How to Make Homemade Pizza Dough

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A round ball of pizza dough on a wooden surface, surrounded by bowls of olive oil, red pepper flakes, pesto, grated cheese, and fresh basil.

Learn how to make pizza dough at home! With a few simple ingredients, you can make perfect pizzas from scratch with your very own pizza dough!

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Prep Time: 15

Rising: 1 30

Total Time: 1 45

Servings: 12" Pizzas

Author: Michelle

Ingredients

4 cups bread flour + 1/4 cup as needed
2 ¼ teaspoon (1 packet) instant bread machine yeast or active dry yeast (see instructions for prepping yeast)
1 ½ cups warm water (about 110°F)
1 ½ teaspoons coarse Kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey

Instructions

Before starting, if you're using active dry yeast, sprinkle the yeast into the warm water and bloom for five minutes until puffy and bubbly. If you're using instant or bread machine yeast, skip blooming add the yeast right to the flour.
Combine 4 cups of flour, yeast, water, olive oil, honey, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook attachment.
Mix for one minute on medium low speed until just combined, but the dough still looks shaggy.
Turn the mixer up one notch to medium speed and knead for three minutes. Stop the mixer and touch the dough. If it sticks to your finger and won't come off, add a little more flour from your 1/4 cup reserve. Only add one tablespoon at a time. Continue mixing for 8 more minutes. The dough should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl cleanly, if it's not, add another tablespoon of flour and continue kneading.
The dough is ready when it springs back quickly after a poke. For a better test, try the windowpane method: stretch a small piece between your fingers—if it’s thin enough for light to pass through without tearing, it’s done. If it tears easily, knead for 2–5 more minutes.
After kneading, scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 2-3 times by hand into a smooth ball. The dough should feel very soft, but not sticky, and form into a ball easily.
Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil (I just reuse the mixing bowl) and place your dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap or a warm, damp, kitchen towel.
Place the dough in a warm spot to rise until it has doubled in size, roughly 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
Once the dough has risen punch it down and turn onto a lightly floured surface.
Divide the dough into two 16 ounce portions and roll each portion into a ball. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes before stretching into your desired shape and baking.

Notes

Stretching and shaping tip: if the dough pulls back on you while you're stretching, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes and continue stretching.
For sheet pan pizzas: Press and stretch one 16-ounce portion of dough to fit an oiled 13x9" baking dish. Once shaped, top the dough with sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings (like pepperoni or fresh basil pesto) and bake at 450°F for 15-20 minutes until risen and the cheese has browned.
Baking on a pizza stone: Preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500ºF. On a lightly floured surface, stretch one 16-ounce dough ball into a 12–14" thin crust. Sprinkle cornmeal or semolina on a pizza paddle and place the dough on top. Add sauce, cheese, and toppings. Give the pizza a gentle shimmy to ensure it’s not sticking, then slide it onto the hot stone. Bake for 10–15 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.

Cuisine American, Pizza, Yeast Recipes

Course Lunch/Dinner, Main Course

Nutrition