Everyone loves a good pizza, well at least almost everyone. 🙂 In this recipe post, I will show you how to make amazing homemade pizza dough.
This dough is incredible, it tastes just like what you will get at the restaurants! A friend of mine has been making pizza for over 25 years and he showed me this homemade recipe. It is my new go-to recipe for pizza dough.
Homemade pizza dough doesn’t have to be hard, join with me as I show you how to make amazing pizza dough! Let’s get baking!
Need a good homemade pizza sauce to go with that awesome dough? Check out this homemade pizza sauce recipe.
Step 1: Gather pizza dough ingredients and tools
For this dough recipe, we need a handful of ingredients and one special ingredient that really makes this pizza dough shine. You will need:
Dough/Crust
- All-purpose flour or plain flour – you can also use bread flour if you like, or if you can find it use 00 flour also known as “pizza dough” flour.
- Semolina flour – Semolina flour is that special ingredient that helps make the dough chewy and gives it a great texture. Commonly used in pasta making, usually, it can be found in the same aisle as your other flours. You can leave out the Semolina Flour, if you do just replace it with another cup of all-purpose flour or bread flour, it just won’t taste quite like mine, but it will still be good.
- Water – always use good-tasting water. If your tap water tastes terrible like it does here in Phoenix, use good filtered water. I always use my filtered drinking water in my doughs.
- Salt – use good fine-grain table salt, don’t use coarse salt.
- Olive oil – I generally use a good quality extra virgin olive oil in my homemade pizza dough. Oil isn’t necessary but helps improve the flavor of the dough.
- Active dry yeast – you may also use a rapid rise, instant yeast, or fresh yeast.
- Sugar – just a bit of white granulated sugar to help the yeast along. But this isn’t necessary.
- Cornmeal – or use semolina flour on your pan before putting the dough on it.
- Favorite toppings – Then use your favorite pizza toppings after laying down a good pizza sauce.
Tools
For the tools you will need the following:
- Pizza pan – this is my favorite pizza pan. I like the holes in the bottom which help to cook the bottom of the crust.
- Whisk
- Bowls
- Wooden spoon
- Damp cloth
- Plastic Wrap
- Dough proofer – I use my dough proofer all the time it works wonders with dough. This is a purely optional tool.
Step 2: How to make homemade pizza dough
To start off let’s proof the yeast. To do this, heat up your water in the microwave to about 105 to 115 degrees F (40 to 44 C). Then add the sugar and the yeast. While not necessary to add the sugar it helps the yeast along. If using instant or rapid-rise yeast you will add it directly to the flour.
Next, use a whisk and mix it around a little bit. Now just set it aside for about 5 to 10 minutes until it gets nice and foamy. The yeast is active and ready to go! Once the yeast is ready add in your oil and whisk it in.
Step 3: Combine dry ingredients
Now let’s combine our dry ingredients, by adding the semolina flour and the salt to the all-purpose flour. The semolina flour will help make the dough chewier.
Although you can substitute the semolina with all-purpose flour, 00 flour, or bread flour if you like, it just won’t be quite the same. But it will still be good.
Step 4: Combine yeast mixture with dry ingredients
Now we just mix in our dry ingredients slowly with the yeast mixture, maybe about a 4th of it at a time. You can start with your whisk, then move to a wooden spoon.
After a while it will get hard to use even the wooden spoon, and the dough will form.
Step 5: Knead the dough
After the dough forms, move from the wooden spoon to your hands or you can use a stand mixer. I still hand knead all my doughs. Start in the bowl, then pour out the dough onto your surface.
Now continue adding your flour as you knead. Push down on the dough and out, stretching it slightly, then turn it a quarter turn, fold it toward you and push down with your palm, keep doing that for about 8 minutes. You will probably wind up with flour left over. Add flour as needed to keep it from sticking.
If you are using a stand mixer with dough hook you will only knead it for about 4 minutes.
Step 6: Let the pizza dough from scratch rise
Next, let the dough rise. Put some olive oil in a large bowl, about half of a tablespoon or about two teaspoons, then use your fingers to make sure to coat the inside of the bowl.
Now add the dough and coat the dough with the oil in the bowl. Then place some plastic wrap and then a damp cloth on top.
