Pizza Dough – The Best Pizza Crust (VIDEO)
This is hands down the best pizza dough! It makes a New York-style pizza crust that is a thin crust pizza in the center with beautifully puffed edges. You will love this crust – it’s crisp, chewy and so satisfying. Make this and you will never want a store-bought crust again. And, you’ll be known for your pizza!
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Why We Love This Pizza Dough:
This is a make-ahead pizza dough recipe that just gets better with time and it keeps really well refrigerated for at least a week. Here’s more good news: our classic red pizza sauce and creamy white pizza sauce also keep really well in the fridge so you can fire up a pizza whenever the craving strikes. An overnight crust also makes throwing a pizza party stress-free and everyone will be super impressed by your pizza-making skills.
The #1 Secret to the Best Pizza Dough:
Since most pizza dough recipes have the same ingredients: flour, salt, water, yeast, it’s the process that makes all the difference. This pizza dough seriously tastes like it came out of a high-end pizzeria and in fact, most New York pizza doughs are fermented for at least 24 hours.
The pizza bosses of the world know the secret to an incredible dough is to let it rest and give it time. This process makes the dough much easier to work with and forms the coveted texture, rise, and bubbles at the edges.
The #2 Secret to the Perfect Crust:
Do not use too much yeast! Many of the quick pizza doughs out there use way too much yeast which makes the crust doughy and makes the center of the pizza rise while baking. If you use too much yeast, you will never achieve that thin crisp crust in the center.
The Takeaway: use less yeast and let the dough rest.
How to Make Pizza Dough Video Tutorial:
Watch the pizza dough video tutorial once and you will be a pro in no time. Here is a quick overview of the process for easy reference:
- Mix together water, salt and honey. Sprinkle with yeast and set aside 5 min then stir.
- Pour water mixture over your flour and stir to combine with a spatula then knead by hand 2 minutes. Cover and let rise 4-5 hours at room temperature.
- Transfer dough onto a floured surface and divide in half. Fold each piece of dough 8 times (rotating book fold) and form a ball. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 7 days. Your dough is done.
Why Fold the Pizza Dough?
Folding the dough balls 8 times with that book fold, and turning the dough between each fold, makes the gluten threads stronger and traps carbon dioxide created by the yeast to help form those beautiful bubbles in the dough.
How to Form and Bake Pizza Crust:
- Remove dough from the fridge 1 hour before using then preheat the oven with a pizza stone in the center to 550˚F.
- When the oven is preheated, place room temperature dough onto a floured surface, dust lightly with flour.
- Gently press dough down in the center with fingertips then place the dough over the back of your knuckles with both hands together and roll over your knuckles rotating around the dough as you go, keeping a 1″ thicker border. Place 10-12″ diameter crust onto a floured pizza peel.
- Add white sauce or red sauce then cheese and toppings. Give the pizza a shake over your pizza peel to make sure it’s not sticking then immediately slide it from your pizza peel onto the preheated pizza stone and bake at 550˚F for 8-10 minutes.
Tools for Making Pizza:
The right tools will make the pizza dough making the process even easier. It will also make you look like a pizza ninja to transfer your pizza from a pizza peel onto your hot pizza stone.
- Pizza Peels (a set of 2 makes the process easier).
- Flexible Food Scraper – to scrape the dough out of bowls and cut the dough in half
- Round Pizza Stone – to bake your pizza on in the oven
- Pizza Cutter – the easiest way to slice a pizza
- Instant Read Thermometer – to check water temperature
What is the Best Flour for Pizza Dough?
You don’t need any fancy flours to develop a gorgeous crust. We used organic all-purpose flour for making pizza. Bread flour will work equally well if that is what you have on hand and it will give you a slightly chewier crust. You can substitute bread flour for all-purpose flour in equal parts.
Note: We haven’t tried making a gluten-free version or any other flour, so let me know if you experiment.
Can I Freeze Pizza Dough?
Yes! It’s very easy to freeze this dough and once it’s thawed, it tastes just as good as freshly made. See our tutorial for How to Freeze Pizza Dough.
What to Serve with Pizza:
Once you have your pizza-making skills down, you will want to throw a pizza party. Pizza pairs really well with these easy sides.
- Avocado Ranch – because everyone loves a great dipping sauce
- Caesar Salad – a fresh green salad with light homemade dressing
- Avocado Corn Salad – so vibrant and satisfying
- Cobb Salad – beautiful and delicious
- Instant Pot Corn on the Cob – the juiciest way to cook corn
Pizza Dough Recipe - The Best Pizza Crust!
This is hands down the best pizza dough! It makes a New York-style pizza crust that is a thin crust pizza in the center with beautifully puffed edges. You'll love chewing on the crust - it's crisp, chewy and so satisfying.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups warm water, 105-110˚F
- 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/2 Tbsp fine sea salt
- 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, (measured correctly) plus more to dust*
Instructions
How to Make Pizza Dough:
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In a small bowl, stir together water, honey, and salt then sprinkle the top with 1/2 tsp yeast and let sit 5 minutes then stir.
