Pizza night is about to get a WHOLE lot better with this best-ever homemade pizza dough recipe. It uses easy-to-find bread flour as the main ingredient. It’s ready to use in about 90 minutes, but the flavors are incredible after 24-48 hours, and it makes enough for two pizza pies, so you can have one today, one tomorrow, and taste the flavor development of the crust yourself!
This homemade pizza dough recipe has been through a LOT of iterations. Sadly, I don’t have any copies of the recipe my grandmother (and great grandmother) used. This recipe is adapted from Bobby Flay’s pizza dough recipe, which is a wonderful place to start, but over time, I’ve made lots of little changes, so I decided to share the recipe the way I make it now. Want to top your dough with the best flavor? Make a homemade pizza sauce, too! Or use seasonal ingredients for creative flavor combinations, like this potato leek pizza!
📖 my personal pizza dough odyssey
(aka the part of food blogs people LOVE to read)
Making homemade pizza dough is a topic I don’t take lightly because I LOVE PIZZA. It’s the perfect food if you ask me, and it’s baked into my family history. My great-grandparents came to America from Naples, Italy with my grandmother in tow. When I visited Italy for the first time, I chose to go to Naples specifically to explore pizzerias there.
The trip was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because if you have never had true Neapolitan pizza…all it takes is one taste to fall in love. A curse because I couldn’t eat pizza in the States for months after returning home. Chain pizza was over for me. I mourned the version of me who looked forward to cafeteria pizza in elementary school. She had no idea!!!
So, I had to start on a journey of making my own pizza at home. After a few years, I had perfected my process, and shared the results with my family.
One night, over pizza, my mom shared a tidbit of family history I never knew about (as mothers do). It turned out that my grandmother was well-known for running her own weekly Pizza Friday when my mom was growing up, so this dough voyage was really full circle for my family. 😂
why you’ll love this pizza dough recipe:
🍕 fresh & easy. Pizza Friday will never be the same once you start making your own dough! There’s just no comparison to pizza dough baked fresh at home!
🥳 family-friendly. When it comes to the world of bread recipes, pizza dough is one of the most forgiving. This also means it’s super kid-friendly, and great for beginning bakers, too.
🤌🏻 limited ingredient. Store-bought dough can contain fillers and preservatives. This dough is super fresh and made with a handful of ingredients, so you know exactly what’s in it!
🛒 ingredients
🍳 instructions
1: Combine the flour, honey, water, olive oil, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer.
2: Mix briefly until a shaggy dough is formed.
3: Allow the dough to rest for 10-20 minutes. This helps the gluten develop before you add the salt.
4: After the rest, add in the salt and knead the dough well to incorporate it.
5: Check your dough for the right texture. If needed, adjust by adding a bit more water or flour.
6: Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it into a ball.
7: Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, and cover it to let it rise.
8: Once the dough has doubled in size, you can divide it into two portions.
9: Rest the dough balls for 10-20 minutes, so they are easier to form. If you are saving for later, you can pop them in the fridge at this point.
10: Once you’re ready to make your pizza, be sure to keep the dough covered between steps so it doesn’t dry out or form a skin.
TIP: Be sure to let the dough rest between steps so you don’t overwork it! This is what leads to tough dough.
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💡tips & tricks for getting it right
🍽️ serving tips
- get saucy – why stop at homemade dough?! Make a flavorful sauce to top your pizza with, like a white garlic parmesan sauce, homemade pesto sauce, cherry tomato sauce, and even no-cook tomato paste sauce.
- top it off – get wild and crazy with the toppings! You can go classic with shredded mozzarella, or you can even use a marinated mozzarella!
- bake as is – you can even use your pizza dough to make homemade breadsticks! They are perfect for scooping up dips and other appetizers, like a burrata and tomato caprese salad.
ℹ️ troubleshooting tips
There are some changes you may need to make to this homemade pizza dough, depending on where you live. And I promise, that even if your dough isn’t *perfect,* it will still be better than chain-delivery pizza, or grocery store freezer pizza!
