Step By Step Pizza Dough Recipe For Perfect Homemade Pizza

You can use this pizza dough to make most pizza styles, including New York, New Haven, Neapolitan, and Roman.

Ingredients for Pizza Dough

How to make pizza dough + Tips

4. Bulk Proofing

6. Stretching or rolling out the dough

Storage and making ahead

More pizza recipes

Flour

You can make pizza dough with all-purpose flour or with bread flour. However, the best flour for making pizza is pizza flour; one that is specifically developed for pizza. You can find pizza flour in most supermarkets. Our favorite is Caputo Pizzeria, Caputo 00, and Caputo Nuvola. King Arthur 00 Pizza Flour is also a good option (not sponsored).

Water

Tap water or still bottled water.

Yeast

We use dry yeast. Active dry or instant dry are both excellent options. Some brands we recommend (not sponsored) are Caputo dry yeast, Red Start active dry yeast, Red Star saf instant, and Dr. Oetker instant yeast.

Salt

Use fine sea salt or kosher salt.

Sugar

If you cook the pizza in your standard home oven, we recommend adding sugar, as the sugar helps color the pizza. If you cook the pizza in a pizza oven that reaches high temperatures of around 750°F or 400°C (like Ooni pizza ovens), omit the sugar. Instead, use our Ooni pizza dough recipe.

Olive oil

As for sugar, we recommend adding extra virgin olive oil if baking the pizza in a standard home oven. If you bake the pizza in a pizza oven that reaches high temperatures of around 750°F or 400°C (like Ooni), omit the olive oil.

1. Activating the yeast

Add lukewarm water, sugar, and dry yeast to a small container. Whisk for 30 seconds to dissolve the yeast. Tip: If the yeast doesn’t dissolve it might be dead. Start over with new yeast. Lukewarm means slightly warm, best if at 25°C or 77°F.

2. Mixing the dough

Add flour and salt to a large bowl. Stir to combine. Stir in the water-yeast mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the olive oil and mix for one more minute until incorporated. Tip: This step should take you 2 minutes tops. Transfer to a clean worktop and knead for 3 minutes until smooth. Tip: Using a granite, marble, or stainless steel countertop is best. Cover the dough with an upside-down bowl and rest for 15 minutes.

3. Folding the dough

Slightly flatten the dough with your hands to make a square, fold it on itself as shown in the picture, and shape it into a ball by rolling it against the worktop. Tip: This step gives the dough structure and strengthens the gluten network, improving the pizza’s texture. REGULAR PROOFING Let proof for 4 to 6 hours in a warm corner of your kitchen until it doubles in volume. The ideal temperature is 80°F or 27°C. Tip: We recommend putting the bowl in a turned-off oven with the oven light on. The mild heat generated from the oven light creates the perfect conditions for proofing. SLOW PROOFING Let proof for 30 minutes at room temperature, then put it in the refrigerator for 20 to 48 hours. Remove it from the fridge and leave it at room temperature for 1½ hours before moving to the next step. Tip: Maturing the dough slowly in the fridge will improve its flavor and make it more digestible. QUICK PROOFING Triple the dry yeast shown in our recipe box and let proof in a warm corner of your kitchen for 1 to 2 hours or until it doubles in volume. Tip: If you have the time, we recommend the other two proofing methods. They produce pizza dough with a better texture, more flavor, and easier digestion because the yeasts digest most of it for you.

5. Balling the dough

Transfer the dough to your countertop and cut it into 3 o 4 pieces, depending on how large you want the pizza to be. Roll each piece into a round, smooth ball, as shown in the picture. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and dust it with flour. Arrange the dough balls on it and cover with a damp towel. Let it rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 480°F or 250°C. If you are using a pizza stone, put it in the center rack of the oven and preheat it for 30 minutes. With a flat spatula, go under the pizza dough ball, lift it gently, and turn it upside down on the floured worktop. Tip: The dough is very soft at this stage, so handle it gently. You want to preserve as many of the air bubbles inside the dough ball as possible. Dust the dough ball with flour, then gently turn it over, right side up. Now, stretch or roll out the dough with your hand or a rolling pin. Tip: You can make Neapolitan pizza, New York pizza, New Haven pizza, Roman Pizza, and Californian Pizza. You could even attempt a Detroit-style pizza. Slide the dough on a pizza peel, pizza pan, or on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Add toppings and cook in the oven. It takes 4 to 6 minutes in a standard home oven at 480°F or 250°C. It takes 90 to 120 seconds in a pizza oven like an Ooni at 750°F or 400°C. Tip: If you cook the dough in a pizza oven, it’s best to omit sugar and oil from it and follow our Ooni pizza dough recipe. Freezer: After it has proved the first time, you can freeze the dough. Shape it into balls as instructed in the recipe, put it in single freezer bags, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then keep 1 hour at room temperature before stretching it/rolling it out and baking it.