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Pizza dough balls on parchment paper
5 from 10 votes

Pizza Dough Recipe

This is a foolproof recipe for homemade pizza dough that works so well, it's so simple and easy, it will become your go-to recipe that you'll use every time!
Author Diana
Servings 4 personal pizzas
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Rise time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1-1½ teaspoons dry/instant yeast about half a packet
  • 2 teaspoons sweetener such as sugar, honey, or maple syrup.
  • 2 cups (475ml) water lukewarm at 110-115°F/40-46°C
  • 2 cups (170g) all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups (410g) 00 flour or all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Semolina to stretch the dough

Instructions

  • To make sure that the yeast is working, dissolve yeast and sugar/honey in lukewarm water (at 110-115°F/43-46°C). Set aside for 5-10 minutes, or just add directly to a bowl of a stand mixer.
  • Add the flours, salt, and olive oil.
  • Knead the dough on medium-high heat until an elastic dough ball is formed (about 5 minutes). If it’s too sticky, avoid adding more flour (low hydration dough will result in dense pizza) let the dough rest for 10 minutes then run the mixer again to knead (this will allow the dough to strengthen the gluten strands, and it won’t be as sticky). If it's still sticky, start by adding 1 tablespoon of flour to the dough, and knead again.
  • Add oil to the bowl, swirl the dough ball so it's covered with oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and give it at least an hour to rise until it doubles in size, if not a bit longer than that. Oil a flat surface and place your dough on the surface. Divide it into four or six equal parts and using your hands, form dough balls. Allow to rest covered for 30 more minutes.
  • For a slow fermentation, after kneading the dough: divide the dough to form four or six balls, place on a flat oiled surface, spray oil over the dough balls and cover the dough with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge to rise for up to 24 hours.

To bake the pizza

  • Preheat the oven to the highest temp possible (mine goes up to 550°F/290°C) and place the pizza stone in the oven if you have one.
  • Sprinkle the pizza peel with semolina to prevent the dough from sticking, then shape your dough gently with your hands into a 12-inch circle (don’t use a rolling pin). Before adding any toppings, make sure that the pizza can slide off onto the pizza stone easily. If not, just lift it up gently and sprinkle with more semolina. Don’t push the dough too hard, and start working it from the center. Leave the edges puffed up for a great pizza shape and bubbles.
  • Add a thin layer of pizza sauce, and your favorite toppings.
  • Carefully slide off the pizza onto the HOT pizza stone, and bake for 4-5 minutes. Switch to the broiler, and broil for 3-5 more minutes but keep an eye on your pizza not to burn it.
  • To add more flavor, drizzle with chilli oil and serve.

Notes

  • Long proofing will result in better flavor, that’s why I prefer to place the dough balls in the fridge overnight for slow fermentation.
  • Don’t add too many toppings as the pizza will become heavy, the slices will bend, and you want to have the right ratio of dough to toppings.
  • The pizza stone or steel will give you a nice crispy bottom so I highly recommend investing in one.
  • To freeze pizza dough: After step 4, place the balls of dough in separate ziplock bags or containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow the dough to thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter the day you plan to bake pizza.
  • Nutrition is calculated per pizza assuming you're making four pizzas with no toppings.

Nutrition

Calories: 630kcal | Carbohydrates: 124g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 1174mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 7mg