- water content – Depending on the weather where you live, you could get slightly different results. Since I’m baking in central Florida, it’s always pretty hot and humid. That means I don’t need as much water, but you could need a little more than me.
- flour content – More water could also mean you need a little more flour to get the right consistency. Play around with the amounts a little at a time, until you get the results that work best for you.
If you have questions about this recipe, connect with me here on the blog or on social media and I’d be happy to help you troubleshoot!
♻️ substitutions & variations
Don’t have one of the ingredients on hand? No worries! Here are some substitutions:
- all-purpose flour – instead of bread flour, you can use all-purpose flour. I recommend King Arthur Baking all-purpose flour. The resulting crust won’t be as chewy, but it will still be delicious! You can use all purpose flour if you don’t have bread flour–just know that your texture might be slightly different.
- sugar – use granulated sugar as an alternate sweetener in place of honey for similar results, with a lighter flavor.
- alternate oil – if you don’t have olive oil on hand, you can substitute another oil. Be sure to stick with something lighter in flavor, like coconut, avocado, or vegetable oil. You can also omit the oil if you prefer!
- pizza herbs – add in herbs like oregano, basil, and parsley to give your crust a classic Italian flavor!
Avoid using onion or garlic powder, as it interferes with the rising of the yeast. If you want to add those flavors, brush them onto the crust before baking!
🧰 equipment needed & storage tips
- baking scale – This recipe is formatted in grams because, it’s honestly the best, most precise way to bake! You can use cups/tsp/TBSP to measure if you don’t have a baking scale, but…if you bake even semi-regularly, it’s worth the investment to get a scale.
- measuring cups & spoons – Whether you have a scale or not, the measuring cups and measuring spoons from King Arthur Baking are my favorite tools for the kitchen. They come in every size you’ll ever need. They even have a yeast measuring spoon! (affiliate link)
- stand mixer: I use a stand mixer with a dough hook to make my pizza dough recipe. It’s powerful enough to knead the dough quickly, which makes the whole process easy! I have a Kitchen-Aid Artisan stand mixer, and I love it. It’s 100% worth the investment!
No mixer? No problem!
You can mix up this dough by hand, just know it will take a little more time and effort. But you will also appreciate the process more! There is something special about bringing together a dough by hand!
tools For baking your pizza:
- pizza peel: I have three. I’m telling you, I love pizza. This is hands down a necessity if you plan on making pizza regularly. It makes the job of transferring the dough in and out of the oven so much easier. I love the pizza peels by Epicurian the most. They are sturdy, hold up well to cutting, and clean up nicely.
- baking steel, thin aluminum cookie sheet, or pizza stone – I have a baking steel now, but I started out using a pizza stone, and then when it broke after YEARS of use, I used a thin Wilton cookie sheet from Michael’s. The key here is to have a HOT surface to bake on so the crust crisps up nicely as it bakes.
🫙 storage tips
You can make this pizza dough up to 72 hours in advance, and the flavor actually improves within that timeframe. 🤯 Place the dough ball in a lightly greased bowl big enough to allow room for expansion, and cover it with plastic wrap. Be sure to cover it tightly to protect the dough from forming a skin.
You can also prepare the dough ahead of time and par-bake it, then freeze the par-baked dough for up to three months. You’ll always be ready for a pizza party!
💬 q+a
How do I shape pizza dough?
Hand-stretching the dough is my preferred method for making pizza. Sometimes though, I do use a rolling pin. For instance, sometimes my dough is more sticky due to small changes in the humidity, or sometimes I want to hurry up and MAKE A PIZZA fast!
If I’m baking a pizza from dough that’s been in the fridge overnight, I may opt to roll it out. Colder dough takes longer to hand stretch, so when I’m in a hurry, I reach for the rolling pin! Hand-stretched dough is lighter and more airy, so keep that in mind!
Do I need to let the pizza dough rest?
