For pizza lovers everywhere, making your own crust is a right of passage. This post will share my favorite (most reliable) homemade pizza dough recipe. It's super easy and uses only 5 ingredients!
When I find something good, I stick with it--especially when it comes to breads. This is the case with my dough recipe. It's wonderful. Whenever I makes pizza, this is the dough I use. I have also used it for calzones. It's so good that I'm afraid to tweak the recipe in any way (so as not to provoke it). That's how GOOD it is, folks.
This dough makes the perfect amount for two large pizzas (large enough to cover a round pizza stone). I must have made this dough 100 times by now. We use it THAT often--does that mean I've eaten that much pizza? Let's not think about that...
Which Flour Is Best for Pizza Dough?
When you're making pizza at home, you may think that you can use any type of flour you find at the back of your pantry. I mean it's just pizza, right? Well, actually it does matter because it will affect the crust. Did you know that the chewiness of the crust depends on the gluten content? To help you decide which flour to choose for your pizza dough, here's a list:
- All-purpose flour: The name pretty much says it all! All-purpose flour can be used for everything, including pizza. Using this flour will still give your pizza a chewy crust but based on my experience, I struggled with stretching it out and ended up with a torn crust.
- Bread flour: My ever-reliable bread flour! This is the most popular choice for making pizza dough at home. Not only is it versatile, but it also has a good amount of protein. This lends your pizza the crispiness we love. And, it doesn't tear when you stretch it out!
- Wheat pastry flour: To make this healthy pizza crust, you can opt to use wheat pastry flour. It's high in fiber, unrefined, and has a lighter texture than whole wheat flour (perfect for your pizza crust). Plus, you may get out of using yeast for this one! I've used it on my BBQ Chicken Pizza before and I swear I could not get enough of it.
Can I Make Pizza Dough Without Yeast?
Some of us get hangry especially when we have to wait for pizza dough to rise. So for those who are into quick and delicious meals like me, I'm telling you now that you don't need yeast! It's practically the same thing except that you don't get puffy edges on your crust. All you really need is flour, baking powder, salt, olive oil, sugar...and that's your yeast-free pizza dough!
Which Oil Is Best For Pizza Dough?
For savory pizzas, I suggest olive oil all the way! Not only does it add more flavor to your pizza but it also helps you stretch it out properly. However, if you're trying to avoid olive oil (my friend actually has an olive oil allergy) there are other healthy oils you can choose. I'd recommend either coconut or avocado oil.
Why Is My Pizza Dough Sticky?
We've all been here. I remember it so clearly; the kids and I were making our first homemade pizza dough and just when we started to knead it, I noticed it was unusually sticky. A part of me just wanted to throw in the towel and order a pizza from our favorite place. Luckily, we were able to fix it!
So lesson learned, when your pizza dough feels too sticky that means there's too much water and not enough flour. But don't worry, you can still turn the tide (or rather pizza) around. Just add a little bit of flour and knead it thoroughly each time before adding a little bit more. Repeat this process until it's no longer sticking to your hands and/or the counter.
How Do You Stretch Out Pizza Dough?
You must be thinking, " Will Lacey teach us to flip pizza dough in the air?" Uhm, no. Unless you're a well trained pizza person, I do not recommend that you toss it into the air! You can easily tear it or overstretch it in one direction using this risky (albeit impressive) method. For now, let's just stick to stretching it by hand shall we?
Here are some easy steps on how to do it right!
- Dust your countertop with flour: You want to make sure that you have enough floured space to accommodate the entire width of your desired pizza.
- Press it first: Begin by pressing your pizza dough, flattening it by pressing down with your palms. Then use your three middle fingers on each of your hands to press the dough starting out from the center.
- Stretch it into a flat disc: Stretch out your risen pizza dough and shape it into a flat disc. You may use a rolling pin for this part but be mindful that it doesn't get to sticky (have a little extra flour on hand). Stretch your pizza disc into a large circle depending on the size you want.
Why Does My Pizza Not Stretch?
When your pizza feels like it isn't stretching, there is probably a lack of proper gluten development. When gluten is tight it becomes very elastic (which is why it tends to spring back easily). This is a signal that your dough didn't get enough time to relax, or you're using the wrong type of flour. It's also possible that the dough is way too dry or way too cold.
How Do You Freeze Pizza Dough?
To freeze any extra pizza dough, divide it into equal (roughly pizza sized) portions and roll them into balls. Lightly coat the dough ball with olive oil and seal them in a freezer safe container. If possible, press out any excess air from the container. These dough pizza balls can last in your freezer up to three months. And as with everything that I freeze, I would suggest you label them with the name and date.
More Healthy Pizza Recipes
For healthy pizza recipes, check out these posts!
- Pesto and Goat Cheese Pizza
- Chicken Alfredo Pizza with Spinach and Red Onions
- Italian Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza
- Roasted Fennel and Italian Sausage Pizza
- Honey Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
This post contains affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Homemade Pizza Dough
Equipment
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Line either a baking sheet or prep your pizza stone and start pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, and sea salt, and whisk together until thoroughly combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine water and olive oil in and stir to combine.
- Slowly add water mixture to the flour mixture, stirring to incorporate. Mix together until a dough forms. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. You can add a little more water if it's too dry, a tablespoon at a time. If it's too sticky, just add a little more flour.
- Once the dough has formed into a ball, knead the dough for 5 minutes. Then, roll the dough out into a large circle using a rolling pin or by stretching it with your hands.
