Forget pizza delivery! Homemade pizza with your favourite toppings is such a treat. And this simple recipe for pizza dough with yeast is even easier than calling for takeout! These quick and easy pizza bases can be made with the most basic pantry ingredients and are so incredibly tasty, they will become your favourite go-to recipe!
This is our family’s favourite pizza dough recipe.
It is so quick and easy and makes homemade pizza so achievable. Even for beginners. Little helpers can assist with this recipe and have fun in the process! Let your kids help measure ingredients, knead the dough and add their favourite toppings. I’ve always found that my kids are more likely to eat their veggies when they’ve helped to make their pizzas! They always have fun making smiley faces with the toppings too. 😀
How do you like your pizza base? Some like a crisp, thin pizza crust and some prefer a thick and soft pizza crust. This homemade pizza dough has the best of both. A soft, chewy base with a crisp crust and delicious flavour! Try them with this easy homemade pizza sauce recipe for the best pizzas, every time.
And the best thing? You are just 5 ingredients away (plus water) from the BEST homemade pizza dough.
Recipe for pizza dough with yeast
Make this easy homemade pizza dough with basic ingredients, straight from your pantry;
- Flour. Use a plain (all purpose) flour with a medium protein content. ‘00’, or baker’s, flour made for pizza and pasta will result in the best pizza base. If you don’t have any on hand, regular plain flour works too.
- Yeast. Use instant, dry yeast from the fridge for the best result.
- Sugar. A little sugar (only one teaspoon) helps the yeast’s activity and works with the yeast to soften the dough.
- Salt.
- Water. Warm water helps the dough to rise. Ensure that the water isn’t too hot, or it will kill the yeast.
- Olive oil. A little olive oil adds incredible flavour to the dough and helps it to soften. Drizzle or brush a little extra dough over the crust before baking to crisp it up!
A little dusting of cornmeal or polenta can also be sprinkled over the tray before adding the dough which adds to the texture and crispness.
Homemade pizza dough easy steps;
To make this pizza crust, follow these simple steps;
- Mix the pizza dough ingredients together (see tips below) with a spoon, your hands or an electric mixer.
- Knead for a few minutes, until the dough is soft.
- Tightly cover and set aside for at least half an hour (overnight is best). If making the dough ahead of time, it can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. But allow the dough to return to room temperature before rolling and cooking (cold dough will shrink in size).
- Knead again for a few minutes to push out the air bubbles.
- Flatten the mixture into two circular bases and place onto pizza trays to rest while you prepare your toppings. You can use a rolling pin, but this can push the air out of the dough. Use your hands to stretch it instead.
- Cover with homemade pizza sauce, cheese and your favourite toppings.
- Bake at 220 C for around 15 minutes.
Tips for making homemade pizza dough
- Salt will kill the yeast if added directly to it. To avoid this, mix the flour and salt together before adding the yeast.
- The right type of flour will make all the difference in the final result. Use ‘00’ baker’s flour for pizza and pasta.
- The dough should be soft, but not too sticky. If the dough is slightly sticky, a little more flour can be slowly added.
- Find a warm spot! This pizza dough only requires half an hour to rise in a warm spot. In summertime, sit the bowl in a window or sunny spot. In winter, near a heater or even in an oven that was pre-warmed to around 30 C and turned off.
- Make the dough on the day before if possible. Making the dough ahead of time will add flavour and allow the yeast to completely mature.
- For extra crispness, dust the bottom of the dough with a little cornmeal (or polenta dust) before baking.
- Olive oil adds flavour and softness to the dough. For an extra crispy crust, drizzle a little amount over the crust before baking.
- For something a little bit extra, sprinkle a small amount of finely grated parmesan cheese onto the crust before baking, or stiff some cheese into the crust!
- Make this dough to your preferred level of thickness, depending on how you like your base. For a thinner crust, flatten the dough out completely (around 5mm thickness). For a thicker base, stretch the dough to around 1cm thickness and leave on the tray to rise again slightly before adding your toppings.
