Homemade Pizza Dough

Sharing is caring!

I realized I haven’t been posting as much as I’d like. After all, this site was built around what we have for dinner every night. Rest assured, we haven’t given up food. We still eat plenty! And lately, what we’ve been making again and again is Homemade Pizza Dough.

With all this pizza happening in our kitchen, it felt like the perfect time to share my go-to recipe for Homemade Pizza Dough. It’s insanely easy and wonderfully forgiving, honestly, it’s the best version I’ve tried.

This year kicked off with a bang, and the past couple of months have been a complete blur. We’ve been buried in work, filling the pipeline, juggling projects, and pouring in time and energy. Somewhere along the way, I didn’t realize how little we’d been cooking until I looked over our recent expenses. I was floored: more than $150 a month on pizza delivery! Not only were Lenny’s belly and my hips starting to show it, but that’s money we could have put toward a nice night out or tucked away for a rainy day.

I finally told Lenny, pizza delivery is officially out. From now on, if we’re craving a thin-crust pie, we’ll be making it ourselves. It’s surprisingly easy, definitely healthier, and the best part? You can get as creative as you want with the toppings.

I stole this recipe from an old roommate, who used to make it at least once a week for us. I was always amazed at how easily she could whip up pizza during a workweek. Back then, we didn’t have fancy pizza ovens or a grill, so she made it in the oven. She also used a food processor to mix the dough, but over time I’ve changed the recipe;  from the type of flour I use to mixing it by hand or with a dough whisk.

This recipe is incredibly forgiving. Sometimes I’ll mix it up, cover it, and let it rest in the fridge overnight - it’s that adaptable. Usually, I plan ahead and make the dough at least 24 hours before pizza night, though I’ve been known to do it 48 hours in advance.

This recipe makes enough for four small thin-crust pizzas (about 5–6 slices each).  Or you can make them slightly larger, by dividing the dough accordingly.  We usually bake one or two for dinner, depending on how hungry we are, and with a simple green salad on the side, it’s a complete meal.

Tips:

• If you don't use all the dough at one time, freeze the extra in small ziplock bags.  When you decide to use, remove from the freezer in the morning, place in the refrigerator and at the end of the day there is dough for dinner. 
• Extra dough can be made into flatbreads.
• Slightly Oil your hands before mixing or kneading to keep your hands less sticky.

Tools:

• Your Hands
• Dough Whisk 
• Food Processor - if this is easier for you

Updates – January 2026

We got a pizza oven last year and have been making pizza almost weekly. After trying all kinds of dough from different markets, we always come back to this one - it’s just so forgiving, and only requires a little extra planning.  We have also taken the pizza oven on the road and have made it at a few different spots.  A few notes after making this dough at high altitude and with well water, filtered water, and tap water:

High Altitude
In the mountains and high desert, the dough is always less sticky during mixing, and it usually rises in about half the time.

Water
I’ve been reading a lot about how different types of water affect dough, but honestly, I haven’t noticed much difference between well, filtered, or tap water. I did read about an experiment where a little vodka was added to the dough, which may or may not produce a crispier crust. Stay tuned!

Recipe:   Homemade Pizza Dough

Ingredients

• 300 grams 00 flour or all-purpose (I prefer 00 as it tends to crisp up a little more)

• 12 grams yeast

• 1 cup water, warm to the touch

• 5 grams (1 teaspoon) sugar

• 5 grams (1 teaspoon) kosher salt

• 20 grams olive oil

How To:

1. Place the flour and salt in a large bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, mix the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Set aside until bubbly and doubled in size, about 10–15 minutes.

3. Add the water mixture to the flour along with the olive oil. Mix with your hands or a dough whisk. If it feels too sticky, add a little extra flour, starting with 1 tablespoon at a time. You want the dough slightly sticky but still holding together in a stable ball.

4. Place the dough in a lightly oiled (olive oil) bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 45–60 minutes.

5. Lightly knead, cover, and let rise until doubled again. Lightly knead once more, return to the bowl, and place in the refrigerator. Let rest for 24 hours.

6. One hour before making pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide evenly. I use a scale and divide it into either 3 or 4 balls. Lightly roll each into a uniform ball, dust with flour, and place on a baking sheet in a warm area of the kitchen. Let rest for 1 hour.

7. Stretch into your favorite pizza shape, top as you like, and bake the way you love to bake pizza.

Lazy Method

You can also make this dough the lazy way by skipping the extra kneading steps. Mix everything together, give it a quick knead, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Both ways work perfectly.

Pizza Inspiration

Grilled Corn Cilantro Blue Cheese Pizza

Grilled Prosciutto and Black Truffle Pizza

Grilled Balsamic Onion and Padron Pizza