- Lightly brush the dough with olive oil, and then transfer it to the oven for 10 minutes, or until very lightly browned.
- While the crust is in the oven, prep the rest of the pizza toppings, as desired.
- Add your desired toppings, and then place back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown, and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
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Lynn
Can you make the dough ahead and refrigerate till use? If so,
Would you recommend bringing dough to room temp before preparing for baking?
Dan
Try substituting one cup of the white flour for one cup of wheat flour, amazing.
Dustin
Great pizza dough we should do a healthier version.
Michelle Wilson
Hi Lacey! I have high gluten flour that I like for pizza making. Could I substitute equal parts of that flour with the bread flour? Have you ever tried it?
Thanks in advance!!
Jasmin Darveau
Awesome, bubbly pizza dough is just what I've been searching for : that just define the tenderness of the dough!
One problem though: I don't have a bread maker machine... Could you tell me the equivalent for hand making process? Like, to kenad by hands, then let rise 1h30m with a damp towel to cover it?
Thanks! 🙂
Lacey Baier
Hi Jasmin! In a large mixing bowl, sprinkle yeast and sugar over the warm water and let sit until it becomes foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and the salt and mix until well combined. Combine until dough is stiff. There may be some flour that doesn’t get incorporated into the dough. This is okay. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Follow the instructions from here in the recipe.
Laura May
You are awesome! Thanks for your generosity with sharing these recipes! I can't wait to try them!
Jasmine
Hello Lacey I wanted to know at what temp do you need the water to be? And how long do you let the dough double for?
Barbarainnc
About what size of pizza does it make?
What size is your pizza stone?
Chelsea
Hello!
Found you via Pinterest and I'm really excited to make this dough! I'm cooking for 2 though and won't need to use all of the dough at once. Is this something I could freeze and thaw out later? Or should I just make it all and eat a whole bunch of yummy pizza!?
Gerard
When I made my New York crust dough for my pizza, the taste seemed a little "sour?". Could it have been because of the olive oil. How could the dough been likfe sweet french bread that you buy in the stores?
Kamren
I have never been able to make pizza dough successfully. It is never elastic but rather tight and does not roll and spread out as well as other problems. I guess I just don't have the ability. But I would like to try again using your receipe. I do not have a bread machine. If I am to do this by hand would I still be using bread dough, or could I use regular unbleached dough? Would it make a difference if I did? And would I be using dry or instant dry yeast? You mentioned bread machine yeast I just don't know if that is the same as regular dry or instant dry. And, just as for the machine, would I add all the ingredients into the bowl at once or at different times? For example, would the yeast have to sit in warm water first until it rises or not? By the way, love your large and detailed pictures. It makes one try and achieve the same outcome. Thanks.
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Hi Kamren. First off, I highly recommend using bread flour (or high gluten flour) when making pizza dough. It's your best bet to get the elastic result you're looking for. Since you're not going to use a bread machine, I would use active dry yeast. I hope these instructions help you for making pizza dough without a bread machine:
In a large mixing bowl, sprinkle yeast and sugar over the warm water and let sit until it becomes foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and the salt and mix until well combined. Combine until dough is stiff. There may be some flour that doesn’t get incorporated into the dough. This is okay.
On a lightly flour surface, knead dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Follow the instructions from here in the recipe.
Good luck! I'd love to know how it turns out for you. 🙂
Samantha
I have bread hooks for my mixer. Do you think that would do the trick? I don't have a bread machine. Or just stick with the hand kneading? Thanks, I'm excited to try this.
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Very good question, Samantha! I believe the hooks should do the trick for the kneading, though I must admit I have never tried before, as I rely on my bread machine. If you try it, I'd love to know how it goes.
Camila
Which kind of yeast do you use? Instant dry yeast?
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Hi Camila! I use dry "bread machine yeast" for my homemade doughs. I hope that helps!
jonalisa
Hi SP,
If I want to make this without a breadmachine how long would you say I should knead and let rise?
Thanks!
JL
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Hi Jonalisa! Well, I have never made this particular pizza dough by hand, but I can give you some pointers and, hopefully, they will work for you. I would knead the dough about 200 times for approximately 10 minutes. Once it has become pliable and elastic, rather than sticky, you're ready for it to rise. Divide the dough into two equal portions and let each rise for 60-70 minutes, until doubled in size. If you try this out, please share how it goes! Good luck!
jonalisa
OK so this pizza had me at HELLO. I made it sans bread machine (even though I have a Zoji, lately I have the urge to get my hands in it) and kneaded 10 minutes as you suggested. It doubled in size pretty quickly, just under an hour. I half rolled it, half manhandled it into place and within about 10 or 15 minutes it was a quilted down comforter of dough. Fork-pricked, oil-brushed and slipped onto a hot stonevia parchment and peel, this was an amazing crust. I think I could have eaten it on its own with no toppings. I precooked it a bit and used an alfredo sauce mixed with pesto and then added mozzarella, proscuitto and red onion. I was told this was my best pizza ever. I have to agree.Thanks for this dough recipe, the bread flour makes a huge difference. And thanks for the quick response which allowed me to get it done that day.
lacey - a sweet pea chef
Yay, Jonalisa! I'm SO glad the non-bread machine directions worked for you (and in a timely manner)!!!! Thank you very, very much for posting your feedback to the directions -- that is so helpful for me to know. Your pizza sounds like it was super tasty. So. Cool. You have me thinking about going sans bread machine now, too!