Easy Pizza Dough

Everyone needs an easy homemade pizza dough recipe. This one is my favorite. It's made with bread flour, so it comes out puffier and perfectly chewy.

📝 Ingredients

• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees F)
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour, plus more as needed
• A few sprinkles of cornmeal for pan
• Your favorite toppings

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and sugar. Let it stand for about 10 minutes until frothy. This means that the yeast is good to use. If it does not get frothy, discard and start over with fresh yeast. Note: If you don’t have a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl.
2. 2Set up the dough hook attachment. Over medium speed, add the olive oil and salt to the yeast mixture and mix. Then, gradually mix in the bread flour until a dough forms. I ended up using 4 cups of flour plus a few tablespoons. Increase to medium-high speed and mix for about 2 minutes. The dough should be moist and manageable. Note: You can also mix it by hand using a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula. You may not be able to mix at high speed with your hands, so just knead the dough for an additional 2 minutes or so in the next step.
3. 3Turn the dough onto a well-floured clean working surface and flour your hands. Using the lower part of your hands, knead for 5-6 minutes until a moist dough forms and springs back slowly when poked. The dough will feel a bit heavy. Tip: if the dough sticks to your hands or the surface, sprinkle more flour.
4. 4Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl (with olive oil), and turn the dough to coat on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let it rise in a warm and draft-free environment for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until doubled in size. See note below on how to create a warm and draft-free place for the dough.
5. 5Preheat oven to 450 or 475 degrees F. Note: you can also do 500 degrees F if your oven allows it, but make your pan or pizza stone is safe for that temperature.
6. 6After the dough has risen, punch it down to release the air. Divide it into 2 equal parts and form balls. At this point, you can freeze the second ball if desired (see freezing instructions below).
7. 7Using both your fingers and the lower part of your hands, gradually stretch each ball to form a 10-12 inch circle. You can also try other shapes. It should be about ¼ or ⅓ inch thick. As you stretch it, form an outer border. Tip: Try not to use a rolling pin. Stretching with your hands helps the gluten develop further, yielding better texture.
8. 8Transfer the stretched out dough to a pan sprinkled with a bit of cornmeal. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare your favorite toppings.
9. 9After the 15 minutes, brush the pizza dough with some olive oil and prick it all over with a fork. This will prevent it from getting soggy and also prevent hot air bubbles from forming.
10. 10Top with your favorite toppings. Try my Greek Style Pizza or my Hawaiian Pizza. If desired, brush the borders with melted butter mixture (melted butter, garlic powder, Italian seasoning). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Serve and enjoy!