With my easy pizza dough recipe, you can make the most delicious homemade pizza ever. Friday night pizza night will never be the same again!
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About this Homemade Pizza Recipe
Fridays just call for pizza for dinner — anybody with me? But I’m not talking about cardboard flavored frozen pizza, or delivery pizza with a million different ingredients. Nope, my favorite Friday pizza night is with the homemade pizza recipe!
Over the years, I have perfected my quick pizza dough. So, I love to make a few batches ahead of time and then freeze it for later. Then I just let it thaw and voila, we have fresh dough ready for pizza night!
The best part about making your own pizza is that you can add as many toppings as you want and no one will judge you. You can even make really weird combos (I’m looking at you anchovy lovers) in the comfort of your own home.
Pair your ooey gooey pizza with an ice cold beerita to wind down from a long week. Trust me, you won’t regret making fresh homemade pizza. It’s irresistibly delicious and you’ll make a lot of memories turning your home kitchen into a pizzaria.
More pizza recipes: Pizza Pinwheels • Pizza Popcorn • Pepperoni Pizza Dip
Why you’ll love this recipe
Now that I have a super easy and incredibly tasty pizza recipe, I truly don’t see the need to buy delivery anymore. Once you give this recipe a try, you’ll understand what I’m talking about:
- When you make homemade pizza there are endless combinations of toppings to discover! Really, you can use whatever you want.
- Pizza is a great party food. Make a whole bunch of pies, slice them up, and in no time you will have plenty of food to feed all of your guests.
- If you have dietary restrictions, making your own pizza is a great way to ensure there is no cross contamination and all ingredients are safe for you.
Tools & equipment
To make the pizza dough, you’ll need a stand mixer (ideally with the dough hook) or a food processor. You’ll also need plenty of parchment paper and some plastic wrap or a ziptop bag.
I prefer to use a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients and get the ratio just right, but you can use measuring cups if that’s what you have.
To bake the pizza, make sure you’ve got baking sheets, more parchment paper and a pizza stone if you’d like.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need for the best ever homemade pizza!
Pizza dough ingredients
If you are making my homemade pizza dough recipe for your pizza, then make sure you’ve got all of the ingredients on hand. Here’s what you need:
- bread flour
- active dry yeast
- salt
- olive oil (or any other light-tasting oil)
- hot water
- honey or agave nectar
Pizza ingredients
Here’s what I use to make my perfect pizza:
- pizza dough
- flour or cornmeal
- olive oil
- minced garlic
- pizza sauce
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- pepperoni
- sliced tomato
- fresh basil
- pizza seasoning or Italian seasoning
Or whatever your favorite toppings are!
Substitutions & variations
Flour: You can use all purpose flour in place of bread flour it needed. However, the dough may not be as fluffy — but it will still taste great. I’ve not tried this with gluten-free flour blends.
Oil: I prefer the flavor of extra virgin olive oil in homemade pizza dough, but you can also use avocado oil if that’s all that you have on hand.
Crust: You can absolutely use store bought pizza dough or pre-made pizza crust instead of making your own. Or add some chopped fresh herbs to the crust for a pretty and flavorful addition. This gluten-free pizza crust recipe from my friend Erin is a winner if you need to make that adjustment.
Pizza Toppings
There are so many delicious toppings that you can put on pizza. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of pizza because of the fun flavor combinations that you can create. A few fun ideas:
- Hawaiian pizza: Use some pineapple and ham as a savory, sweet, and tangy combo!
- Margherita pizza: Tomato sauce with fresh mozzarella and fresh basil are classic for margherita pizza.
- Veggie lovers: Mushrooms, bell peppers, spinach, tomatoes, onions, and roasted cauliflower are all great options for veggie pizza.
- Buffalo chicken: Dice up some grilled chicken or even shred some chicken. Then use a tasty buffalo sauce drizzle and maybe even some ranch dressing!
- Bruschetta pizza: Top your fresh pizza crust with mozzarella, basil, ripe cherry tomatoes, and some balsamic glaze for an easy bruschetta pizza.
- Meat lovers: Toppings like bacon, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, pepperoni, and diced ham are all hearty options for a meat lovers pizza.
- Taco pizza: Shake up taco Tuesday and make a pizza with toppings like ground beef taco meat, queso, shredded lettuce, corn and salsa.
- Dessert pizza: YES, you can make dessert pizza. Bake the crust first — you can even dust the edges with cinnamon sugar. Use chocolate fudge sauce as the base, and then add fun toppings like marshmallow fluff, M&Ms, chocolate chips, sprinkles, whipped cream, and so much more.
Also, you don’t have to make a themed pizza! Throw on some leftover meatballs or veggies. Who doesn’t love a new dinner from leftovers?!
Pizza dough
Let’s make some pizza dough! (If you aren’t making homemade pizza dough then you can skip down to the instructions on how to make homemade pizza.)
In a stand mixer or food processor, thoroughly combine flour, yeast and salt. Then add the olive oil and mix together until the texture of the ingredients resembles sand.
Meanwhile, heat the water in the microwave until warm. Be careful not tolet it boil, but make sure it’s not just lukewarm either. Then add the honey and then stir until fully dissolved.
Pour the water into the dry ingredients in a slow, steady stream. Mix for 2-3 minutes until the dough forms a ball. It should be sticky, but not too sticky that it sticks to your fingers.
If the dough is too dry, add ¼ cup of warm water a little at a time. If it’s too wet or sticky, add a sprinkle of flour.