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Measure 3 1/3 cups flour in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Pour yeast mixture into the center then stir with a firm spatula until the dough comes together. Knead by hand 2 minutes (dough will be sticky). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature 4-5 hours or until doubled in size.
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Transfer dough to a floured surface, turn to coat lightly in flour so it isn’t sticky then divide in half. Fold each piece of dough in half 8 times, gently pulling the sides over the center like closing a book, turning the dough each time and repeating for 8 folds. Form a ball in your hands and transfer each piece of dough to a lightly oiled bowl seam-side-down, cover and refrigerate overnight (18 hours) or up to 1 week.
How to Form a Pizza Crust:
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PREP: Remove the dough 1 hour before using to let it relax and come to room temperature. Before forming the pizza crust, fully preheat your oven so pizza can be baked right away. Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet onto the center rack of the oven and preheat to 550˚F. Also, lightly flour a pizza peel and prep toppings.
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When dough is about room temperature and oven is preheated, transfer 1 piece of dough to a floured surface, turning to lightly coat in flour. Pat the center of the dough gently with fingertips. DO NOT pop any bubbles present.
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Lift the dough over both knuckles and roll your knuckles under the center of the dough, working outward as you rotate the dough along your knuckles and leaving a thicker crust at the edge. Continue working the dough until a 10-12” pizza has formed. It will shrink slightly so make it a little bigger than you think. Place the dough down on a lightly floured pizza peel. Give the pizza peel a little shake to make sure the pizza slides over it and is not sticking.
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Spread on desired pizza sauce and toppings. Give the pizza another jolt to make sure it slides on the pizza peel (you don’t want it to stick while transferring it into the oven). Slide pizza onto the preheated pizza stone and bake at 550˚F for 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and some of the larger bubbles on the crust are lightly scorched to ensure a crisp crust.
Recipe Notes
*Use a high-quality flour. We used organic all-purpose flour.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Not sure why this happened but I had way more flour left in the bowl. I will not use this recipe again.
Hi Deata, sorry to hear that but I have never encountered an issue following this recipe and it’s hard to tell without being there when you tried it. But were the ingredients measured exactly as it’s recommended in the recipe?
Thank you, Natasha. I have been looking for a pizza dough recipe that would make crust like you get at good pizzerias. This is it. Wow, the secret of less yeast and the overnight or longer fermentation time is definitely the key. It mess the best crust ever. The crunch is just like you have in your video. My family loves it.
I’m so happy this was a hit with your family, Andrea! That’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Can you substitute 00 flour instead of all purpose flour when making this recipe, if so do you use the same amount.
Hi Baxter, I haven’t tested it myself, so I’m not sure if the substitution is exact straight across, but I have had one reader report good results using 00 flour.
Love this pizza dough. I was wondering if I were to double/triple the recipe, would I also double the water, honey and yeast mixture?
Hi Joana, I have made a double batch before without issues. I doubled all ingredients.
I have more of a question than a comment although I would like to mention how much I love this recipe and have made this dough many times.
My question is, is it OK to use the dough on the same day as it is made or is it a must to refrigerate overnight? I made it in the morning. After rising it will be ready for the folding mid afternoon. Can I bake it at dinner if I refrigerate a couple of hours?
Hi Barbara, I have always refrigerated but here is what one of my other readers said, “This is the best pizza dough that I have ever done…we use it regularly and quite often on the same day, and it still works perfectly.” I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha!
I LOVE this recipe for thin crust pizza . It was my first time making pizza dough and this will be my forever go to recipe. On the occasion that we would like a little thicker crust, would you stick to this recipe and don’t divide it? Or use your other pizza dough recipe that you have for single serving pizza and use all those of it to make 1 pizza?
Sincerely your biggest fan
Hi Susan, you can have a thicker crust with this dough by not stretching the center as much when you roll it over your knuckles, but a true thick crust would need to be a different recipe.
Just wanted to say how much I love your recipes. So easy and so delicious. I’ve tried many of them and they were all excellent. I want to make individual pizzas using your pizza dough recipe. Can I use small pizza pans by splitting the dough and on a regular pizza pan. I don’t have a stone. Would the temperature be as high as the stone?
Hello Helen, I imagine that will work. However, I have not tested that personally to advise of the timing, etc…Please share with us how it goes if you do an experiment.
Mine was really sticky and hard to roll out when it was time to bake it, is it supposed to be like that or did I mess something up?
Hi Tori, the dough is sticky but it shouldn’t be that difficult to work with. See step 3 for tips to help. Also, be sure you are measuring your ingredients correctly, by viewing our tutorial, how to measure ingredients
Good morning, Would rapid rise yeast work for this recipe? Thank you
Hi Alyssa, I have only tested this with regular yeast and not instant or rapid-rise yeast so I can’t speak to the process changes if you are substituting that ingredient without testing it myself. My guess would be to keep the process the same.
This is it. After three years of making pizza at home I have finally found a dough recipe to stick with. This is the first time I’ve made dough that behaves like it’s supposed to – elastic, easy to stretch without tearing. The finished texture was perfect. It could use a little more flavor. Next time I’ll experiment with adding garlic powder to the dough, or brushing some on the finished crust. Thank you for this recipe!
