Pizza makes the world go round and crust makes a pizza round. So every pizza needs a killer crust which is made with pizza dough.
Deep thoughts. Deep thoughts. Or as deep as my thoughts get at 1AM.
While this post isn’t nearly as exciting as my Angel Food Cake French Toast with Cream Cheese and Strawberry Syrup or Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken, Pineapple Carrots and Bell Peppers – its paving the way to make the exciting pizza posts possible – like my Alfredo Philly Cheesesteak Pizza pictured above.
Oh, yes, be excited. Be very excited.
I’ve perfected what I think is the perfect homemade pizza crust – thick, soft and chewy (if you like thinner crust, simply roll out more), baked with olive oil and garlic salt for satisfying flavor every time. Just like nothing compares to homemade bread, nothing compares to homemade pizza crust – when its this homemade pizza crust. Once you make this homemade pizza crust, you will never want to waste your money on store-bought crust again – and you will be strongly tempted to make your own pizza instead of going out whenever you get that pizza craving – because I guarantee this will satisfy your pizza craving!
This crust is also wonderful because you can freeze the dough! After you let the dough rise, you simply divide into balls, rise some more then store until ready to use. You can have homemade pizza crust at your fingertips at a seconds notice! Such an easy, fun weekday dinner!
So I consider myself a cook first and a baker second because I love the creativity in cooking and spices – whereas in baking I feel like I’m not completely in control because there are actual chemical reactions that go on – eek! For the longest time anything with yeast intimidated me, until I actually tackled my first homemade pizza crust. I couldn’t believe how EASY and how DELICIOUS it was! So if you have never made homemade pizza crust before, PLEASE don’t be intimidated!
I’ve detailed the process to make the crust below with pictures and with more information than you need, so its a bit wordy, but that’s just to answer any questions you might have. TRUST me that it really is quick, easy, delicious and SO WORTH YOUR TIME!
Let’s get our crust making on!
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer (preferred), stir in the water, sugar and yeast. Let sit for 5-10 minutes or until the yeast is foamy and dissolved. If the yeast doesn’t foam, either your water was too warm, or your yeast is too old. Yeast should be no older than 6 months. Repeat until your yeast foams like this (which can take up to 10 minutes):
Add olive oil, salt, and 1 1/2 cups flour and mix well with your hook attachment (or with a wooden spoon if not using a mixer).
Continue to mix while gradually stirring in 2 more cups of flour. If your dough is too wet and is not pulling away from the bowl, add 1 more tablespoon of flour at a time (up to 1/4 cup) until dough barely sticks to your fingers. Once dough has pulled away from the bowl, continue to mix for 5 more minutes on medium-low speed (or by hand). You may need to place a hand on your mixer so it doesn’t fly off your counter!
Shape the dough into a ball and place back into your large mixing bowl that has been coated lightly with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray. Turn dough over to coat with oil on all sides. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm environment (75-80F), until it has doubled in size. Depending on your yeast (active dry yeast takes longer than instant yeast), climate, etc. this will take between 1-2 hours.
Guestimating 15 minutes before your dough is ready, place your pizza stone or baking sheet in the middle rack of your oven set to 475 degrees F. You want to “bake” your stone for 30-60 minutes in order to get it nice and hot.
After dough has doubled in size, punch down to release the air…
Remove dough from bowl, knead a couple times to further release the air then divide into two equal balls and cover with a towel for 15 minutes to allow them to rise further.
Carefully remove your pizza stone/baking sheet and GENEROUSLY grease the entire surface with olive oil or with nonstick cooking spray (I like to spray like crazy). Sprinkle with cornmeal for added flavor, texture and to prevent sticking.
After 15 minutes, roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface or nonstick slip mat into a 12-inch round circle. Transfer pizza dough to your baking dish or pizza stone then pinch edges to create a rimmed crust. Try scooting your pizza dough – if it slides easily you are good to go – if not, you need more nonstick cooking spray and cornmeal. Lightly brush the top of the crust with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Using a fork, prick several holes in the crust to prevent bubbling.
Bake for 12 minutes with favorite toppings then broil to cheesy bubbly golden heaven.
| Prep Time | 135 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings | Yield 2 12" pizza crusts |
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees)
- 1 tablespoon instant or active dry yeast (active will take longer to rise)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (plus more as needed)
- Olive oil/nonstick cooking spray
- Garlic salt
- cornmeal
Ingredients
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- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer (preferred), stir in water, sugar and yeast. Let sit 5-10 minutes or until the yeast is foamy and dissolved. Add olive oil, salt, and 1 1/2 cups flour and mix until combined with your hook attachment (or with a wooden spoon if not using a mixer). Gradually mix in 2 more cups of flour until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If your dough is too wet, add 1 more tablespoon of flour at a time (up to 1/4 cup) until dough barely sticks to your fingers. Once dough has pulled away from the bowl, knead in mixer on medium-low speed or by hand for 5 minutes.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place back into your large mixing bowl that has been coated lightly with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray. Turn dough over to coat all sides. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.
