Pizza Crust Recipe

This pizza crust recipe creates delicious crust – crisp outside and chewy inside. Make this for pizza night instead of using store-bought!

I’ve made dozens upon dozens of pizza dough recipes and this is the one I come back to time and again. It’s our old standby for Friday pizza nights and never, ever disappoints.

It’s the perfect mix of a chewy, airy interior with a crisp crust.

I first made it nearly 15 years ago and I’ve simplified the process over the years, going from mixing it up in a food processor to using a good old bowl and spoon. If you’ve been on the hunt for an easy and absolutely perfect pizza dough recipe that isn’t too thick or too thin, you’ve found it!

How to make the pizza crust recipe

This easy pizza dough recipe makes enough for 3 medium or 2 large pizzas. The dough will need around 90 minutes to rise, so give yourself plenty of time!

Ingredients

• Warm water – You'll need some for the yeast and some for the dough. It's important that the temperature is around 110 degrees F or the yeast won't fully activate. Using warm water, and so much of it, to make the dough creates a soft texture that's easier to form.
• Instant yeast – This recipe works best with instant yeast, but instructions on using dry active yeast can be found in the recipe notes below.
• Extra-virgin olive oil – Always use quality olive oil to get a good flavor in your dough.
• Bread flour – This is the secret ingredient! Using this instead of all-purpose flour is what creates that crispy exterior crust and chewy interior.
• Salt – Use salt with a fine texture so it dissolves easily into the dough.
• Semolina – This is used under the dough when baking to prevent it from sticking to the pizza peel. If you can’t find it, cornmeal works well, too!

Step by step instructions

Mix the Dough

Combine the instant yeast with some of the warm water to proof. Then stir in the oil and the remaining water.

NOTE: Normally instant yeast is adding directly to the dry ingredients and proofs when everything is mixed together. Activating it separately like this allows you to only do one rise on the dough, instead of two.

Whisk together the dry ingredients, then slowly add the yeast mixture a little at a time.

Knead the dough for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface, then transfer to a bowl and coat with oil.

Let it Rise

Cover in plastic wrap until doubled in size. This should take about 1½ hours.

Form the Dough

Remove the plastic wrap and press on the dough to deflate it.

Turn it out onto a floured surface and divide it into smaller pieces, depending on how many pizzas you want to make.

Form each piece into a ball, then cover with a damp cloth and let it relax for at least 10 minutes. NOTE: Don't let it sit for longer than 30 minutes or you will end up with a flat, dense crust after it has baked.

Shape each dough ball, one at a time, into a circle. The size will depend on whether you are making medium or large pizzas.

Make your Pizza

Lightly dust a pizza peel with semolina, then transfer the raw crust onto it.

Add all the toppings to your homemade pizza dough, then bake at 500 degrees F until the edges of the crust start to brown.
NOTE: If you're looking for a homemade pizza sauce, my favorite can be found here.

Remove from the oven, slice, and enjoy!

Recipe Tips!

• Flour: You can substitute all-purpose flour for the bread flour in this pizza crust recipe, but the crust will have a slightly softer texture.
• Yeast: If you don’t have instant yeast, you can substitute active dry yeast. Follow the recipe as directed, but be aware that the rise time will likely be longer. Just watch for it to double in size and then you’re ready to go.
• Alternate Mixing Methods: You can also make this easy pizza dough in a food processor or stand mixer instead.
• Semolina Alternative: If you don’t have semolina to dust the pizza peel, you can also use cornmeal.
• Special Equipment: To make amazing pizza, invest in a pizza stone and a pizza peel, which allows you to easily transfer your pizza to and from the stone. If you don’t have these, you can use parchment paper on top of an upside-down baking sheet.
• Freezing Instructions: This pizza crust recipe freezes extremely well! Follow the recipe through the step where you divide the dough. Wrap any dough balls you won't be using in plastic wrap and transfer to a zippered freezer bag. Store in the freezer up for up to 3 months. When you're ready to use the dough, put it in the refrigerator the morning you will use it (or the night before) so it can thaw.

More Pizza Night Inspiration

• Neapolitan Pizza
• Sicilian Pizza
• Thin Crust Pizza
• Chicago-Style Deep-Dish Pizza
• Portobello Pesto Pizza

If you make this recipe and love it, I would so appreciate it if you would take a moment to leave a rating below. Thank you so much!

(Recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated)

[photos by Ari of Well Seasoned]