I’m so glad you found a favorite on my blog! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Will this pizza dough recipe work for high altitude cooking?
Hi Melissa, you may need to make a slight adjustment due to altitude. Here’s what one of our readers wrote: “I use a cast iron pan and once the oven is the right temperature I put the pan on a hot burner just for three minutes then finish it off in the oven. Works perfect for a crispy crust. Also I am from Alberta and I guess because of altitude use only just over 2 cups of flour. Love your recipes 💕🇨🇦” I hope this helps!
Hi Natasha, would it matter if I use instant yeast instead of active yeast?
Hi Esther! yes, ensure to use the recipe as written for the best result. I hope you love it!
This looks scrumptious but my dough turned out nothing like this!:(
It was so hard to spread it with knuckles, it was shrinking again and again! And it puffed into a thick dough rather thin with bubbles! I used rolling pin the second time coz my dough was hard to spread with knuckles , this one was thin but again nothing like yours:(
Hi Aman, I suggest watching the video tutorial to see the process from start to finish. It sounds like it could also be too much flour added if you see it shrink back too much. Be sure to measure the flour correctly since too much will make the dough difficult to work with.
We have an Ooni gas pizza oven- it is awesome. We tried several recipes and ALWAYS come back to this one! Thank you Natasha!
That sounds amazing, Maria! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! Now I’m craving pizza 🙂
LOVE this method!! I used to use this exact recipe for Years but have discovered a sour-dough one and tried this method and hotter temp with the sourdough ……. crust was off the charts. I usually use parchment under but I loved doing right on the peel. The crust was AMAZING. This is a keeper
Thank you for the review, Leslie! So happy you enjoy this crust!
We love your pizza crust. Thank you for putting the nutrition facts. My son is type 1 diabetic so it makes our life easier already having the carbs for the recipe totaled!
You’re welcome, Bonnie. I’m glad that helps!
Natasha!!!!!! Seriously the BEST homemade pizza dough ever! Easy, light, fluffy, delicious! The dough was easy to work with and you HAVE to measure your ingredients properly!! The red and white sauce were fantastic! Thank you so, so much for sharing! Love your recipes!
Thank you for your awesome comments and review, Lina! So glad you love this recipe.
Omg, this is the best pizza dough I have ever made, and I’ve been cooking over 50 years.
Thanks for another great one Natasha!
That’s awesome feedback, Dana. Thank you for sharing!
Just pulled dough from freezer today and made my pizza.
Husband said it was best I’ve made, and I’ve been married 46 years. Thanks again for sharing, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Keep up the great work team Natasha!
Wow! That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Dana! It sounds like you definitely found a new favorite!
I always say you should read the entire recipe before adding it to you menu. I planned this pizza for this evening. How do you think it’ll turn out if I skip the overnight?
Hi Tim, this dough really needs the overnight cold fermentation process to rise properly since it doesn’t have a ton of yeast. This is what differentiates it from a quick dough, it’s well worth the wait. Check out this homemade individual pizzas recipe instead.
Great crust. Waited an extra night. Was perfect. Just made another batch for later in the week. Thanks!!
Excellent! Thank you for the review, Tim. I am so glad you enjoy this recipe.
This pizza dough recipe is great! I have made it several times now and it will always be my go-to! I was wondering however if I could not cut the dough in half and just make one big pizza? Would this affect the amount of time needed to rise or any other step?
Hi Jordan, if you have a big enough pan and oven for that, it should work! I hope you love this recipe!
Thank you for this recipe! It turned out great, so I would like to double it. Do I double all of the ingredients or would that be too much flour ? As I was mixing it, it didn’t feel as flexible as in a single recipe (it’s currently resting, so I still don’t know of it will work). Thank you !
You’re welcome, Natasha. I have made a double batch before without issues.
Dough is so tasty and airy. First time making pizza and whole family said it was the best they’ve ever had. Thank you SO MUCH for this easy recipe!
Wow! That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Tanya!
I tried making this but instead of mixing it by dough, I used a kitchenaid mixer. It says the dough is supposed to be sticky but even though I measured it perfectly, it was not really sticky and the ball was somewhat firm. I had hard time stretching out the pizza too cuz it would just rip even though I had it out for an hour. Is it cuz I kneaded it with a mixer?
Hi Jess! I’m sorry for the frustration. I am not sure if that would have been the reason. Did you make any substitutions or use different flour? I would look through the steps and instructions again and make sure nothing was missed. Also, you mentioned that you measured it perfectly. If you have not already, please see this tutorial on how to measure dry ingredients correctly. Too much flour makes this dough difficult to work with. https://natashaskitchen.com/how-to-measure-ingredients-video/
Just made your pizza dough and I am very pleased with the taste. I worked making pizza years ago and I feel the dough should sit out longer than 1 hour. I had a little trouble stretching it because it was still cold. Knowing what I was doing made it easier for me to stretch the dough. That’s why I gave it 4 stars. The taste was delish and I will make again.
