Perfect Homemade Pizza Dough
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Learn how to make the perfect thick and chewy pizza crust! This homemade pizza crust recipe is easy to follow, contains refined NO sugars, and can be frozen for up to 2 months! The step-by-step tutorial makes it completely fool-proof!
Are you like me, do you judge a pizza by it’s crust?
Some people like a thin and crispy crust, while others like a fluffy, thick and chewy one. My idea of a perfect homemade pizza crust is thick and chewy — after all, I do have to stay true to my Chicago roots, don’t I? 😉
Homemade pizza crust can sound like a very daunting task, I know. I was scared of it for the longest time. Actually, anything bread related I tried to steer clear of completely. But store bought pizza dough, frozen pizza, and delivery have one thing in common, can you figure it out? The crust. It’s terrible! It reminds me of stale cardboard. Yeah, ew.
Homemade pizza dough produces perfect pizza parlor quality crust that will have your entire family begging for pizza night, every night!
Growing up, my most favorite pizza was *gasp* Pizza Hut! This was before I became a pizza crust snob, obvi. I was obsessed with the stuffed crust pizza from there. My brother and I took part in the Book It! program where you read books and meet a goal each month to receive free personal pan pizzas. It was probably the best thing about the 90s, hands down. My mom would take us on Friday nights to redeem our pizza. And it was always the best Friday of the month!
Anyway back to pizza.
Though quantities may differ, the ingredients for a basic pizza dough stay pretty much the same.
You’re looking at a little flour, yeast, salt, water, oil, and a sweetener. Usually sugar is used to make pizza dough. I’ve replaced it with honey. I like using honey because in my experience, the crust is slightly crispier on the outside than with sugar. Feel free to use granulated sugar or agave nectar in it’s place. Both will achieve similar results.
Over the course of a year, i’ve perfect my homemade pizza dough recipe. After tinkering with it for what seems like an eternity, I am finally happy with the results! I wanted to make sure that I had a fool-proof recipe that would work regardless of humidity issues. Because living in Houston, any day can turn into a day at the sauna. I let the mixer do all the kneading for me, so it’s easy to make and perfect every.single.time.
After having this pizza crust, don’t be surprised if you don’t like the delivery stuff anymore. You will seriously crave the taste of this crispy, chewy pizza!
I simply mix up a batch in my mixer (though you can knead by hand if you’d like). Let it rise. I LOVE using my dryer (yes, as in washer/dryer… dryer) to let my dough rise. It is the ideal condition — both dark and hot. Just let it heat up on the low setting for a few minutes before turning the dryer off and placing your dough inside. Depending on the type of yeast you used, your dough will take 1-2 hours to rise.
Keep in mind that this recipe makes enough for 2 -12 inch pizzas. So if it’s just 1 or 2 of you at home, you can pop the other half of the dough in the freezer for another night.
*Notice how the dough doesn’t stick to my finger when I press the dough. This is exactly what you’re looking for.
This homemade pizza dough is so easy to whip up at home. Which makes it ideal for those nights when you just need a big pizza to sink your teeth into. The hubby and I love making 2 pizzas at the end of the week and unwinding with a little Netflix action. The leftovers stay fresh for days. And sometimes I like to sneak in a slice of cold pizza around midnight. Even cold, the pizza crust has such a great texture, not like chewing on a rubber band like it is with store-bought or delivery pizza when it cold.
Pizza night isn’t suppose to break the bank so stop spending $10 on a pizza and make your own pizza dough — enough to make 2-12 inch pizzas for less than $1.
Oh, and as an added bonus, here’s a homemade sauce that pairs perfectly with this pizza dough.
(PS – check below the recipe for step-by-step pictures!)
Perfect Homemade Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active yeast
- 1 1/4 cup warm water (between 105º - 115ºF)
- 3 1/2 - 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoons honey (sugar or agave works too)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons cornmeal, for dusting
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the yeast, sugar, and water, stir for just a second. Let sit for 5-10 minutes or until the yeast is dissolves and foams. Add the 3 1/2 cups of flour, salt, and olive oil to the mixer. On the 'stir' setting or the lowest setting on your mixer, allow the mixture to combine for 1 minute.
- When ingredients are mixed, knead dough for 8-9 minutes on the low-medium speed. If the dough is wet, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time (up to 4 tablespoons) until it comes together. The dough should be smooth when it's done. When touched with a finger the dough shouldn't be sticky. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large oiled mixing bowl. Swirl the dough ball around so all sides are coated with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Heat the dryer on the low heat setting for 5-7 minutes. Turn the dryer off, place the mixing bowl in the dryer, close the door. Do not turn the dryer back on. Allow the dough to rise. Depending on the type of yeast used, your dough will take 1-2 hours to rise.
- When the dough has risen, punch the air out of the dough. Divide into two even dough balls. Roll into a ball and allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes. If you do not plan to use the dough right away, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate till needed. Remove the dough from the fridge 30 minutes prior to using. You can also freeze the dough balls to use at a later time. See notes for instructions.
- Position two racks near the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 475ºF. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, flatten dough to a 12-inch circle. Create a lip or rim by thickening the dough around the crust portion. This keeps the sauce in instead of running over the sides. Let dough rest for 15-20 minutes.
- Top with pizza sauce and desired toppings. Bake pizza for 10-15 minutes. You can also turn the broiler on for the last minute of cooking if you'd like your edges and cheese to be all bubbly.