- Guestimating 15 minutes before your dough is ready, preheat your pizza stone or baking sheet in middle rack of your oven for 30-60 minutes at 475 degrees F.
- After dough has doubled, remove from bowl and knead a couple times. Divide dough into two equal balls and cover with a towel for 15 minutes. You can freeze one of the balls at this point if desired.*
- Carefully remove your pizza stone/baking pan and GENEROUSLY grease the entire surface with olive oil or with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle with cornmeal.
- After dough has been resting 15 minutes, roll each dough ball out onto a lightly floured surface or parchment paper into a 12-inch round circle. Transfer pizza dough to your baking sheet or pizza stone then pinch edges to create a rimmed crust (if you have trouble transferring, you can place your entire piece of parchment paper on your stone/baking sheet and bake directly on your parchment paper). Lightly brush the top of the crust with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Using a fork, prick several holes in the crust.
- Bake for 12 minutes at 475F degrees with favorite toppings then broil for 2 minutes or until cheese is golden.
*Freezing and Thawing Instructions
After the 2 balls of pizza dough have risen (Step 4), you can freeze 1 or both of the balls of dough. Lightly spray all sides of the dough balls with nonstick spray. Place the dough into separate ziploc bags, squeezing out any air. When ready to use, thaw dough in the refrigerator for about 12 hours then bring to room temperature by placing on your counter for approximately 30 minutes. Preheat pizza stone/baking sheet as in Step 3, then skip to Step 5.
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35 Minute No Rise No Wait Stromboli (AKA How to Make Rolled Pizza)
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Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken, Pineapple and Bell Peppers
Alfredo Philly Cheesesteak Pizza
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Nicole says
OMGoodness just saw this post and your dough/pizza looks fantastic…Cant wait to try! Quick question, Can this be made with whole wheat flour? Sorry if thats been a previous question.
Nicole
Jen says
Hi Nicole, I have never made it with wheat flour but it should work just fine. Enjoy!
Peter says
Hi! You didn’t mention (or I’m blind 😉 how much olive oil to use in the pizza dough recipe. 🙁
Jen says
Hi Peter, it is on the 4th line – 1 tablespoon 🙂
Lori Johnson says
Can this recipe be made using a bread machine?
Jen says
Hi Lori! I have never tried it but I believe others have with success. Enjoy!
Gina says
I just made this. It’s fantastic! I must have spread it rather thin in the pizza pan because it came out very thin crust. I don’t normally care for this crust and I still loved this. The consistency is perfect. I can only imagine how great it’ll be when I make it so that the crust is a bit thicker. Thank you for sharing this excellent recipe. I may never order pizza again.
Jen says
Hi Gina, I was going to reply to your cornmeal question and then saw this so I am so happy it turned out and was such a hit! I hope you enjoy many homemade pizza nights from now on!
Nida Salman says
what quantityin gm or tbspoon of yeast is used in the recipe …as it says 1 package of yeast
Jen says
Hi Nida, it says one tablespoon yeast – hope that helps!
RaeAnna says
I have made this many times and my flour amount never turns out right, I need at least 4 cups and this time it was probably closer to 5 by the time I said screw it it’ll just have to be sticky! Anyone else have that issue? What’s the problem??
Jen says
Hi RaeAnna, sorry you are having problems with the amount of flour – I have never had this problem and haven’t had any comments to that point but maybe someone will chime in. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
Jamie says
I use this recipe all the time for pizza crust. It always cones out sticky for me even though I add more flour than called for. That being said, it still always comes out yummy. I’m sure it’s sticky for me due to humidity, cause sometimes I only need to add a little bit of extra flour and sometimes a lot.
After reading through the comments I’m going to try 1/4 cup less water to see if it helps and tweak from there. But like I said, either way, this recipe always tastes yummy.
Emily says
First off, my family loves this pizza crust! For years I’ve been trying to find one that everybody will eat (hubby likes thick and chewy, I like thinner, kids have no opinion). This one hit the mark! As such I make it multiple times a month and everybody is happy every time!
In fact,I discovered today that the crust is so well loved that my toddler had pushed her chair over to the mixer while I was kneading the dough (by hand) and was eating the leftovers on the dough hook!
So thank you for the awesome pizza! It’s the best of both worlds!