Hi Cathy, thank you for sharing your experience making this recipe.
Best pizza dough/crust I’ve ever made! Making pizza with out a peel was challenging but it still came out so delicious!
Thank you for sharing, Carissa! I am happy you enjoyed this recipe. Yes- it could be a challenge! 🙂
Your pizza dough is absolutely incredible! It’s a fail proof recipe !!
My family loves it ❤️
It is so great to hear that. Thank you for sharing and for the excellent review.
Hi Natasha,
I tried this pizza recipe and it’s absolutely amazing!! We love your blog. I am wondering if this recipe would be good even without a pizza stone.
Thank you,
Serena
Hi Serena! Thank you for the review. I am happy you loved this recipe. Yes, that would be just fine. One of my other readers shared that she uses just a regular pan and loves this dough.
Hi! First time making pizza dough by scratch! My dough was not sticky when hand kneeding…I plan to use it anyway, but might make another batch just in case. Do you know what might have gone wrong?
Thanks!
Hi Katrina, I recommend ensuring you didn’t use too much flour. Be sure to measure by fluffing the flour first with a spoon then spoon it into a dry ingredient measuring cup and scrape off the top. If you push your measuring cup into a flour bin, you will get up to 25% too much flour. Also, do not tap the flour down in the measuring cup.
Hello, Natasha! Thank you so much for sharing such delicious recipes with us!
It’s a fantastic recipe. I attempted it the same way you did, following every instruction you mentioned. I tried this recipe in my wood-fired oven. It turned out fantastic. It was fantastic. It is my second visit to your website, and you always have the best recipes. I am a huge fan of your cooking. Thanks!
Thank you for following the instruction as it is, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Natasha, I love your pizza dough unfortunately I had trouble with my last batch of dough. When rolling it over my knuckles the dough “dropped” seeming too heavy and causing holes in the dough and making it difficult to get a circle. Also the edge wasn’t “airy” – was the dough too moist? Any tips on how to correct this problem? Many thanks.
Hi Joy, make sure to let the dough rest for a bit at room temperature after refrigeration, per the instructions. This helps the dough to soften up and be easier to handle.
I’ve made the pizza crust, and now it’s in the fridge awaiting for the weekend to come so we can finally try out first homemade pizza from scratch. My question is, should I have kept the pizza dough in smaller bowls while leaving in the fridge? They are becoming quite the size and they seem to be expanding each day. Lol
Hi Susan, you need a little room for expansion but they should not expand much in the fridge unless too much yeast was added. I’m not sure if that is the case or not, but that’s one possibility.
Great recipe. Perfect amount makes four 9 inch crusts. I make 9 inch pizzas for a couple reasons. #1 fits most toaster ovens. No need to heat up big oven. #2 Easier to roll out than one large size. #3 Kid friendly feeds two kids. I bought 9 inch aluminum reusable pizza pans on Amazon for $3. Also I made the dough in bread machine and let it do the work. The BEST thing about your recipe is the secret of aging the dough. I didn’t know. It makes a huge difference on flavor and texture. After three days in fridge dough develops a slight sour smell and adds wonderful flavor like hint of beer. I guess from the alcohol being made during fermentation. And excellent texture. Just like you say like fancy pizzerias. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing your fantastic feedback, Luke! I’m happy you loved it!
Oh and sorry I dumbed down your recipe by using bread machine. But I’m not into hand kneading. Too lazy. Machine version worked fine for me. Crust bubbled nicely and tastes fancy. Again, aging is the key secret I didn’t know even longer than 24 hrs. I went three days. Thanks again.
No worries at all, as long as you loved the end result!
No need to publish this unless you choose to. Your mission should you choose to accept: Find out and share the secret of how those fancy pizza joints get that nice stretchy cheese. I can’t do it. Is it the cheese or the cooking method? Thanks again
Hi Luke, it is usually because of the cheese. Thanks for the nice idea and suggestion!
Luke, if you are using pre-shredded cheese, that might be why you don’t get the stretchyness from it. There is something added to pre-shredded cheese that keeps it from clumping that affects the way it reacts in melting. Shred from a block and see if that helps. If it doesn’t, try a different brand/kind and shred it yourself. Good luck!
Your crust looks delicious!
Can you tell me how I can make “cheesey bread” with this recipe? My grandchildren love it without toppings. I want to make both ways.
Hi Teresa, I have not made this into cheesy bread but I am sure this dough will work just fine for any cheesy bread method or recipe you use.
Wow, Natasha!
I’ve never had much luck using yeast but I thought I’d give this one a try because it looked simply amazing. We just finished dinner using one dough as a buffalo chicken pizza and the other one was a garlic white chicken pizza (also used your white sauce recipe – YUM!). The dough was the perfect combo of crispy/chewy! I love all the bubbles that came from the overnight cold fermentation. This is now my only pizza dough recipe and no more using canned pizza dough from the grocery store. I have slightly more confidence using yeast now, too! Oh, and I don’t have a pizza stone and used a large sheet pan for both pizza’s and they were still aaaaamazing!
