Easy Pizza Dough

5 from 3 votes

Everyone needs an easy homemade pizza dough recipe. This one is my favorite. It's made with bread flour, so it comes out puffier and perfectly chewy.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Resting2 15

Total Time2 55

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: 12-inch pizza crusts

Calories: 1042kcal

Author: Tania

Ingredients

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 ½ cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing
1 ½ teaspoon salt
3 ½ to 4 cups bread flour, plus more as needed
A few sprinkles of cornmeal for pan
Your favorite toppings

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and sugar. Let it stand for about 10 minutes until frothy. This means that the yeast is good to use. If it does not get frothy, discard and start over with fresh yeast. Note: If you don’t have a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl.
Set up the dough hook attachment. Over medium speed, add the olive oil and salt to the yeast mixture and mix. Then, gradually mix in the bread flour until a dough forms. I ended up using 4 cups of flour plus a few tablespoons. Increase to medium-high speed and mix for about 2 minutes. The dough should be moist and manageable. Note: You can also mix it by hand using a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. You may not be able to mix at high speed with your hands, so just knead the dough for an additional 2 minutes or so in the next step.
Turn the dough onto a well-floured clean working surface and flour your hands. Using the lower part of your hands, knead for 5-6 minutes until a moist dough forms and springs back slowly when poked. The dough will feel a bit heavy. Tip: if the dough sticks to your hands or the surface, sprinkle more flour.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl (with olive oil), and turn the dough to coat on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let it rise in a warm and draft-free environment for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until doubled in size. See note below on how to create a warm and draft-free place for the dough.
Preheat oven to 450 or 475 degrees F. Note: you can also do 500 degrees F if your oven allows it, but make your pan or pizza stone is safe for that temperature.
After the dough has risen, punch it down to release the air. Divide it into 2 equal parts and form balls. At this point, you can freeze the second ball if desired (see freezing instructions below).
Using both your fingers and the lower part of your hands, gradually stretch each ball to form a 10-12 inch circle. You can also try other shapes. It should be about ¼ or ⅓ inch thick. As you stretch it, form an outer border. Tip: Try not to use a rolling pin. Stretching with your hands helps the gluten develop further, yielding better texture.
Transfer the stretched out dough to a pan sprinkled with a bit of cornmeal. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare your favorite toppings.
After the 15 minutes, brush the pizza dough with some olive oil and prick it all over with a fork. This will prevent it from getting soggy and also prevent hot air bubbles from forming.
Top with your favorite toppings. Try my Greek Style Pizza or my Hawaiian Pizza. If desired, brush the borders with melted butter mixture (melted butter, garlic powder, Italian seasoning). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Creating a warm environment for dough to rise: Microwave some water in a mug for 2 minutes to get the microwave warmed up. Then, place the bowl with the dough in the microwave oven, pushing the mug to a corner, and close the door.
Freezing instructions: After diving up the dough into 2 balls, lightly coat with olive oil and transfer to freezer-friendly resealable bags. Freeze for up to 2 months. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight until fully defrosted. When ready to use, remove the dough from the bag and transfer to bowl. Let it sit on the counter at room temperature, covered, for 30 to 40 minutes. Then, continue to stretch the dough and assemble as directed.
Overnight Prep Ahead: You can let the dough rise overnight in the fridge for 8 to 10 hours, until doubled in size. If it's not doubled in size by the time you're ready to assemble, let it sit on the counter for 1 hour.

Disclaimer: Nutritional values (for a 12-inch pizza crust) are approximates only.

Nutrition