Place the bowl in a warm area or in your dough proofer and let it rise for an hour to an hour and a half or until doubled.
If you have the time, you can let the dough proof or ferment overnight for about 24 hours in the fridge. If you are doing this type of rising, then reduce the amount of yeast to about 1/2 to 1 tsp.
Step 7: Roll out the pizza dough
Now we preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. The dough has risen so we take it out and cut it into equal parts. This recipe makes 3 medium-sized thinner crust pizzas or two large thick crust pizzas.
You can flip the dough in the air like the pros, stretch it by hand, or use a rolling pin to get the dough into the pizza shape.
Step 8: Add homemade dough to a pizza pan
Next, add some cornmeal or semolina flour to your pizza pan. This will keep the pizza from sticking. Although it is not completely necessary. The pan I use is a nonstick pizza pan.
The cornmeal does help it to get that classic bottom of the crust that you get at restaurants. Stretch out the pizza dough as needed to fill up the pan, then pinch the edges up a little bit.
Step 9: Add pizza toppings and bake!
Now you just need to add your favorite toppings to your homemade pizza dough. I like to start with some olive oil drizzled on top. Then add a light covering of pizza sauce.
Next, for the cheese, I use a pizza blend of mozzarella, provolone, and jack. Now the pepperoni! Then bake it in a preheated oven (500 degrees F) for 7 to 12 minutes, until the crust is a light golden brown color and the cheese is all melted. Enjoy!
If you have a pizza oven the baking time will be less. If you have a pizza stone, place the stone in as the oven preheats. Pizza stones create an awesome pizza.
Do you like making homemade dough and bread? Click here to find more of them.
How long does homemade pizza dough last?
Homemade pizza dough will usually last up to 2 weeks in the fridge if stored in an airtight container, or in a ziplock bag, or covered in plastic wrap. You can also freeze-wrapped dough for up to a month.
How to thaw or defrost pizza dough?
There are several ways to defrost pizza dough. Take the frozen homemade pizza dough out of the freezer bag and spray with some olive oil spray, then wrap it with plastic wrap, put it in a bowl, and leave it on the counter at room temperature until it thaws.
Or put the frozen pizza dough in the refrigerator and let it thaw overnight.
To thaw it out even faster, take the dough, leave it in the freezer bag and place it in a bowl of room temp to slightly warm tap water until thawed.
I don’t recommend thawing it in the microwave, although that is an option.
You can also set the oven to the lowest setting, usually around 100F. Place dough in a sprayed pan, and cover it with plastic wrap, don’t worry, the temp is not hot enough to melt the plastic. Leave it in there for about an hour.
Here are a few other recipes you may like:
Best Homemade Pizza Dough
Equipment
- Pizza pan
- Whisk
- Bowls
- Wooden spoon
- Damp cloth
- Plastic wrap
- Dough proofer (optional)
Ingredients
- 4 cups of 00 flour or All-Purpose flour can use bread flour (480g)
- 1 cup of semolina flour Usually found on same aisle as all purpose flour or online (167g)
- 2 cups of water (474ml)
- 2 tsp of salt (8g)
- 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, optional (30ml)
- 2 1/2 tsp of active dry yeast or 1 packet instant yeast (9g)
- 1 1/2 tsp of sugar, optional (6g)
- Cornmeal couple pinches for pizza pan
Pizza Toppings
- Your favorite pizza sauce store bought or home made
- Mozzarella cheese or pizza blend mozzarella, provolone, and Jack
- Pepperoni and favorite toppings
Instructions
- Proof the yeast (active dry yeast). Heat up your water to about 100 to 110 degrees F (38 to 42 C). Then add the sugar and the yeast. Mix it around a little bit. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes until it gets nice and foamy.
- Add the oil to the bowl with the yeast and stir it with a whisk. It can be left out but adds flavor and texture to the dough.
- In a separate bowl mix together the semolina flour, salt, and all-purpose flour, bread flour, or 00 flour. The semolina flour will help make the dough chewier. You can substitute the semolina with the other flour if you like, it just won't be quite the same. But it will still be good.