Thanks for making me look like a real chef in the kitchen!
I’m so happy you gave this a try, Patty! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Super easy. I thought I followed to a T, but as in my last comment I used instant yeast, and I remembered I used 00 flour. Maybe that why it wasn’t sticky as shown in the video. I’m making this for me and my husband for Super Bowl.
I don’t know what I did wrong. I had instant yeast, so maybe that was it. The dough was not sticky at all as shown and stated. I’m making pizza tomorrow so wish me luck!
Hi Patricia, I haven’t tried this with instant yeast, so I’m not sure how that will affect the rise in the fridge, but that is likely the culprit with your outcome.
Hi Natasha! Update: I made ur pizza recipe and it tasted great but the crust (not under the sauce) was doughy and I don’t know why? I measured the flour correctly with a scale too
Hi Ashley, ensure there were no substitutions to the ingredients or the process. Especially yeast – don’t use too much yeast! Many of the quick pizza doughs out there use way too much yeast, making the crust doughy and making the pizza’s center rise while baking.
Yes I made no substitutes and I used the correct amount of yeast. Did I not knead enough?
It’s hard to say without being there. I recommend reading through the recipe and watching the video again to ensure there wasn’t a missed step.
Will give it 100 stars if I could. Husband said, “better keep this recipe, this is really good”. I have tried many other pizza recipes and this one is the only one that truly I enjoyed making and eating. Many thanks, your recipes bring me happiness.
Wow! That’s amazing! Thank you for your thoughtful review, Gladys! I’m so happy to hear you both enjoy this – that brings me so much happiness!
I am in the process of making this pizza dough and can’t wait to try it. My oven has a “proof” setting. Can you tell me anything about using this function for this recipe?
Hi Jane, I haven’t tried it with the oven-proof setting to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi Natasha! What can you use instead if you don’t have a pizza stone?
Hi Ashley, it’s best on a pizza stone, but a regular pan will work great also.
Do you have a tip on how to transfer the pizza to the hot pizza stone if you do not have a pizza peel?
HI Julia, I would put it on parchment paper in that case and slide it off the back of a baking sheet.
Do you mean that you put the pizza on the parchment on the stone at 550? Thx!
Hi Melody, Use parchment paper to slide the pizza onto the stone if you do not have a pizza peel. I would not leave the parchment paper on the stone. Most parchment paper cannot handle the heat.
I use parchment paper right in the oven with out any problem
After years of trying to perfect my pizza dough, this recipe nails it! Turns out I was using too much yeast and not allowing fermentation! This is a keeper!
Yay, love it! Thanks a lot for your good comments and feedback, Julie. I’m so glad that you found your new go-to recipe!
Homemade pizza dough.
Natasha, when pizza dough is stretched and it shrinks back, is the dough ready? Does it need more kneading? I put dough in the fridge overnight and it more than doubled in size? took it out for several hours to become room temp and kneaded it again but only briefly. Please help. JOHN Z.
Hi John, you should not have to knead the dough after you take it out of the fridge or you will deflate it and lose all those nice bubbles that the dough has created. I suggest watching the video tutorial to see the process from start to finish. It sounds like it could also be too much flour added if you are seeing it shrink back too much. Be sure to measure the flour correctly since too much will make the dough difficult to work with.
Ugh can’t wait to make this!!! Looks exactly like bomb authentic restaurant pizza. Yum
I hope you love it, Danielle!
Natasha,
This is the best pizza dough that I have ever done…we use it regularly and quite often on the same day, and it still works perfectly. It goes super in our pizza oven and we love doing lamb, olive and feta pizzas and also Tandoori chicken, topped with yoghurt sauce after it’s cooked. An amazing recipe. Thanks so much
Sounds perfect, good to know that this is now your go-to recipe!
This dough recipe is amazing! It makes such a tasty crust. I had purchased 00 flour which is for pizza and we were in search of a new recipe to use it in. I did everything exactly as you said. I even used my knuckles to stretch out the dough that was fun! This is now our only pizza dough recipe. Thank you Natasha, we look forward to trying your other recipes.
That’s nice, Lisa! Thanks a lot for sharing your experience making this recipe. I’m so glad you loved it!
what is the name of the flour u use for your pizza im form canada
Hi Duarte, I use this All-Purpose Flour. (Amazon Affiliate Link)
I am excited to try this recipe. All your recipes are wonderful! I have one question. Do I need to add the honey? I am not a big fan of the taste.
Hi Maria, thank you for your good comments. You may use 1 tsp of sugar.
Hi Natasha! This is definitely a five star recipe. Thank you for sharing. Your recipes never disappoint. This pizza is not only delicious, but also much healthier than store bought, or purchased at the restaurant. I was “ concerned “that the serving size, i.e. two slices, would not be satisfying for a hungry adult. I was wrong! I made cheese pizza, with tomato sauce as a base,And used half a cup of mozzarella cheese for one pizza. Had some chopped tomato salad on the side, end it made a very satisfying and healthy meal. Another proof, that food made from scratch is much more satisfying than the processed food is! It has been officially enrolled into my family cook book!
