Easy, fast pizza dough is made in the same amount of time as it takes to have a pizza delivered, and it always tastes so much better when it’s homemade! With just over an hour and 6 simple ingredients, you’ll be biting into a homemade slice, fresh out of the oven.
Friday night is usually pizza night around here, and over the years it’s gone from pizza delivery to making the easiest, tastiest homemade pizza dough for the BEST pizzas, and trust me, there’s no going back.
We make this easy yeast crust with olive oil and 4 other simple ingredients, which, like most people, I usually keep on hand, so it’s easy to whip up without much forethought.
It’s ready in just over an hour, including proof time and cook time, and once the dough is made, all you need to worry about is what toppings you’re going to add to yours! The crust always ends up slightly crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, and can hold up to all the cheesiness on top.
Keep it simple with cheese and pepperoni, or use it to make spinach and artichoke pizza, sheet pan Buffalo chicken pizza, or BLT pizza.
You can also make the dough ahead and keep it frozen for later on, so when you want homemade pizza (or homemade crazy bread), you get it (way better than a store bought frozen pizza)!
Easy Fast Pizza Dough
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Takes the same amount of time as it would to have one delivered!
- I give tips and tricks on working with yeast.
- Easy to make with just 6 ingredients (including water!).
- It has great flavor and the perfect texture.
- The dough can be made a couple of days in advance.
Helpful Tools
- Rolling pin
- Pizza pan or pizza stone
- Pizza cutter
- Meat thermometer
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump- Warm water – Your water needs to be between 115°F and 120°F. Anything colder and the yeast won’t activate. If it’s too hot, it’ll kill the yeast.
- Rapid rise yeast – Check to make sure your packet hasn’t expired. You always want to use fresh yeast to ensure your dough rises.
- All-purpose flour – Measure your flour accurately, even if you don’t have a scale. The spoon and level method will help to make sure you’re not using too much flour.
- Granulated white sugar – Sugar feeds the yeast and is needed to produce a light and airy texture.
- Salt – For flavor.
- Olive oil – Some for the dough and some to grease the bowl.
How to make Homemade Pizza Dough
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Jump- Step One: Add the warm water to a measuring cup and sprinkle in the yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes to bloom. It should look like it’s starting to foam and smell “yeasty” – you know, that raw dough smell.
- Step Two: In the bowl of a stand mixer, use the dough hook to stir the flour, sugar, and salt. You can also use a large mixing bowl and a spatula. Pour in the bloomed yeast and olive oil and mix until the dough starts pulling away from the sides.
- Step Three: Once a dough ball forms, dust your hands with flour and smooth it out. Place it into a greased, clear bowl and roll it around in the oil to coat. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let it sit in a warm, draft-free area until it has doubled in size.
- Step Four: Once the dough is ready to stretch, preheat the oven to 425°F. While it’s heating, knead the dough on a floured surface for 20-25 minutes until smooth and elastic. Stretch the dough into a round disk and use a rolling pin to stretch it out to about 12-14 inches. You can also cut the dough in half to make two 6-8-inch pizzas.
- Step Five: Place the pizza dough onto a pizza pan or stone and add your favorite sauce, cheese, and toppings. Bake for 12-15 minutes and enjoy. It’s best on the day it’s made!
- Make sure the water is at the recommended temperature. Think warm bath water!
- I highly recommend using a digital thermometer to test the water.
- If your yeast isn’t foaming after 10 minutes, discard and get fresh yeast.
- I use all-purpose flour because that’s what I (and most people) tend to keep on hand, but for a chewier texture, you can substitute it for bread flour.
- The dough should rise in about 45 minutes, but depending on the temperature in your house, it could take a little longer.
- When kneading the dough with your hands, dust your hands with flour if it’s too sticky.
- Remember to stretch out the dough with your fingertips, not your nails. Otherwise, you risk tearing the dough.
- Sprinkle cornmeal onto your pizza pan before adding the dough to help prevent it from sticking and to make it a crispier bottom.
Storage & Reheating
How to store pizza dough
Keep prepared dough covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. I say it’s best to use it within the first couple of days.
Can you freeze homemade pizza dough?
Yes! Form the dough balls into discs and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Store them in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight, and then bring the easy fast pizza dough out to room temperature before stretching it.
Need more yeast dough recipes? Try these:
Click here to view my entire collection of bread recipes.
Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup warm water 115-120°F
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (7 g) rapid rise yeast one 0.25 oz packet
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour + more for kneading
- 1 ½ teaspoons (8 g) granulated white sugar
- ½ teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil + more to grease the bowl
Instructions
- Use a pastry brush to lightly brush a large glass bowl with olive oil (approximately 1/2 TB) and set aside.
- To a measuring cup, add the water. It should be 115-120°F – think warm bath water but its best to use a digital thermometer to check.¾ cup warm water
- Add the yeast to the warm water and let sit for 5 minutes to bloom. It should be a bit frothy and smell "yeasty".2 ¼ teaspoons rapid rise yeast
- While the yeast is blooming, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Alternatively, you can stir the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large mixing bowl with a spatula.2 cups all purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons granulated white sugar, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the bloomed yeast and 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to the flour mixture and mix until it begins pulling away from the bowl and forming a ball. I use my dough hook but you can use a spatula and your hands. Dust your hands with additional flour if it's too sticky.2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Once a ball begins to form, dust your hands with flour, shape it into a smooth ball and place it into the greased bowl; roll it around in the oil to coat the dough.
- Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and leave in a warm place without any drafts to let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes.
- When the dough is ready to stretch, preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Place the dough onto a floured surface and knead 20-25 times until smooth and elastic.
- Stretch the dough into a round disk with your hands (using your fingertips, not nails!), then use a rolling pin for the final stretch to 12-14 inches.
- Place the dough onto a pizza pan or stone and top with your favorite sauce, cheese and toppings.
- Bake for for 12-15 minutes. Enjoy while warm!
Notes
- The water should be warm to the touch but not hot. Overly hot water will kill the yeast.
- If your yeast is not getting foamy and smelling earthy after 5-10 minutes, your yeast may be bad. Start over and try again.
- If you have a stand mixer, using it with the dough hook attachment to knead the dough is helpful, but your hands will work just as well.
- I recommend using a glass bowl for proofing so you can see the dough double in size without lifting the towel. It should take 30-45 minutes.
- This recipe makes one 12″ round pizza.
- If you’d like to make personal size pizzas, cut the proofed dough in half and then knead each half to make a smaller 8 inch round.
- Make sure to use your fingertips and not your nails to stretch the dough.
- Cornmeal can be added to the pizza pan to prevent sticking and for texture and crunch.
- Prepared dough can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, but I recommend using within 2 days for the best results.
- The crust is best eaten the day it is made.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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