Best Pizza Crust Recipe!
The BEST Pizza Crust Recipe – YEP!!! I’m throwing it out there. I’m one of those people who thinks that pizza crust makes the pizza. I’m sharing my favorite pizza dough recipe that I’ve perfected over the years. If you love a thick, chewy crust then you’ll love this pizza dough recipe.
Don’t you just want to bite into that crust?
Jump to RecipePizza Dough Ingredients
- warm water
- instant yeast
- sugar
- honey
- olive oil
- salt
- Italian seasoning
- all purpose flour
How To Make The Dough
I use a stand mixer with a dough hook to make my pizza dough. I add warm water to the mixer bowl. You don’t want hot water, that’s a no-no with yeast. Then I sprinkle the yeast on top of the water, then sprinkle the sugar on top. Finally, I squeeze in the honey. Then I just let it sit, usually for about 5 minutes, but I’ve gone up to 20 minutes.
Then comes adding some flavor to the pizza dough. I add olive oil, salt, and Italian seasoning. I also love adding minced garlic to my homemade pizza dough at this point. Here is where you can change this up if you love different seasoning flavors in your pizza crust.
Finally, I add the flour. How much flour you will need completely depends on the heat and humidity at the time you are making it. I start with 2 1/2 cups of flour and add more as needed until the dough has formed a ball on the dough hook and is not sticking to the bottom of the mixer bowl. I mix with the dough hook on level 2 for 5 minutes.
Then I transfer the dough to a bowl that I grease in olive oil and place it in my oven proofer. If you have that you can keep it on my countertop in a warm area that doesn’t have a draft. Place a clean kitchen towel on top. You need to allow the dough rise time. In my oven proofer it takes about 30 minutes, on your counter, it will take 45-60 minutes.
After the dough has doubled in size, I punch the dough down and flip it out on to a floured surface. This dough is so easy to work with that I just press it out into a circle with my hands. I love using a pizza stone, but you can use a pizza pan or a baking sheet to cook your pizza on. Add your pizza sauce, cheeses, and favorite toppings. After baking the pizza I let it rest at room temperature for 8-10 minutes before slicing.
We have homemade pizza almost every week at our home. So I’ve had lots of years to perfect this recipe. I’ve played around and this one is loved by all.
We’re a half Hawaiian and half Pepperoni family.
Another huge factor in getting great crust is a pizza stone. They are a great investment. I’ve had mine for years. You put it in the oven while you’re preheating and when it’s piping hot you put the rolled dough on it.
Here’s my yummy pizza crust recipe.
Pizza Crust
Ingredients
- 1 cup very warm water
- 1 tablespoon active yeast
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 cups flour
Instructions
- Pour the warm water into your mixer bowl.
- Sprinkle the yeast, sugar and honey on top.
- Let the yeast water sit for 5 minutes. Then mix until everything is dissolved.
- Add oil, salt and Italian seasoning.
- Add 2 1/2 cups of flour.
- Add the dough hook to your mixer and mix on speed 2 (low) until combined.
- If dough is sticking to the bowl add 1/4 cup of flour at a time. Let it combine and add more flour if needed until dough is no longer sticking to the sides.
- When it’s no longer sticking to the sides let it continue to mix on low for another 2-3 minutes.
- Take about 1 teaspoon of olive oil to a large bowl and rub all the sides with the olive oil to coat.
- Place the dough in the oiled bowl and let it rise until doubled in size, about 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat your pizza stone and oven to 465 degrees.
- Roll out your dough on a floured surface to a 12″ round size. If you like a thin crust you can make 2 pizza crusts from this recipe.
- Add your toppings.
- Bake for 11 minutes.
- Let it cool about 10 minutes before cutting.
Look at that crust! Love those air pockets!
I hope you get a chance to try my favorite pizza crust soon.
Can instant/ rapid rise yeast be used in this recipe?
I love this recipe, but the website is SO FRUSTRATING!! I have use this recipe for years favorite pizza crust recipe, but the pop ups and the constant navigating back to the top of the page is so annoying. It makes me not want to use your website.
Thank you for letting me know. I will speak to my ad manager about it.
We loved this recipe! I will leave the honey &/or sugar out next time just because we don’t like the sweet tastes as well. But it is a definite repeat for us!!!!