I’m glad you feel that way! Thanks a lot for your review and comments, I’m glad you enjoyed and loved this recipe.
I absolutely love this recipe. It’s definitely a crowd favorite! For a last minute dinner, can this be made the morning of and skip the refrigerator step? I know the flavor won’t be as developed but are there any modifications that can be made to make it same day?
Hi Samantha, this dough really needs the overnight cold fermentation process to rise properly since it doesn’t have a ton of yeast. This is what differentiates it from a quick dough, but it’s well worth the wait.
Hello the pizza dough came out so good. So how can I adjust recipe to make the slices bigger? Tried stretching the dough but only got myself a hole in the middle
Hi Michael, you will need to make more dough for a larger pizza.
Natasha…the recipe says preheat oven to 550F. Should that be 450 F? Since ovens only go to 500 ☺
Hi Dawn, our oven goes higher than that. Since yours doesn’t go higher, you can make it at 450 degrees. It will need slightly more time in the over at that temperature.
Hi! I did the recipe twice I though it was my fault that the dough was so hard but it turned out I did very well the mesures and still didn’t work for me I wasn’t even able to knead
Hi Stephanie, Be sure to measure by fluffing the flour first with a spoon then spoon it into a dry ingredient measuring cup and scrape off the top. If you push your measuring cup into a flour bin, you will get up to 25% too much flour. Also, do not tap the flour down in the measuring cup.
I made this tonight and cooked in my pellet fired oven its -20 and had trouble getting to 900f probably was 600-800f cooked for two-three minutes crust cooked well so will work in high temp oven no problem Had trouble working dough seemed too tight but that could be our all purpose flour in canada tends to be higher protein than standard us flour(or european for that matter)higher gluten strength. but tasted amazing Im not a crust person but ate every piece as well as kids
I’m so glad it worked out, Terry! Thank you for sharing your great feedback!
wow I made this and it was gone Love the crust so good thank you making the dough again but double so we can make four pizza since they like to have left overs
Thanks for the review, Jen! That’s great that you enjoyed the recipe, doubling it is a good idea!
trying this recipe first time Do you think it would work in my pellet pizza oven cooking around 900f for 2-3 min?
Hi Terry, I don’t have experience in a pellet pizza oven, but that sounds to make a delicious pizza! I’d love to know how you like it if you test that out.
Do you think it would be possible to use a break maker to mix the dough and just refrigerate overnight after the final mix? For some reason, I really dislike kneading dough.
Hi Amber, I haven’t tested this in a bread machine to advise. If you happen to experiment, please let me know how you like that.
This is the recipe that I have been using for a dozen years including resting in the refrigerator. Works well in my bread machine on dough setting just add flour, make well, and add the warm yeast mixture. I start my bread machine stirring the flour and wait until it reaches mixing speed.
Natasha, I was so excited to try the pizza dough recipe, and it was not good at all. The dough was very hard. After cooking it, there was no bubbles and no taste, very bland. Even the texture didn’t feel like pizza dough.
I have been making pizza for years and always looking for that perfect dough to try.
I will give it another try, I followed the recipe as posted.
Hi Amy, It’s hard to say what caused that without being there. I recommend checking out post on measuring to make sure too much flour was not used.
Wow… This turned out amazing! Thank You so much for the recipe and the video. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen but this was my first pizza. No reason to search for another pizza dough recipe… This one is perfect!
You’re most welcome! Great to hear that you just found your new go-to recipe.
Hi Natasha! I made this pizza dough, and it turned out perfectly. The kids loved it, so thank you! Quick question, My husband sometimes likes the pizza just slightly thicker. If I added just slightly more yeast, do you think the dough will still turn out by following the recipe?
Hi Stephanie, I bet this can be made thicker; the pan size impacts that, and you will likely need to adjust the bake time. I hope you love this recipe!
Great recipe. To make measurement easier do you know How much flour would this be in grams instead of cups?
Hi Stephanie, If you scroll down to our printable recipe card, most of our recipes have a metric conversion option on the printable recipe card. We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes, but it is taking some time to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help.
Hi Natasha,
I’m trying your recipe for the first time. Can you tell me if there are any adjustments to make if baking in a gas oven?
Hi Lisa! We have tried this in a gas oven successfully!
Hi Natasha! This pizza dough is perfect! I have never Been successful at pizza dough and this one came out just great. Thank you! Quick question… Do you think I could make this in a pan pizza form for
Thicker crust in the center? If so how? thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! I bet that could work, I imagine the crust may need to be prebaked for that, without trying it myself I can’t advise, but I hope you try that soon and send any feedback our way!
Can I use instant quick rise yeast? And would it be the same amount?
Hi Nadia, I saw someone else shared this in the comments “I made this with quick rise yeast and it turned out great! The only difference is the first rise was much shorter. It took maybe an hour and a half for it to double.” I hope that helps.
omg thank you i loved it. my whole family loved it. even tho I accidentally halved the amount of yeast. it somehow turned out good. not as many bubbles as yours though. I also added a copycat of papa john’s garlic sauce on the edges. gave it the extra flavor. thank you so much. this recipe is definitely a keeper.