How to freeze pizza dough
This recipe makes two large pizzas. However, the dough ingredients can easily be multiplied for more.
To store the dough for later use, it can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge, or frozen for homemade pizza on demand!
After the dough has risen, divide it into even portions and roll into balls. Lightly coat the balls with a little oil spray and place in separate re-usable airtight containers in the freezer. Freeze for up to three months.
To thaw, rest the dough in the refrigerator overnight, or at room temperature until thawed. Allow the dough to warm before kneading and rolling, as cold dough will shrink back.
Pizza topping ideas
For some delicious pizza topping ideas (and recipes) to try with your homemade pizza dough and pizza sauce recipes, have a look at these homemade pizza and topping ideas. This easy dough recipe can also be used as a base for these freezer friendly cheese and Vegemite scrolls!
If you try this easy recipe for pizza dough with yeast, I’d love to hear about it! Feel free to leave a comment or review below, or send me a message. For more food inspiration, tips and to share your own recipes and creations, head over to my Facebook Recipe Group.
Recipe for Homemade Pizza Dough with Yeast
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups plain flour '00' flour for pizza and pasta is recommended. Otherwise, plain flour is fine.
- 3 ½ tsp dried, instant yeast around 10 grams
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup warm water
- 4 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and stir through the sugar and salt until combined. Add the yeast and stir.
- Make a well in the centre and add the warm water (not too hot or it will kill the yeast and the dough won’t rise) and the olive oil. Using your fingertips, mix the dough until it comes together. Knead for two minutes and roll into a ball. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.
- Cover and place in a warm spot for 30 minutes (or overnight if you have time) until the dough doubles in size. Pre-heat oven to 220C°.
- Knead the dough with your hands (or a mixer with a bread hook) for five minutes until soft and smooth and divide it into two pieces. Roll or flatten the two halves into a circular shape to your desired thickness and place onto a lightly oiled pizza tray. Drizzle or brush a little olive oil along the crust, if you prefer a crispier crust.
- Spread pizza sauce over the base and add your favourite toppings. Bake for around 15 minutes, or until the crust is lightly golden and the pizza is cooked through. Remove from the oven, slice and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Salt will kill the yeast if added directly to it. To avoid this, mix the flour and salt together before adding the yeast.
- The right type of flour will make all the difference in the final result. Use ‘00’ baker’s flour for pizza and pasta.
- The dough should be soft, but not too sticky. If the dough is slightly sticky, a little more flour can be slowly added.
- Find a warm spot! This pizza dough only requires half an hour to rise in a warm spot. In summertime, sit the bowl in a window or sunny spot. In winter, near a heater or even in an oven that was pre-warmed to around 30 C and turned off.
- Make the dough on the day before if possible. Making the dough ahead of time will add flavour and allow the yeast to completely mature.
- For extra crispness, dust the bottom of the dough with a little cornmeal (or polenta dust) before baking.
- Olive oil adds flavour and softness to the dough. For an extra crispy crust, drizzle a little amount over the crust before baking.
- For something a little bit extra, sprinkle a small amount of finely grated parmesan cheese onto the crust before baking, or stiff some cheese into the crust!
- Make this dough to your preferred level of thickness, depending on how you like your base. For a thinner crust, flatten the dough out completely (around 5mm thickness). For a thicker base, stretch the dough to around 1cm thickness and leave on the tray to rise again slightly before adding your toppings.
Nutrition
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Sylvie says
The perfect pizza dough recipe! Thanks for all the great tips, will be trying your recipe very soon 🙂
TheCookingCollective says
Thank you Sylvie! I hope you enjoy pizza night at home!
Jaimie says
I’m always too lazy to make my own pizza dough, but this looks like it has come up just beautifully. Thanks for sharing, I’m definitely going to give this a go next pizza night, and pair it with your amazing sauce recipe too!
TheCookingCollective says
Give it a try Jaimie! You’ll be surprised how easy it is, and while the dough is resting, you can prepare the pizza toppings, so it really doesn’t take much more time to prepare. Enjoy!