Behold the easiest, most delicious and infinitely versatile pizza dough you will ever meet. It’s simple, approachable and nothing fancy is required. How about that for a recipe description?

And it’s all true. This incredible pizza dough dough bakes up chewy or crisp, can be made thick or thin and is ready in under 45 minutes. You need just six ingredients and one bowl to get started. And in about one hour, you’ll be noshing on fresh and hot homemade pizza. 

There’s no need for a stand mixer, dough hook or lengthy kneading by hand either. After a quick 30-minute rise, the dough gets five seconds of kneading before it’s shaped into a crust (by hand or with a rolling pin) or pressed into a pan for a deep-dish pizza.

Here are a few tips before we get to pizza making.

How to make pizza dough

First of all, don’t fear the yeast!

If you typically shy away from yeast-based doughs, please be reassured: you cannot mess up this recipe. It’s practically foolproof. Use the correct water temperature for proofing your yeast (not too hot, not too cold, easily measured with a thermometer) and you’ll create flawless pizza dough every single time.

The ideal temperature for proofing yeast is 105 to 110 degrees fahrenheit. Warm tap water is fine, just use a thermometer so you know the temperature. Cold water won’t proof the yeast and hot water will kill it.

This recipe calls for rapid rise or instant yeast, but you can also use active dry yeast. When using active dry yeast, use the same amount (1 packet or 2 ¼ teaspoons) but proof it first in ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon of warm water for 5 minutes.  

When it comes to flour, I strongly suggest you use double zero (00) flour for this pizza dough. Here’s why: double zero flour is finely ground Italian flour made from durum wheat, which creates gluten that is strong, but not elastic, making it the best option for a crispier crust. Bread flour is usually made from hard red spring wheat, which creates gluten that is strong and elastic, a great characteristic of chewy bread. In addition, 00 flour is less absorbent than bread flour and all-purpose flour, so you need less water to create your dough; less water produces a crispier crust.

That said, you can certainly use bread flour or all-purpose flour in this recipe, just note that the crust will be more chewy than crisp.

And don’t forget to flavor your dough.

Since pizza dough is basically flour, water, and yeast, it’s relatively bland. Most of the flavor in your pizza comes from the sauce and toppings. But, I encourage you to season your crust with a little garlic powder or onion powder — it’s a small addition that yields tremendous results. If desired, you can also add dried herbs like basil or oregano. When adding dried herbs, use 1 teaspoon and add them to the dry ingredients before adding the oil and water.

Finally, find a warm place for your dough to rise. To guarantee that your dough rises efficiently, and in just 30 minutes, park it in a warm place, away from any drafts. I suggest the top of your preheating oven.

How to roll out pizza dough

You can use a rolling pin or keep things simple and use your hands. This pizza dough is not overly elastic, so it won’t spring back while rolling out and shaping. You can also choose how thick or thin to make the crust and the edges.

When it comes to the edges, pinch with your fingers if you want it thin, or roll the dough over to create a thicker, puffy edge.

Once your pizza dough is ready for sauce and toppings, brush the entire surface with olive oil and use a fork to poke holes all over the base. This will prevent bubbles from forming during baking.

Here are my recommendations for dimensions based on the desired thickness of the crust:

• For regular crust, roll into a 12-inch circle.
• For thin crust, roll into a 14-inch or 16-inch circle.
• For a rectangular pizza or flatbread, roll into a 10-inch by 14-inch rectangle. (When making flatbread, there’s no need to add toppings before baking.) 
• For deep-dish pizza, press the dough into a 12-inch, ovenproof skillet or deep baking dish.

Note: Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your dough and how many toppings you’ve added.

Pizza toppings

Speaking of toppings, the best part about making pizza at home is choosing your own topping adventure. These are just a few of my go-to combinations.

• Plain with pizza cheese (a combination of mozzarella and provolone) and fresh basil.
• Cremini mushroom with mozzarella and parmesan (I sautéed the mushrooms first).
• Mozzarella with green bell peppers and red onion (I sautéed the vegetables first).
• Mozzarella with pepperoni and crushed red pepper flakes.
• Deep dish with fresh mozzarella, parmesan and fresh basil (I sprinkled the crust with parmesan cheese too).

Pizza sauce recipe

Once you taste my herby, rich pizza sauce, you’ll never use store-bought again. Pizza sauce is thicker than pasta sauce, and mine boasts plenty of Italian herbs, onion and garlic. And there’s no need to cook it. When stored in an airtight container, pizza sauce will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.

Makes: about 2 cups of sauce

Ingredients:

• 15-ounce can of tomato sauce
• 6 ounces tomato paste, regular or seasoned (I used tomato paste with basil, garlic and oregano)
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, optional
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Whisk together all the ingredients except the salt and pepper. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Make a white sauce:How to make creamy parmesan and garlic fettucine Alfredo

Pizza dough recipe

You can make this dough in advance and I strongly suggest you double or triple this recipe so you always have dough on hand. To make ahead, once the dough has risen, deflate it as instructed and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using and pull the dough from the refrigerator 30 minutes before shaping, topping and baking.

Makes: enough dough for 1 pizza

Ingredients

• 2-2 ⅓ cups 00 flour, divided
• 1 packet rapid rise/instant yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons). Or, if using 1 packet dry active yeast, proof first for 5 minutes in ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water (105 to 110 degrees F)
• 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder or onion powder, optional
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for coating the bowl and pizzas
• Homemade pizza sauce (see recipe above)
• Toppings of your choice

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour, yeast, granulated sugar, salt and garlic or onion powder (if using). Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and warm water and mix well with a wooden spoon. Add 1 more cup of flour and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until the dough is cohesive, elastic and starting to pull away from the sides of the bowl, adding more flour as needed (that’s why there’s an extra ⅓ cup, in case you need it). The dough will be sticky, yet manageable.
2. Coat a separate, large bowl generously with olive oil, coating the bottom and sides. Using your hands, shape the dough into a ball and transfer the ball to the oil-coated bowl. Turn to coat all sides of the dough with oil (coat the dough generously or risk dry spots).
3. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes, until doubled in size.
4. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or use a nonstick baking pan.
5. Once the dough has risen, use your hands to gently deflate it and transfer it to a flat surface. Knead briefly until smooth, about 3 to 5 times.
6. Using your hands or a rolling pin, shape the dough into a 12-inch round (or 14- to 16-inch round for thin crust), or a 10-inch by 14-inch rectangle, or press the dough into a 12-inch, oven-proof skillet or baking dish.
7. Pinch or roll over the edges to form a crust (this isn’t necessary for a deep-dish pizza). Rolling over the edges will create a thicker crust.
8. Brush about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top and crust of the pizza. Use a fork to poke holes all over the center of the dough (this will keep the dough from bubbling up in the oven).
9. Add homemade sauce and desired toppings.
10. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese melts (check after 12 minutes as cooking time will depend on the thickness of your dough and how many toppings you’ve added).
11. Remove from oven, slice and serve.

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