This homemade pizza dough recipe is easy to make and includes ingredients you already have in your pantry. You're only a couple of hours away from delicious, hot and fresh pizza!
Making your own homemade pizza dough is so much better than buying take out or frozen pizza. Seriously, so much better. If you've never made your own pizza crust from scratch, you're going to be blown away!
Since it takes about 90 minutes to make, I like to make a double batch and freeze the rest. The next time I want pizza, I can just pull some dough out of the freezer to thaw and start cookin'. I love anything that can make my job cooking dinner for my family easier.
You can make easy homemade pizza dough by hand or with a bread machine. Either option will get you yummy results every time. Knead the dough by hand or use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment for a couple of minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
You can make pizza dough with or without yeast and get super tasty pizza. If you want to know more about the science behind why yeast works, check out this article from The Kitchn.
Ingredients for homemade pizza dough with yeast
- Yeast: Yeast (tiny organisms) helps the dough rise by consuming sugar and releasing carbon dioxide and alcohol and creating little air bubbles. (Ever notice how risen dough smells faintly of alcohol?)
- Water: Mix the yeast with water that is 110° F for optimal growth.
- Sugar: Since yeast consumes sugar, adding a little promotes growth and gives an even better rise.
- Flour: Flour is the base and provides substance to the dough.
- Cornmeal: Adding a little cornmeal gives a great texture and flavor to the dough.
- Oil: Oil smooths out the dough and helps the gluten bond and become elastic. It also adds flavor.
- Salt: Almost everything needs a little salt for flavor, including pizza.
How to make homemade pizza dough
- In a small bowl pour the heated water, yeast, and sugar. Stir it together and let it sit for 10 minutes. You want it to have little bubbles or foam on top of the liquid.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, oil, and yeast. Stir it all together until a rough ball of dough forms. You can use a stand mixer for the mixing and the kneading as well.
- Flour the surface of a counter and roll the dough out. Sprinkle some flour over the dough and rub in your hands.
- Knead the dough for about 4 minutes or until it's smooth and elastic. You can test this by pressing your finger into the dough to see if it slowly springs back up.
- Spray or brush oil in a large bowl and place the ball of dough in it and rotate so the oil coats the ball.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let it sit for about 90 minutes or until it has doubled in size.
- Punch the dough down and roll it back onto a floured surface. Cut it in half and stretch it out with your hands and fingers to the size of your sheet pan or pizza stone.
- Brush the top with olive oil and then add the sauce, cheese, and toppings.
How to make pizza dough without yeast
If you don't have yeast, you can still make homemade pizza dough at home! Instead of using yeast, you can use baking powder which reacts to liquid and heat in order to rise. Here's what you'll need:
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Water
- Olive oil
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and allow to sit for 5 - 10 minutes. The baking powder will start to work and you'll see bubbles rise to the surface.
Roll the dough onto a floured surface and spread with your hands and fingers to the right size for your pan. Brush it with olive oil, spread sauce, then add your toppings.
Voilá!
Topping ideas!
This is the best part. Well. Ok, the second-best part. Obviously the dough is the best part!
Here are some homemade pizza toppings for you to choose from:
- Sauce: marinara, pesto, BBQ, alfredo, ranch dressing
- Meats: sausage, pepperoni, hamburger, prosciutto, ham, bacon, chicken, salami, chorizo, shrimp, capicola
- Veggies: onions, garlic, bell peppers, artichokes, olives, tomatoes, mushrooms, pineapples, jalapeño, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, caramelized onions, peperoncinis, cherry tomatoes, banana peppers, arugula, zucchini
- Herbs: basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme
- Cheese: grated mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella, parmesan, cheddar, asiago, provolone, feta, ricotta, goat, blue cheese
How to store
Refrigerate: Cover the dough with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and lay flat on a shelf in your freezer. This way when it freezes you can stand it up and store it more easily. You can keep it here for up to 3 months.
You may also like...
- Cauliflower Pizza Crust
- Waffle Iron Pizza
- Blackberry Basil Fizz
- Moscow Mule
- Air Fried Chicken Wings
- Chopped Chicken Nachos
If you try it out, let me know how it goes in the comments or on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest.
Homemade Pizza Dough - Recipe
This homemade pizza dough recipe is easy to make and includes ingredients you already have in your pantry. You're only a couple of hours away from delicious, hot and fresh pizza!
Ingredients
Pizza Dough With Yeast
- 2 ½ teaspoons yeast
- 1 ½ cups water at 110° F
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup yellow cornmeal
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Pizza Dough Without Yeast
- 3 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
Pizza Dough With Yeast
- In a small bowl pour the heated water, yeast, and sugar. Stir it together and let it sit for 5 minutes. You want it to have little bubbles or foam on top of the liquid.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, oil, and yeast. Stir it all together until a rough ball of dough forms. You can use a stand mixer for the mixing and the kneading as well.
- Flour the surface of a counter and roll the dough out. Sprinkle some flour over the dough and rub in your hands.
- Knead the dough for about 4 minutes or until it's smooth and elastic. You can test this by pressing your finger into the dough to see if it slowly springs back up.
- Spray or brush oil in a large bowl and place the ball of dough in it and rotate so the oil coats the ball.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let it sit for about 90 minutes or until it has doubled in size.
- Punch the dough down and roll it back onto a floured surface. Cut it in half and flatten slightly. At this point, you can use it to make a pizza or wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze.
Pizza Dough Without yeast
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and allow to sit for 5 - 10 minutes. The baking powder will start to work and you'll see bubbles rise to the surface.
- Roll the dough onto a floured surface and cut it in half. Spread with your hands and flatten slightly. At this point, you can use it to make a pizza or wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze.
Notes
This recipe makes enough for two pizzas. This way you can make both or freeze one for later.
If you want to bake it right away, heat the oven to 450°, spread the dough on the baking stone or pan, slather with sauce, and add your toppings. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 390Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 602mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gProtein: 9g
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