Jen says
Hi Emily, that is awesome! I love hearing everyone loves this crust and that you make it multiple times a month – yay! The visual of your toddler pushing her chair over to eat leftovers is adorable! Thank you, thank you!
Lissette says
Carl, I must thank you for this recipe! I have been using this sole pizza dough recipe for about 8 months now, at leat twice a month. Yes, I know your name is not carl, it’s Jen. But I must admit the first few times I used this recipe I truly thought the author was a male named Carl. There is something sexy and risqué in a recipe that a man has created. I am from New York, THE place to have the best pizza. So….. homemade pizza can be a joke knowing the best pizza is just a few blocks away. But I must say Jen, this is by far the closest I’ll ever get to pizzeria dough at home. It’s quick, it’s cheap and soooo delish. I have used this recipe for pizza, stromboli and focaccia. I have tried various ways in letting rise and the winner goes to an oven pre heated to 200° then turned off. It rises in about 30 minutes. It’s amazing……. thank you for this recipe.
Jen says
LOL! When I first started reading your comment, I thought you had the wrong blog! I have seen my blog listed as “Carl’s Bad Cravings” on several sites which makes me laugh but honestly is a much more creative name 🙂 Anyway, THANK YOU for your comment! I am so honored this is the best pizza dough recipe you’ve found and that you make it so often – that makes my heart happy! Thank you also for your preheated oven rising tip – I definitely need to add that to the recipe – can’t beat 30 minute rising time! Thanks again Lissette!
Jen says
Hi Jen,
I have tried several different pizza cough recipes and I’ve never had a great result. But I tried your recipe this last weekend and I am happy to say the pizza turned out so good on Saturday night that I made a second pizza for lunch on Sunday. This is definitely a recipe I will try again. Thank you for sharing.
For anyone that is curious, I made the full recipe as stated in the post. I used half of the dough to make a large pizza on Saturday night. The second half went into a plastic bag and into the refrigerator. I pulled the bag out of my fridge and let the dough come to room temperature before stretching it out to make the second large pizza. ( I stretched the dough out by hand instead of rolling it out. )
Jen says
You are so welcome Jen, I’m so happy it was a winner and thank you also for sharing your tips on saving the dough! Super helpful!
Lisam says
Love this pizza recipe. It’s a great hit at home. But I always end up having to add more flour than 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, even when I add up to a 1/4 cup, it still seems too wet and needs more flour.
What would you suggest or is it okay for the dough to be still tacky and sticking to my hands?
Jen says
I am so glad this recipe is a hit! The amount of flour can vary depending on humidity and elevation, so I would just add enough so it doesn’t stick to your hands – hopefully you can find the magic amount!
Fatima says
I just finished my first slice of pizza using your crust. I was worried top say the least because I’ve had little luck with homemade pizza but you were right! Your crust is THE BEST crust. it was just like pizza hut! It was both tasty and beautiful thank you so much I can’t wait to share this with the rest of my family!
Jen says
Awesome Fatima, I am thrilled you finally found a crust that works for you! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!
Shalonda says
This recipe is the best that I found for homemade pizza crust. Not only does the pizza crust taste good it also looks good. The best homemade pizza I have made using your recipe.Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Jen says
I am so happy to hear that Shalonda, homemade pizza is the best! – Thank you!
Rosie says
Wow! This is an amazing recipe ! I’m a fisrt time pizza dough maker and i can’t belive how good it cane out. I was a little scared that i was doing it wrong cause my dough was too stick compared to your pictures but i kept at it and wooow! I was also scared that there wasnt enough dough for two pizzas so i jut made one . It made the best deepdish pizza ive ever haf !
You’re inseuctions and pictures were very helpful !
Thanks so much for the recipe, my two year olds are very thankfull too!
Jen says
Hi Rosie, baking is intimidating as it is, I know pizza sounds even scarier! I’m so glad you and your kids tried it out though and LOVED it. I hope you continue to find recipes you and the kids will love!
judi says
after frezzing the dough how long does it take to thaw and do you let it rise again
Jen says
Hi Judi, when ready to use, thaw dough in the refrigerator for about 12 hours then bring to room temperature by placing on your counter for approximately 30 minutes. Preheat pizza stone/baking sheet as in Step 3, then skip to Step 5. enjoy!
shifu says
Hello dear. .
Planning on trying this out.. and would like to know if this works fine in an airfryer. . I recently purchased one and im looking for recipes to try in my airfryer. . Would love to try this in the airfryer if possible. .. do let me know about the time and temperature settings please…
Shifu..
Jen says
I’m sorry I don’t have an air fryer so I can’t help you out. Sorry!