- Then just mix in the dry ingredients slowly with the yeast mixture, about a 4th of it at a time until the dough forms and is sticky/tacky. Use a wooden spoon for this. Or use a stand mixer. You will probably have some flour left over.
- Knead the dough on a floured surface. Continue adding the leftover flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking as you knead. Push down on the dough then stretch the dough out a little bit, then turn it a quarter turn, fold it toward you and push it down with your palm and stretch it out, keep doing that for about 8 minutes. Or about 4 minutes in the stand mixer. You will still probably wind up with about 1/2 cup left of flour.
- Coat the inside of the bowl with olive oil. Now add the dough and coat the dough with the oil in the bowl. Then place some plastic wrap and then a damp cloth on top. Let the dough rise in a warm area or dough proofer for and hour to an hour and a half until doubled.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Take the risen dough out and cut it into equal parts. This recipe makes 3 medium-sized thinner crust pizzas or two large thick crust pizzas. You can flip the dough in the air like the pros, stretch it by hand, or use a rolling pin if necessary to get the dough into the pizza shape.
- Add some cornmeal to your pizza pan. This will keep the pizza from sticking. Although it is not completely necessary. The cornmeal does help it to get that classic bottom of the crust that you get at restaurants. Stretch out the pizza dough as needed to fill up the pan, then pinch the edges up a little bit.
- Add your favorite toppings for whatever style of pizza you want. I like to start with some olive oil drizzled on top. Then add a light covering of pizza sauce. Then cheese, I use a pizza blend of mozzarella, provolone, and jack. Now the pepperoni! Then bake it in a preheated oven (500 degrees F) for 7 to 12 minutes, maybe longer, until the crust is a light golden brown color and the cheese is all melted. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Do you like the recipe? Please give it a rating and comment down below, I really appreciate it. 🙂 If you make it tag me on Instagram @inthekitchenwithmatt. Also, sign up for the newsletter so you won’t miss out on any of my new posts and recipes.
Both times using this recipe I have very loose sticky dough. Used 00 flour and semolina measuring everything in grams on scale with mixing and kneading in all flour with stand mixture and refrigerating over night. HELP
Hi there, Judy. There is nothing wrong with sticky dough. It is extremely common with yeast-based doughs to add a little extra flour to the dough, more than a recipe calls for if needed, to keep the dough from being too sticky. Once the dough is complete, dump it out on a floured surface. And hand knead for a minute or two and add additional 00 flour a tablespoon first, then knead that in, if it is still sticky, add another and knead that in. Things like climate and altitude will play a role. I live in a dry desert climate. If you are in a damp cold environment, that could very well be the reason. And once you adjust to where you live you will know the next time when making it to add a little extra flour. I always hand-knead my dough, because it gives me complete control over it. Sometimes with stand mixers, you can add too much flour, so it is a good idea to do most of the kneading with the stand mixer and then finish the kneading off by hand. Hope that helps! And just double check you measured correctly. 4 cups 00 flour (480g) plus 1 cup semolina (167g). Ahh you know what there is a typo for the water. 1 cup of water is 237ml, not 250ml, so 2 cups should be 474ml, not 500ml. So that is probably the culprit! I will fix it in the recipe. Again it doesn’t matter too much, since you can add a little flour to compensate, but I am guessing it was just a bit too much water.
Can you use a Ninja food processor to Kneed the dough?
Possibly! If you have a special dough blade for it. But you can only do about half of the dough at time. This is too much dough for a food processor.
This is such a fantastic recipe!! It’s the only pizza dough recipe I’ve found that I like. I made it for myself and my husband and I also made the sauce, we were both blown away! Thank you so much for sharing this, I actually wrote it down in a notebook so I won’t lose it, lol. I do have one question though, How do you handle the dough after freezing it??
Thank you so much, Shanon!! Take it out of the freezer bag and spray with some olive oil spray, then wrap with plastic wrap, put it in a bowl and leave it on the counter at room temperature until it thaws. 🙂 Or put it in the refrigerator and let it thaw overnight. To thaw it out even faster, take the dough, leave it in the freezer bag and place it a bowl of room temp to slightly warm tap water. I don’t recommend thawing it in the microwave, although that is an option. You can also set the oven to the lowest setting, usually around 100F. Place dough in a sprayed pan, and cover it with plastic wrap, don’t worry, the temp is not hot enough to melt the plastic. Leave it in there for about an hour.
