Making a pizza at home always seemed like a scary task and I’ve wondered how would I be able to keep up with the restaurant quality and taste. But honestly, it’s actually fun and interesting. The aroma of a freshly baked pizza taken out of the oven is something to die for. This recipe is literally the perfect pizza dough I have made in my kitchen, have tried different measurements and finally came up with this foolproof version which gives the best results all the time.

To make a pizza dough, all you need are 6 basic ingredients. And for a full-fledged pizza, just add to the dough a base sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings. I have used a stand mixer to make my dough here, but you can always knead with your hand which is absolutely fine, although it takes more time and some extra energy.

Tips / Things to consider while making a homemade pizza

Yeast: Always use a good quality yeast for making pizza, how well your dough rises depends upon the yeast you use. When you dissolve it, check if it foams or bubbles. That’s the sign of a good yeast.

Instant or active dry yeast: The differences between these two kinds are; Texture, instant yeast has a fine texture whereas active dry yeast has a granular texture. Secondly, instant yeast can be added directly along with the dry ingredients where as active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in water before using.

Italian seasonings: Adding Italian seasonings provide a nice aroma and flavor to your pizza dough, you would definitely love it if you are not a fan of the yeast smell.

Resting time: Dough should rest for 1-2 hrs to rise before working on it, but if you are in a hurry I would recommend allowing it to sit for at least 30 minutes. The longer the dough rests, the more softer n fluffier the pizza would be.

Prick pizza crust: Once you’ve rolled out your dough, prick with a fork before and after prebaking to prevent air bubbles from forming in the crust.

Oven rack: Always bake your pizza crust on the lower rack of your oven, especially when you are pre-baking the base crust. You can later move it to the upper rack based on how you prefer your pizza to be cooked.

Prebaking the crust: Prebaking the crust is a personal choice, although I prefer it since it cooks the crust perfectly and won’t burn your cheese. Without prebaking, sometimes the pizza turns out to be undone especially when you have more toppings.

Freezing pizza dough: Once the pizza dough has risen, you can freeze it by transferring to a freezer friendly zip top bag after squeezing out all the air. You can freeze dough for up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer the dough to a refrigerator overnight before using it. Make sure to place it out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes to bring it to room temperature, before working on it.

This recipe makes one large 10–12 inch sized regular pizza or 2 thin crust pizzas.

Interested in pizza recipes? Check out my Tandoori Chicken Pizza recipe with a twist of Indian flavours.

Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!

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Homemade Pizza Dough

A Homemade Pizza Dough from scratch, for the Perfect Crispy and Chewy Pizza Crust! 

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword homemade pizza, pizza dough

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Resting Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Servings 1 large 10-12-inch sized pizza

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 2¾ cup all-purpose flour (plus more if needed)
• 2¼ tsp active dry yeast / 1 packet
• 1½ tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp Italian seasonings (optional)
• 2 tbsp olive oil (plus more)
• 1 cup warm water (110°F - 115°F)

Instructions

• Into a small bowl, add yeast and sugar, pour the warm water and stir. Allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes until it turns foamy.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment, add flour, salt and Italian seasonings. Mix with a fork or a dough hook on low speed for 1 minute.
• Followed by adding yeast mix and olive oil, beat on a medium speed until everything comes together. Once the dough starts to hold and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, reduce the speed to a low and beat for 8-10 minutes until it is smooth and bounces back if you poke it. If the dough is sticky add more flour, 1 tbsp at a time. If its dry, add water 1 tbsp at a time.
• Transfer the dough onto a well-floured surface, knead and shape it to a smooth firm ball.
• Brush a large bowl with olive oil and transfer the dough into the bowl. Roll the dough in the bowl to coat oil on all sides and cover the bowl tightly with a plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm place for 1-2 hrs allowing the dough to rest and rise to double in size. I usually keep mine in the oven with the oven turned off (mine took 1 hour 30 minutes to double).
• Once the dough has risen, remove the wrap and punch the dough down to release air.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°F. Dust your pizza stone or baking tray with flour.
• Onto a well-floured surface, transfer the dough and knead for 2 minutes. Using your hands or a rolling pin, flatten it into a large circle or any shape you prefer. Using your hands, pinch the dough around the edges to form a thicker border crust.
• Poke the dough sparsely with a fork to prevent air bubbles from forming while baking. Brush with olive oil on the top of the pizza as well as on the sides.
• Bake the crust in the preheated oven on the lower rack for 5 minutes.
• Take the crust out from the oven, top with your desired toppings and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until the crust is browned and your cheese has melted.

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