I’m so glad it all worked out, Maram! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
THIS IS THE BEST PIZZA DOUGH EVER! I MADE THIS FOR MY IN-LAWS AND IT WAS PERFECT!!!
Love love your recipes 😍😍😍
My husband and I we love you!
God bless you
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Cassia!
Hi Natasha, I was little disappointed with the dough, first my oven didn’t have 550F, and when I cooked it the bottom was still white but the top was cooked. I followed your recipe as is and still wasn’t happy about it.
Hi Christine, that could be due to the temperature. I would try to get it as close to the 550 as possible. If you’re baking it at a lower temperature, you must adjust your bake time.
always have trouble making any kind of dough, its always to dry. i have to add way more water, sometimes almost double. this time i tried weighing the flour instead, it was better but still wasn’t sticky. what am i doing wrong ?
Hi Ron, are you using a different kind of flour? Some flours contain a higher gluten content and require an adjustment in measuring. It sounds like either too much flour or not enough water.
What if you don’t have pizza wheel. What can we use to transfer pizza to oven
HI Rose, I would put it on parchment paper in that case and slide it off the back of a baking sheet.
I have no experience making dough, baking bread or any of the sort and this was so easy to make. I only cold fermented for an hour cause I didn’t have time. It turned out so beautifully. My family loved the crust and by far this is my favourite crust. This crust is better than I have had in any pizza. Thank you for this recipe. I love this so much!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Rosie!
Hi Natasha! If I don’t cut the dough in half will that just make a large pizza big enough a large pizza stone? I’ve made this dough before and I love it but cutting it in half only gets me a small pizza. Did I do something wrong?
Hi Amy, this recipe makes two, 10-12 inch crusts so the full recipe should be good for one large pizza if you aren’t cutting the dough in half.
I made the pizza very good 👍 that’s going to be my new Rezepte thank you 😊
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review, Nadine!
We made this pizza for Christmas Eve. This is exactly the dough recipe we’ve been looking for. Light, a little crispy and chewy. 10/10!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Jamie!
Dear Natasha,
I’d appreciate a quick answer since I have 4 dough balls in the fridge already. My question is can I keep the dough in the fridge for 9 days? I refrigerated my dough on 18th and want to use it for a pot luck on 27th? Will it go bad by then?
Hi Mindy, you can refrigerate the dough for up to a week. I haven’t tried refrigerating it longer that day to know it’s safe. I recommend a Google search tho to be sure.
Thanks for the quick response Natasha. I decided to freeze the dough around 6th day and then defrost it on 8th day so I can make pizza on 9th day. I hope frozen and thawed dough works just as good. 🤞
Hi Natasha. My new house almost burned down making this pizza. Any suggestions on a lower temp?
Hi Eyobed, I would wonder if something was wrong with the oven or if you are possibly trying to use parchment paper which is not safe at that high of heat? Also, keep an eye on the pizza since it will cook faster at that temperature. A traditional pizza oven can get over 700 degrees Farenheight and cook a pizza in just 2-3 minutes, but this is the safest way to do it in your oven to achieve the same crust results. If you are concerned or if you suspect there is something going on with your oven, I would definitely suggest getting an in-oven thermometer to test your temperatures and you can turn the heat down by 50 degrees and bake slightly longer.
Natasha, I found that I had a film on my dough from the first rise. I had it covered tightly with plastic wrap although I let it rise under my warming lamp on my range hood. It raised nicely but do you think the film formed because of the lamp.?
Hi Barbara, that may be the culprit, especially if it got too hot!
Hi Natasha, There seems to be a lot more yeast in your photo than your recommend. !/2 teaspoon ?
Hi John, those ramekins are pretty small so that may make it look like there’s more in there, but it’s one small layer of yeast. Yes, we used just a 1/2 tsp active dry yeast. I hope you love this recipe!
Hi Natasha,
For the cold ferment you mentioned it can be refrigerated for up to 1 week after the fermentation without freezing, is that right? Does the dough turnout ok? Does it change anything and stays fresh?
Hi Jose, With our pizza dough, we let it go through the cold fermentation process overnight first to let the yeast work in the dough. Once it’s done with the cold fermentation process (before bringing it to room temperature for an hour), it can be frozen. We have more notes on that in the recipe. I hope that helps!
I love this pizza dough and have made it several times, but when I bake it at 550 for 8-10 minutes the cheese starts to burn. Should I try baking the crust half way through before adding the cheese?
Hi Dayna, there is no need to blind bake this crust. I recommend calibrating your oven, and the pizza is not too close to the heating element.
This is a winning recipe! I made pizza from one dough ball after about 30 hours in the refrigerator, best pizza crust ever! I have the other one proofing in the refrigerator, can’t wait to try that this weekend and see how the flavors will be developed from longer fermentation. Thank you Natasha, I use many of your recipes in my cooking, they always deliver! Keep up the good work.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Shermila!
Looking for advice. I’ve never had any luck with making bread items. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. This recipe is a perfect example.