Roll out a piece of plastic wrap onto a clean surface, or use a large cutting board. Place the dough ball onto the work surface and flatten it out into a rectangle. Then use your fingers to make indentations.
Fold one side over to the middle, like a letter. Then repeat the indentations, and fold over the other third. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or place it into a zip-top plastic bag. Set it aside to rise for 20 minutes.
After the 20 minutes have passed, divide the dough into two pieces and roll each into a ball. You can use both doughs immediately, or wrap in more plastic wrap or place into a bag.
Refrigerate dough and use within 3 days, or freeze it for up to 6 months. Thaw the pizza dough in the fridge overnight before using.
How to make homemade pizza
Allow the dough to come to room temperature on the counter top for 20 minutes. Then preheat your oven to 550°F (290°F) with a pizza stone inside. If you do not have a pizza stone, you can use a baking sheet or pizza pan — just don’t preheat it.
Over a big piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet, stretch out the homemade pizza dough into a large circle. Place the dough in the center of the parchment paper.
Add your favorite pizza toppings. I love to do a drizzle of olive oil and some minced garlic, then rub it all over the crust.
Next add pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and pizza seasoning.
Transfer the parchment holding the pizza to the preheated pizza stone, or a baking sheet.
Bake for 6 to 10 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Then use the parchment to slide the pizza back onto the previous baking sheet and let it rest for a few minutes to cool.
When it comes out, add some more fresh basil, hot honey or anything else you like to add. Then slice and enjoy!
Tips & tricks
This quick recipe is really easy to make, but here’s a few tips and tricks to ensure that it’s super easy:
- I prefer to use gravity to help me stretch the dough, slowly working my hands around the edges. Don’t stress about making it perfect, it’s okay if it is uneven! And if a hole forms, you can pinch it back together.
- If your kitchen is cold, allow your dough to proof in the oven with just the oven light on. It creates a warmer environment that will help the dough rise perfectly.
- Use your favorite toppings! Improvise! Pizza night should be fun and not stressful.
Food & drink pairings
While you can serve pizza all on its own, there are some tasty sides to pair with it too. Fresh pizza dough breadsticks and marinara sauce are one of my favorite sides.
Some air fryer mozzarella sticks and air fryer chicken wings are great to pair with pizza. Some shishito peppers with garlic aioli would be a fun spicy appetizer. A crunchy kale caesar salad would be a perfect pairing too!
FAQ
Salt in the dough is key to make a good crust flavor and texture. My personal secret ingredient is sweetening the dough with honey. It adds the perfect touch of sweetness!
Mozzarella is a classic option, but you can also use parmesan cheese, provolone, gorgonzola, and so much more!
More party recipes
— Did you make this recipe? —
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Homemade Pizza
ingredients
Pizza Dough Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups bread flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast 1 packet
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¾ cup hot water plus more if needed
- 2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
- 2-3 tablespoons 00 flour or cornmeal
Pizza Ingredients
- ½ recipe pizza dough
- 2-3 tablespoons of flour or cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 16 slices pepperoni
- ½ medium tomato sliced
- 16 leaves fresh basil
- ½ teaspoon pizza seasoning
instructions
Homemade Pizza Dough
- In a stand mixer or food processor, combine flour, yeast and salt until combined.
- Add the oil and mix until the texture resembles sand.
- Meanwhile, heat the water in the microwave — you don’t want it boiling, just on the warmer side. Add the honey and stir until dissolved.
- Add the water in a slow, steady stream. Mix for 2-3 minutes until it forms a ball and the dough is sticky but not sticking to your fingers. If dough is too dry, add another ¼ cup of warm water a little at a time. If it is too sticky, you can add a sprinkle of flour to make it easier to handle.
- Roll out a piece of plastic wrap or use a cutting board. Place the dough on top and flatten it out into a rectangle. Use your fingers to make indentations like you are playing the piano. Fold one side over to the middle, like a letter. Repeat the indentations, then fold over the other third. Cover in plastic wrap or place in a zip-top bag. Set aside for 20 minutes to rise in a warm place.
- Divide the dough into two pieces and roll them into a ball. Wrap in more plastic wrap or place in a zip-top bag. You can use it immediately. If you are saving it for later, you can refrigerate and use within 3 days, or freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge the night before you plan to use it.
Homemade Pizza
- Let the dough come to room temperature on the counter for about 20 minutes before beginning.
- Preheat the oven to 550°F (290°F) with a pizza stone inside. You can also use a baking sheet or pizza pan, but don’t preheat it.
- Sprinkle 00 flour over a big piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Stretch the dough out into a large circle with your hands. Flour your hands with 00 flour if the dough is too sticky. Place in the center of the parchment paper.
- Add pizza sauce, cheese and your favorite pizza toppings.
- Transfer the parchment, with the pizza on it, to your pizza stone or baking sheet. This makes it easy to handle from surface to surface. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- Use the parchment to slide the pizza back onto the baking sheet. Let rest for a couple minutes, then slice into pieces and enjoy!
notes
- Don’t use boiling water because it can kill the yeast. The hottest water your tap makes should be fine.
- I prefer the stand mixer with a dough hook to the food processor. The mixer seems better able to handle a big ball that will weight it down unevenly.
- If your kitchen is cold, allow your dough to rest in the oven with just the oven light on. It creates a warmer environment that will help the dough rise perfectly.
- Use gravity to help you stretch the dough, slowly working your hands around the edges.
- Don’t stress about making a perfect circle — it’s okay if it is uneven! This is homemade pizza, after all.
- If a hole forms, pinch it back together.
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