Easy Pizza Dough
If there’s one thing I think everyone should try making from scratch at least once, it’s pizza dough. But trust me—once you try this version, you won’t go back. It’s fast, foolproof, and comes together in five minutes with the help of a food processor. This is my go-to dough for easy, delicious homemade pizza any night of the week.
Easy Pizza Dough
Easy pizza dough recipe without any specialty ingredients
Ingredients
- 3.5 - 4 c bread flour
- 1 t sugar
- 1 packet instant dry yeast
- 2 t salt
- 1.5 c warm water (110 F)
- 2 T + 2 t olive oil
Instructions
- Combine 3.5 cups of flour, sugar, yeast packet, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine
- While mixing, add the warm water and olive oil, continuing to mix until the dough forms a ball
- If your dough is sticky, add 1 T of flour at a time and continue mixing until it comes together in a solid ball. If your dough is too dry, add 1 T of water at a time and continue mixing until it comes together
- Scrape dough onto a lightly floured surface, gently knead until smooth
- Place into a gallon ziplock, let it rise in the fridge overnight
- An hour before you're ready to use the dough, take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for a bit. Then, place your dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 6 equal pieces, roll out each one into a thin circle, and top to your liking. This will make six 8-10" pizzas
Notes
You don't need a food processor to make this, it just makes the mixing faster! You can make this in a bowl and knead by hand for ~8 minutes until your dough ball is smooth.
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Pizza night just hits differently when you make the dough yourself. There’s something so satisfying about watching a ball of dough rise into something light, airy, and full of potential—especially when it took almost no time or effort to get there. My easy pizza dough recipe is the kind of thing that makes homemade pizza feel totally doable, even on a weeknight. And yes, it really is as easy as it sounds.
This dough comes together in about five minutes flat, thanks to a little kitchen shortcut I swear by: the food processor. That’s right—no kneading by hand, no stand mixer required. Just throw in your ingredients, pulse a few times, and you’ve got a smooth, elastic dough that’s ready to rest and rise. It feels like a cheat code in the best way.
The ingredient list is short and sweet: bread flour (for that perfect chewy bite), a little sugar and salt to balance the flavor, one packet of yeast, warm water, and a generous glug of olive oil. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated. While some purists swear by 00 flour, I honestly prefer the texture bread flour gives me. It creates that thin-but-still-fluffy base that’s everything I want in a pizza crust. And it holds up beautifully to whatever toppings you throw its way.
Once your dough is smooth and ready, you have options. You can let it rise at room temp for a couple of hours, but I much prefer letting it take its sweet time in the fridge overnight. It develops deeper flavor that way, and it makes the whole process feel even easier when tomorrow rolls around and your dough is already waiting for you. I just pop it into a lightly oiled bowl or even a gallon-sized ziplock bag, press out the air, and let it hang out in the fridge until I’m ready.
The next day, portion the dough into six equal parts and roll each one out to an 8-10 inch round. This recipe makes enough for six pizzas, which is perfect if you’re hosting friends or just want to stash a few extra balls of dough in the freezer for later. Once baked, the crust comes out crisp on the edges, soft in the middle, and with just the right amount of chew. Thin yet fluffy—exactly what all good Italians (and honorary ones) look for in a pizza.
One of the reasons I love this dough so much is how neutral and versatile it is. You can dress it up any way you like. Keep it simple with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil for a classic margherita (forever my favorite). Or go wild with toppings: pepperoni, mushrooms, spicy honey, artichokes, whatever your pizza-loving heart desires. This dough is a blank canvas, and you’re the artist.
There’s something magical about building a pizza from the ground up. Starting with flour, water, yeast—watching it transform. And then layering on your flavors, sliding it into a hot oven, and waiting for that golden crust and bubbling cheese to signal that dinner is ready. It’s simple, but special. Casual, but celebratory. Pizza night is a ritual in our house, and this dough is at the heart of it.
And let’s be honest—store-bought pizza dough just doesn’t hold a candle to this. Once you realize how easy it is to make your own, and how much better it tastes, there’s no going back. Plus, there’s a certain joy in telling your friends, “Yeah, I made the dough.” You don’t even have to tell them it only took five minutes in the food processor. Your secret’s safe with me.
So if you’ve been intimidated by homemade dough, this is your sign to give it a shot. It’s fast, it’s forgiving, and it delivers every single time. Pizza night is about to get a major upgrade—and you’re the one making it happen.