I made this simply fantastic!! Also made the pizza sauce, my husband was blown away! Can I use this recipe for breadsticks?
So happy to hear that, Shanon! Yes!! Definitely. The dough will make great breadsticks. Roll them thinner than you might expect, because they will expand when they rise as well as when they bake. Brush a little butter on them, sprinkle on some garlic powder, parmesan cheese, etc. Delish!
Hi
I just made your pizza dough! OMG——-OMG—-absolutely delicious!
This is a keeper!Your rating of stars are over and beyond. Thank you
Thank you so much, Teresa!!! I am so glad you made it and liked it. You are very welcome!!
Hi! I’m wondering if the dough can be refrigerated for 2-3 days before rolling and if yes, at that step? Thanks!
Hello, yep you sure can! After it rises the first time, or slightly before it has risen completely. Shape it into a ball and place it in a ziplock bag with a bit of oil. Or keep it in the bowl with a tight lid, it needs to be covered.
I followed the recipe yesterday and made one pizza, stored the other two dough balls. The pizza turned out great, I was very satisfied, thank you for the recipe.
So happy to hear that, Philip!! 🙂 You are very welcome!
This recipe was ahhhhmazing!! We only wished we had made a double batch for more pizzas ?
Needless to say, we will be making this regularly. Thank you!
So awesome to hear that, Lori!! That makes me happy haha 🙂 You are welcome!
I love this recipe! I have been searching (watching numerous YouTube videos) and “testing” them in my kitchen. This one hits a very high mark on my test results. Thank you! tinac
Such a nice compliment, Tina! Thank you so much. I am glad you tried it and liked it as much as I do. You are so very welcome. 🙂 🙂
I just happen to read the receipe of homemade pizza and I liked it. I am going to try to make it today. Later I will post my comments. Thank you Matt Taylor.
Good luck, Marita!! 🙂 Yes, please let me know how it turns out and how you like it. 🙂
I spent every Saturday of the past 3 COVID months trying to master a pizza recipe. I somehow stumbled across this and finally had success! My husband is from Italy and says it’s the best homemade pizza he’s had. Our family is so happy to have found this! I’m on 3 weeks of perfect pizzas… so thank you! I use “00” instead of all purpose with the semolina. I also use two large sheet pans, coat the bottom in olive oil and hand-stretch in the pan, let rise for another 30 minutes and par bake for 5 minutes before adding toppings.
Awesome, Jessica! Such a nice compliment. I am so glad that you found it and like it! 🙂
Yikes! I thought semolina was a fancy name for cornmeal so I used cornmeal but I still got good results. I will make it with wheat flour next time. I posted a picture also. Thanks again!
Awesome, Christina! Yes, semolina is different than cornmeal. 🙂 So glad you tried it. When you get a chance, try it with the semolina. I imagine you can find it at your local grocery store in the baking aisle. Usually along with the other specialty flours. 🙂
My oven can only go to 450 degrees. Do you think I could work?
Yes absolutely, you will just have to bake it a little longer. 🙂 You can even go down to 425 F if you wanted.
Hi Matt,
I tried your pizza sauce and dough recipe and it was absolutely great! Thank you for posting the videos and recipes.
– Mike David
Thank you so much, Mike!! I am so glad you tried both of them. You are so very welcome! 🙂 🙂
Hi I am from Pakistan and every time I bake the pizza with Ur dough recepie I simply love it…. Crispy and yummy… Detailed video …. Exact measurements…. And I love it when u say if I can do it then u can do it….. Thanks alot
I am so glad you like it and keep making it! 🙂 🙂 Thank you! And you are very welcome. 🙂
Pizza is one of the best meals for everyone, getting the family together for create your own is always a good time, don’t be afraid to put your wildest combinations on a homemade crust and enjoy. my advise is go easy on the meats and go wild on veggies and cheese. Your crust and sauce are A#1
Thank you!! Yeah, pizza is awesome for the family. We like to make lots of dough and then give everyone their own little personal size pizza, then they can put whatever toppings they want on it.