Making your own pizza dough from scratch is way easier than you might think – and this beginner-friendly recipe proves it!
Perfect for Italian-style homemade pizzas, this dough recipe yields two deliciously chewy crusts in just over an hour.
With only 448 calories per serving and a satisfying 11.8g of protein, you’ll love having full control over your pizza night creations.
Whether you’re new to bread-making or simply want a foolproof pizza base, this straightforward recipe will become your new go-to.
Ingredients for Perfect Pizza Dough
- Yeast: 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- Water: 330g lukewarm water (should feel like warm bath water)
- Olive Oil: 2.5 tablespoons, adds flavor and texture
- Sugar: 1.5 teaspoons to feed the yeast
- Salt: 2.5 teaspoons table salt for flavor development
- Bread Flour: 450g strong bread flour or 00-tipo pizza flour for perfect texture
- Semolina: 50g fine semolina for extra crispiness
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Oven Preparation: Heat oven to maximum (260C/500F) with pizza stone if available
- Yeast Activation: Mix lukewarm water, sugar, and yeast. Let rest 10 minutes until frothy
- Dry Mixture: Combine flour, semolina, and salt in mixer bowl
- Wet Integration: Add olive oil and yeast mixture to dry ingredients
- Dough Development: Using bread maker or stand mixer, knead until smooth and slightly sticky
- First Rise: Let dough proof for 15 minutes
- Second Knead: Knead again for 10 minutes at medium speed
- Final Rise: Oil dough, cover with film, and proof 20 minutes
- Shaping: Divide into two balls, flatten from center, maintaining thicker edges
- Baking: Top as desired and bake for 20 minutes until edges brown beautifully
Dough-Making Tips
Making pizza dough at home can be so much fun! The key to success is getting your water temperature just right – it should feel warm like bathwater, but not hot.
When you’re kneading the dough, don’t worry if it feels sticky at first. As you work it, the dough will become smooth and bouncy.
A good trick is to poke the dough with your finger – if it slowly springs back, it’s ready to go!
Equipment Notes
While this recipe works great with a bread maker or stand mixer, you can totally make it by hand too!
Just mix everything in a big bowl and knead on a floured counter for about 15 minutes. A pizza stone makes amazing crispy crusts, but a regular baking sheet works well too.
Just warm it up in the oven first. And if you don’t have semolina, you can use extra flour for dusting your counter.
Storage & Make-Ahead Tips
This dough is perfect for making ahead! After it rises, wrap each ball tightly in plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for up to 2 days.
The slow, cold rise actually makes the flavor even better. You can even freeze the dough balls for up to 3 months – just thaw overnight in the fridge when you’re ready to use them. Let cold dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping.
Topping Ideas
This dough is your blank canvas! Keep it classic with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil for a Margherita pizza. Love veggies?
Try mushrooms, bell peppers, and olives. For meat lovers, pepperoni, Italian sausage, or ham work great. Just remember not to overload your pizza – too many toppings can make the center soggy. A light touch works best for a crispy crust!
Easy Homemade Pizza Dough for Beginners
Equipment
- Stand mixer or bread maker
- Pizza stone or crisper tray
- Bowl
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 3 tsp yeast
- 330 g lukewarm water (10.5 oz)
- 2.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 tsp sugar
- 2.5 tsp table salt
- 450 g strong bread flour or 00-tipo pizza flour (14 oz)
- 50 g fine semolina (3.5 oz)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to its maximum temperature or 260C/500F on the fan setting. Place your pizza stone in the oven, if you have one.
- In a bowl mix the lukewarm water and the sugar using a fork or a whisk. Add the yeast and stir till its fully dissolved. Let it rest for about 10 minutes or until it just starts to froth.
- In your bread maker bowl or your stand mixer bowl add the flour, the semolina and the salt. Stir with a fresh spoon till the ingredients are combined.
- Add the olive oil and the yeast, water and sugar mixture in the mixer bowl or bread maker bowl.
- If you are using a bread maker, set it to the pizza programme. It should last for 45 minutes and have kneaded the dough twice and prooved it. The pizza dough should be ready to use once the programme is done.
- If you are using a stand mixer, install your dough hook and turn it on at slow speed till the ingredients combine. Then turn up the speed to about a third and let it knead the dough for 5 minutes. If the dough is too firm add two tablespoons of water. Continue kneading for another 10 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky and have separated from the bowl.
- Remove the dough from the hook and let it proof in the stand mixer for 15 minutes.
- Reinstall the hook and knead it for a further 10 minutes on 1/3 speed. Once done remove the dough from the hook, shape it in large ball and cover it with a splash of olive oil. Place it back in the bowl and cover it with cling film. Let the dough proove for another 20 minutes. The dough should have proved by about 1/3 of its size.
- Remove the dough from the bowl or your bread maker.
- Shape it into two round balls with the palm of your hands. Sprinkle some semolina on your kitchen counter and push the dough in the centre with your palm. Spread it out using your palm, lifting the dough from the counter and flipping it over every other time. Take care to leave a thicker crust on the outside of your pizza to get that wonderfully raised crust when baking.
- If you are using a pizza crisper tray place the dough on it and season with your favourite tomato sauce and toppings. If you’re using a pizza stone place the dough on some parchment paper and season with your sauce and toppings. Take the pizza stone out from the oven and put the edge of your pizza on it, gently unrolling the parchment paper underneath till its fully on the stone.
- Place in the oven and let it cook for approximately 20 minutes or till the edges have browned.