I have tried quite a few pizza dough recipes but none have quite giving me the doughy fluffy soft crust I like from pizzerias until now. thanks!
So excited to try this! I do have one question: could I use this crust recipe to make bread sticks?
Turned out delicious…Thanks for the recipe.
Hi there! This recipe sounds delicious and I can’t wait to try it, but I do have one question for you…I do not own a pizza stone and having a husband and 3 teenage boys, I feel at times like I am cooking for an entire army, at least this is the way it feels at times. So, my question is…how would I be able to “tweak” your wonderful recipe so I could make pizzas off a “deeper set” cookie sheet? Thank you so much, I would appreciate ANY advice or help with my “little” dilemma of what I would like to call, “My Bottomless Pit Crisis!” Haha! Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you. Take care, Christine Kucaba
Hi there! This recipe sounds delicious and I can’t wait to try it, but I do have one question for you…I do not own a pizza stone and having a husband and 3 teenage boys, I feel at times like I am cooking for an entire army, at least this is the way it feels at times. So, my question is…how would I be able to “tweak” your wonderful recipe so I could make pizzas off a “deeper set” cookie sheet? Thank you so much, I would appreciate ANY advice or help with my “little” dilemma of what I would like to call, “My Bottomless Pit Crisis!” Haha! Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you. Take care, Christine Kucaba
I don’t have a mixer, could I still make this?
I’d think you could, you’d just have to knead the dough by hand.
What do I need to do if I’m cooking it on a pizza pan and not a stone?
I’ve baked my pizzas in a cookie sheet before. You could also use a 9×13 pan. Liberally oil your cookie sheet (one with 1″ sides at least) with olive oil. I believe it took a few more minutes to bake than on the stone. Probably closer to 15 minutes.
How do you get the pizza made on the pizza stone?
I roll out my dough and then move it to the stone where I place the toppings on it. You can also roll out the dough on parchment paper and then move the dough and parchment paper to the stone & add your toppings.
Hi, I am trying this recipe tomorrow, and was wondering if the Italian seasoning has salt? I also don’t have a pizza stone, can I make it in a cast iron instead? And how will it affect the temperature for the oven?
The Italian seasoning I use does not – it’s dried basil, oregano, etc. I’ve never tried it in a cast iron skillet – I’d imagine it would give it more of a deep dish pizza look. I would think keeping the temp the same would be ok, but it might take a couple more minutes to cook??? Let me know how it turns out.
It was a success!! ? My kids loved it! I made two pizzas out of the dough. It was perfect size for my cast iron pan and the crust was thick too. I have a propane stove so next time I’ll cook them for 9. To 10 minuets instead. Thank you.
Awesome!!! I can’t wait to try it – I love a deep dish pizza!
We loved it! Sooooo good! Turned out perfectly. I’m freezing the second half and will see how that goes!
Glad you loved it! Let me know how to freezing turned out!
I love this crust! I have been searching for a really good crust recipe and this is the one.Its my favorite by far. It was easy to make and turned out delicious!
Yay!!! I love hearing that Liz & I love that you guys loved it!!!
Can I make this pizza dough ahead of time? A day in advance? Is it good when put in fridge?
Steph I’ve never tried. My guess is it would do great. If you try it let me know how it turns out.
Oh… my… god!!! First try at this recipe and it is a keeper. It is absolutely perfect. Husband skipped the honey and we were worried that it wouldn’t work because of the altitude, but it did!!! Thank you!!!
I have been searching for a long time trying to find a pizza dough I REALLY like and this is it!! Thanx for sharing.
This is the best pizza crust ever. Makes 2 beautiful thin crusts. Excellent flavor.
Glad you guys loved it Victoria!
I have used this recipe for the pizza crust many times…we ? It and why change if you all agree……its a keeper….?
Yumm!! Looks so good! 🙂
My 5 years old daughter love this. Thanks for sharing.
how do you get the dough to the pizza stone without it falling apart.
Deborah – I roll the dough out and then just lift it up and put it on the pizza stone. I put the pizza stone right next to the rolled dough so it doesn’t have to go far. I smooth it out once it’s on the stone – you just got to move quick because that stone is super hot and it will start baking right away.
You could roll dough and assemble the pizza on parchment, just place on the heated stone without having to remove the stone from the oven
Great idea!!! I’m trying to later this week when I make pizza.