dough recipe! This is so simple to make, and it comes out perfect every time. While it is pizza dough, don't feel limited! You can, of course, make thin and crispy pizza, or deep-dish chewy pizza, or even focaccia. But! What about calzones? Garlic knots? Braided bread? Pretzels? Oh, yes. This is the dough of your dreams!
Everyone has those certain foods that their moms or grandmas have been making for as long as they can remember. Being Italian, one of mine is definitely pizza! I have fond memories of being a little girl in the kitchen with my mama. I'd always be pushing the chair by the counter so I could reach, and my mom would hand me a little ball of pizza dough to mess with while she worked with the real stuff.
Now I can't guarantee that this magical pizza dough will inspire the same memory-worthy moments, but homemade pizza is generally pretty memorable in its own right! You start with some super basic ingredients... flour, water, yeast, olive oil, salt, and a pinch of sugar. That's it! Even if your pantry is pitifully empty, generally you'll have all you need for pizza dough. And as I mentioned, the possibilities are endless! We usually spread it a bit thinner for pizza {and this cooks up fa-bu-lous on a pizza stone}, but if you leave a bit thicker and slather it in olive oil, you'll have some drool-worthy focaccia. The true classic of focaccia is just oil and rosemary, but we are pretty partial to baby tomatoes and oregano in my household!
This simple homemade pizza dough will totally become the new staple in your kitchen! It's so easy and versatile. I can't wait to see what y'all whip up with this! Happy baking!
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (+ more for working dough)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 packet instant yeast (2¼ tsp)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- ½ teaspoon sugar or honey
- In a large bowl, combine the lukewarm water and sugar or honey, and mix until sugar dissolved. Stir in the yeast, and allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes, until yeast blooms.
- Stir in about 2 cups of the flour, salt, and olive oil, and mix with your hands until a soft dough forms.
- Lightly dust a working surface with flour, dump the dough on top, and work it with your hands. Add more flour as needed until dough no longer sticks to your fingers and is elastic and smooth.
- Lightly oil a large bowl (you can just use the one from earlier!), and place the dough inside.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean towel, and allow it to rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours. Alternatively, you can also make it in the evening and let it rise all night in the fridge! Definitely refrigerate the dough if you plan on letting it rise for 8+ hours so that it does not over-proof.
- When ready to use, lightly knead the dough, and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Heat oven to 550F. Place in your desired pizza pan or on a pizza stone, top as desired, and cook until the crust is golden brown and bubbly on top, and the bottom is dry and crisp.
- Cook time will vary depending on your pan size. We normally bake the pan pizzas for about 15 minutes, and on the stone for 10 minutes. Definitely check on your pizza often so it doesn't burn!
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Jessica Bailey says
yum cant wait to try this recipe
Kyle Kranz says
550 degrees? My oven does not go up that high?
valentina says
Just crank your oven up as hot as you can! You want that shock of high heat to get the crust crisp on the outside and light and chewy on the inside.