Understanding the ingredients

To make this simple pizza dough, you’ll need a handful of ingredients: flour, water, sugar, yeast, salt, and olive oil. Each ingredient plays a crucial role in the dough-making process. Flour provides structure and texture, sugar helps encourage the yeast to grow, yeast helps the dough rise and develop flavor, salt enhances the taste, and olive oil adds richness and moisture. By understanding the function of each ingredient, you’ll be better equipped to troubleshoot any issues that may arise during the dough-making process.

This recipe makes three perfectly sturdy crusts. Add toppings like mozzarella cheese, meat, veggies, and pineapple (no judgment here; pineapple definitely belongs on pizza!). Some of our favorite toppings are chicken, bacon, ranch, and double cheese. Add a salad on the side, and you have a delicious, balanced meal for the whole family.

Why Make Homemade Pizza Dough?

Making pizza dough from scratch offers dozens of benefits that go beyond just the taste. By crafting your own dough, you have complete control over the quality and freshness of the ingredients, plus it’s cheaper! As a large family, everything is expensive, including takeout pizza. But instead of giving up some of our favorite weekly traditions, we’ve made them work within our budget! 

In addition to cost efficiency, you can customize this recipe to suit your taste preferences and dietary restrictions, ensuring a pizza that’s not only delicious but also tailored to your needs. There’s also something incredibly rewarding about watching your dough transform into a perfect pizza crust right before your eyes.

Simple Pizza Dough

You will need:

A stand mixer- while this recipe can be mixed by hand, a stand mixer makes the process easier.
Pizza pans: When rolling out your dough, measure against your pizza pans to ensure they fit. If you’d prefer not to make new purchases, shape the dough to fit a baking sheet instead!
Rolling pin– to help roll out your dough.
Bowl—The dough must rise and be covered in a greased bowl for an hour before rolling out. If you prefer, you can use the bowl of a stand mixer instead.

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups warm water
11G Active dry yeast- If you use instant yeast, use a 1:1 ratio.
1 ½ T sugar
2 T oil (avocado, olive, or coconut)
5 ¼ – 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Optional: oregano and Italian seasonings.

Directions:

Add warm water, sugar, and yeast to a large bowl or stand mixer. Give it a good stir and let it sit for 5-10 minutes or until frothy.
Add your oil and about half of the flour to your mixer. If you want to season your dough, add them in while adding flour! We like to use Italian, garlic, pepper, and onion. Add the dough hook to your mixer, turn it on low, and let the dough come together. Slowly add ¼ cup more flour at a time until a ball forms. The dough should clear the sides of the mixer.
If kneading by hand, be prepared that this process will take longer. Keep mixing until a dough ball forms. 
Once the dough has formed a ball, it needs to rise in a warm place. Drop the dough in an oiled bowl and cover it for an hour or until doubled in size.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Once the dough has doubled in size, drop the pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 3 equal parts. Roll the dough out, checking its size against the pizza pan. 
When your dough is the desired size, gently lay it on your pizza pan or baking sheet, lay sauce and toppings, and cook for 20-25 minutes. 

Bonus tip: Melt butter and garlic salt to create the perfect seasoning for your crust! Paint it on with a pastry brush right before baking.

The crust should be golden brown, and the middle of the dough should be cooked through. Allow to cool for 5-7 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

Variations and Customizations

While the basic pizza recipe is delicious on its own, feel free to get creative and customize it to suit your taste preferences. You can experiment with different types of flour, such as whole wheat or gluten-free, for a unique flavor and texture. Add herbs, spices, or cheese to the dough for an extra flavor boost, or try swapping out the olive oil for garlic-infused oil for a savory twist. You could also roll the dough out thinner to make thin crust pizza. The possibilities are endless!

Other Creative Uses for Pizza Dough

Pizza dough is incredibly versatile and can be used in a variety of other dishes beyond traditional pizza. There are countless ways to put your homemade dough to good use, from calzones and stromboli to garlic knots and breadsticks. 

Get creative in the kitchen and experiment with different fillings and flavors to create mouthwatering dishes that are sure to impress.

Serving and Storage Tips

Once you’ve baked your pizzas to perfection, serve them hot and enjoy every delicious bite. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze them for longer-term storage. To reheat leftover pizza, simply pop it in a preheated oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through and crispy. Alternatively, place a few pieces in the air fryer for 3-4 minutes per slice.

This is the best homemade pizza dough I’ve ever tried. It’s sturdy, holds up well, and rarely lasts until the next morning! I like to pair it with homemade pizza sauce to enhance the flavor! If you want to try making pizza sauce, here’s an easy recipe.

Easy Pizza sauce recipe:

Makes enough for three pizzas.

One can of tomato sauce

1/4 cup water

seasonings to taste- we like to use onion, garlic, basil, oregano, and pepper.

Mix ingredients together with a wooden spoon, and pour over pizza dough.