- Enjoy the pizza while it's hot. Leftovers can be covered and stored in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Freeze: you can freeze one or both of the dough. Make sure to freeze them separately. Lightly spray the inside of a zipped-top bag as well as the dough ball. Place dough inside and squeeze out as much air as possible. Can be frozen for up to 2 months.
- To thaw: simply let it refrigerate overnight or for about 12 hours. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temp. prior to rolling out.
step-by-step pictures:
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32 Comments on “Perfect Homemade Pizza Dough”
This dough was amazing and easy! I made it for the cheese steak pizza! Delicious!
Hi, I have an off the wall question. I love your tip about using the dryer. I use doth dryer sheets and fabric softener (Downy). Do you think the smells of the softener or dryer sheets will linger and ruin the crust? This is the first crust I’ve ever made and I don’t want to ruin such an amazing sounding recipe.
Hey there! I use dryer sheets as well in the dryer, but haven’t had an issue with the smell lingering or the crust smelling like it at all! If you’re worried about that, you can preheat your oven to 150 degrees, turn it off, then place your dough bowl inside; just be sure to use a glass bowl and a dish towel (and not plastic wrap) when you’re allowing the dough to rest 🙂
Do you recommend doubling the recipe? I was going to attempt to make three pizzas and want to have enough dough. Thank you!
Yes, I think you could double the recipe. But you may need to play around with the amount of water. I wouldn’t add it all at once, I’d add about three-quarters of it and hold back on the rest and add it as needed. Alternately, it might even need more, it’s difficult to say without testing but it’s definitely the water that you’ll have to play around with 🙂
Hi I dont have olive oil, would any other oil work? Thanks a lot
All time favorite recipe, I make the sauce as well!
One question though, how do you know when the dough has fully risen? I’ve just been guessing!
This dough is super low maintenance, I suggest just keeping an eye on it, when it doubles from the start point, you’re good to use it! 🙂
Made this pretty close except I used thyme and a dash of Worcestershire in the sauce vs nutmeg and I started the roux using the fat left from cooking the steak. I also raise dough by heating the oven very very low and turning it off a couple mins before setting the dough there to raise.
Yummy!!!!
This is my go to dough recipe! Great pizzas and also for calzone! Thanks!
How long can this be kept in the fridge? I made the dough yesterday as I wasn’t going to have time today, went through the first rise, punched it down, and separated into 2 balls, then put in the fridge in 2 well oiled covered bowls. This morning when i peeked in the fridge, they have risen huge again! Will they be good for dinner tonight or must I start over? Please advise 🙂
Yes, the dough will be good for dinner tonight. No need to start over. Just allow the dough to come to room temperature before rolling into a crust. And let it rest (as the directions state) before topping and baking 🙂
It came out perfectly, thank you so much! For future reference, how long can this dough be kept in the fridge? I know freezing is an option, just wondering if a few days in the fridge would be fine or if the gluten would develop too much after a few days? I often have to make a day or two in advance, not enough to bother freezing and then thawing again if it’s not necessary. Thanks!
Marzia, you area Genius. I have never been able to make bread with yeast, before making your Perfect Pizza dough.
Kind of quirky, using the dryer to raise the dough, but it works perfectly. I made BBQ Pizza last night-Great Was so impressed with the dough that I made garlic bread sticks with the 2nd half tonight with your Minestrone…..another WINNER.
yay! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the pizza dough recipe and the bbq chicken pizza. I know the dryer trick is a little weird, huh? But I always find it works like a charm! Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment 🙂
I don’t have a pizza pan so I’m using a cookie sheet. You don’t say if you need to grease the pan first. Should I since I’m using a metal cookie sheet?
You shouldn’t need to grease the pan. The cornmeal aids in keeping the dough from sticking while giving the pizza crust a nice texture 🙂
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I’ve made your pizza sauce recently – it was delicious….I’ve made my own pizza dough for the last year or so. I’m looking forward to trying your pizza dough recipe. Thanks for sharing.x
This turned out perfect for us, great tasting recipe. thanks.
Simon
Absolutely loved this recipe. I made mine with a combination of whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour and unbleached all purpose flour. The crust was so nice and chewy with the perfect amount of “crispness”. I did modify your recipe a little by adding a few shakes of garlic powder in with the flours before adding to the yeast mixture for that extra hit of garlic. Will definitely make this again.
I just realized I’m short on all purpose flour. Do you think whole wheat flour will work just as well?
Hi Natalie, unfortunately without further recipe testing, I can’t say whether is will work as a good substitute.
Hi Marzia, I have tried a couple different crust recipes and while they taste great, they don’t have the chew I am looking for. I am trying yours tonight, just one question: Do you use active dry yeast? Thanks!
Brittney
Hi Brittney,
Yup, I used active dry yeast but instant dry can also be used for this recipe. Hope you guys enjoy my take on the crust! 🙂
What kind of Olive oil do you use?
I used regular Italian Olive Oil. No need to splurge on the extra virgin stuff, though that will work too if that’s what you’ve got on hand!
hello
This looks amazing. Silly question, I love the idea of using the dryer. Just wondering does the smell linger in the dryer after ?
Thanks Sarah
Hi Sarah,
That’s not silly at all! And nope, the smell doesn’t linger. You could also just leave the dryer door open for an hour or so after the dough is done rising if you are worried about the smell 🙂
I just made this for dinner along with your pizza sauce…kids gave it two big thumbs up! Thank you!
Wow! I’m so glad! Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment! 🙂