You don’t HAVE to…but I do recommend making your pizza dough a day in advance if you can–it really helps the flavor of the dough develop. You can definitely make this dough and bake it the same day!
Allow the dough to rest overnight in the fridge after you let it rise and separate it into two balls. Let the dough come to room temperature before using it. This takes a few hours for me in my kitchen, but I’ve also definitely left it out for longer!
Do I need a stand mixer to make this homemade pizza dough recipe?
No way! I’ve made this dough both with and without a stand mixer with fabulous results. I’ve also had followers on social media who have reported great results making this dough by hand. Just be aware that it does take a little extra “elbow grease.” 😅
If you make this recipe, please leave a review in the comments and a star rating!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I read every single comment! I also love connecting on social media, so snap a pic and hashtag it #myrecipeforfun and tag me on Instagram, TikTok, or pin this recipe on Pinterest!
The BEST Homemade Pizza Dough (Pizza Dough with Bread Flour)
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Equipment
- 1 Pizza Peel
- 1 pizza stone or thin cookie sheet
- 1 stand mixer with dough hook
Ingredients
- 420 grams bread flour (3 1/2 cups) I use King Arthur Baking bread flour. Depending on humidity, you may need to increase flour. See recipe notes.
- 8 grams instant yeast (2 1/4 tsp) or use 1 envelope instant-dry yeast
- 14 grams honey (2 tsp)
- 227 grams lukewarm water, about 110ºF (1 cup) depending on the humidity, you may need to increase to 1 1/2 cups water. See recipe notes.
- 25 grams olive oil (2 TBSP)
- 7 grams kosher salt (1 1/2 tsp) Morton's brand. If using Diamond brand, use 1/2 the amount.
Instructions
- Combine & mix ingredients. Mix all ingredients but the salt into a shaggy dough, just until the ingredients have come together.
- Rest the dough. Let sit for 15-20 minutes to let the flour absorb the water. This helps the dough become more stable, and easier to work with.
- Add the salt. Add the salt & mix the dough on low speed in a stand mixer until the dough comes together.
- Mix until dough clears the bowl. The dough will come clean off the sides of the bowl, but it may still stick to the bottom of the mixer. It will be soft and slightly sticky. This should take about 5 minutes at a medium-low speed.
- Dough too sticky? If the dough is too sticky, add more flour, 1/4 cup at a time.
- Dough too dry? Add more water, 1-2 TBSP at a time.
If you are baking right away:
- Place the dough in a large lightly greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 60-90 mins; until doubled in size.
- Place a pizza stone or a large, thin cookie sheet in the oven, and preheat the oven to 450ºF after about 30 minutes of rising time.
- Divide the dough in half on a lightly floured surface, and gently shape each portion into a ball. Be careful not to punch the dough down too much, but try to get the dough shaped as tightly as you can.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10-20 minutes.
- Shape the dough directly on a pizza peel, coated with flour or cornmeal (I prefer to use cornmeal; because it yields a crispier bottom of the crust).
- Once the dough is shaped, gently shake the pizza peel back and forth to make sure that the dough can easily slide on and off the peel. If it sticks, carefully lift the dough off of the peel and add a light dusting of cornmeal or flour.
- Slide the dough onto the hot pizza stone or baking sheet, and par-bake the crust for 1-2 minutes, just until barely baked on the bottom, with no toppings on it. This helps you to get a more evenly cooked crust.
- Top with desired toppings, and return to the oven to bake, for about 8-12 minutes, until the crust is nicely browned and the toppings are melted.
If you are baking later:
- Place the dough in a large lightly greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 45 – 60 mins; until almost doubled in size.
- Place the dough in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
- Remove it from the fridge 3-5 hours before you intend to bake it. Let it come to room temperature before working with it. It will be too still to work with when it’s very cold.
- Proceed with shaping the dough as desired once it’s at room temperature!
Notes
Nutrition Information
The information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition facts calculator and actual nutrition facts may vary.