Everytime I try to let it rise and double in size, but it never rises that far. I let it sit for 6 hours, and it maybe rose 25%.
I still went through with putting it in the fridge over night, and it remained about the same size.
When I went to fold it, it was pretty stiff after about the third or fourth fold to the point is began to tear apart.
When i try and spread the dough into a circle for the pizza, it also tears and seems stiff.
When I bake it, I never get the bubbles.
Any suggestions would greatly help.
Hi Glenn, I recommend watching through the video and reading the recipe in detail in case a step was missed. I’ve found in the past expired ingredients can also cause the dough to not rise properly. Also, be sure to measure by fluffing the flour first with a spoon then spoon it into a dry ingredient measuring cup and scrape off the top. If you push your measuring cup into a flour bin, you will get up to 25% too much flour. Also, do not tap the flour down in the measuring cup.
I never go wrong with any of your recipes! You’re down to earth with them, exuberant and a lovely cook/chef! 👍
Thank you for that wonderful compliment!
This is by far the pizza crust recipe I’ve tried. Thanks so much for sharing!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Arshiah!
Can I use the dough right away? if so, how long do I let it rise after folding it and putting into a greased bowl?
I also used instant rapid yeast, hopefully, it doesn’t interfere with the recipe. I just love your recipes. I especially enjoyed the hamburger siders.
I hope it works out for you! I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying my recipes, May!
Hi May, this dough really does need the overnight cold fermentation process to rise properly since it doesn’t have a ton of yeast in it. This is what differentiates it from a quick dough, but it’s well worth the wait.
Natasha, I was wondering if this dough can be used for a grilled pizza on a gas Bbq grill???
Hi Josephine, our readers have reported excellent results using a grill. Here’s what one of our readers commented: “We love this pizza dough recipe and love to use it for grilled pizza on our Big Green Egg!”
Natasha, Last time I tried this recipe with instant yeast and quite messed up but still it was delicious. Now I wanna give it a try again but I can’t find active dry yeast anywhere. So Is there any way I can make this with instant yeast?
Hi Sendini, I haven’t tried this with instant yeast so I’m not sure how that will affect the rise in the fridge, but other readers have reported trying it and following the same method.
I made this with quick rise yeast and it turned out great! The only difference is the first rise was much shorter. It took maybe an hour and a half for it to double.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m glad the pizza dough turned out great!
Costco has a large bag of dry yeast. I keep mine in the freezer and it stays fresh.
I don’t have a pizza peel, is it possible to assemble the pizza on the pan first?
Hi Yvette, it’s best on a pizza stone, but a regular pan will work great also.
I made this a couple of weeks ago. Absolutely perfect. Thanks so Natasha.😋
You’re welcome, Rick. Thank you for your review, I’m glad it turned out great!
Your instructions says to bake at 550° for 8 minutes.
My oven only goes up to 450°.
If I cook my pizza at 450 for about 13-14 minutes, will I get the same texture as what you get and what restaurants serve?
PS great looking recipe….
Hi Erwin, the closer to 550, the better. Four hundred fiftymdegrees will still work, but it will require slightly more time in the oven.
I see you have a number of pizza dough recipes. Would you suggest one over the other? I just need a simple and basic crust. I have a recipe now but I’d like it to be more restaurant quality.
Hi Amira, this is our go-to pizza dough.
Can I use sugar instead of honey? If yes how much? Thank you
Hi Jenny, yes it can be substituted with 1 tsp of sugar.
Hi Natasha! This is always my go to recipe, it really is the BEST pizza crust.
Question, am I able to divide the dough into two right before making the pizza or is it necessary to divide it before folding it and putting it in fridge?
Thank you!
Hi Ann, it is necessary to divide the dough ahead of time. If you cut into it after it has rested, you will ruin some of the bubbles and it will be difficult to form into even pizza dough disks.
I have a question before making this recipe that sounds delicious and exactly what I’ve been looking for. Can I pre-bake the dough, then put on the toppings and finish baking the pizza? I’m sorry if this question was already asked, I went through quite a few of the comments and didn’t see it. Thank you Natasha, I love your recipes!
Hi Joanne, that may work, although I don’t pre-bake the crust. Otherwise, it may burn by the time the toppings are done. I hope this is helpful!
Joanne, I almost always par-bake the crusts. I shape the crust and then bake for about 1 minute then pull it out of the oven and out on a cooling rack and put in the next crust to par-bake. Once I have par-baked all the crusts then I start dressing them and cooking them. Without the par-baking I often end up with trouble getting the pizza off the peel and onto the stone. I end up with Calzone if I am lucky, or just a mess. I have also sometimes frozen any left over par-baked crusts and used them another day.
Hi Natasha,
Yes, I have made my own pizza,cust and sauce. Since I saw your recipes couple years ago, it is yours I make most of the time now. Love both no -cook tomato sauce and white sauce which is wo flavorful an delicious. Thanks again for your great recipes and videos!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Karen! I’m happy you enjoyed it!
This really is the best crust! I don’t have a pizza stone, but I use a 15″ Wilton non-stick pizza pan with the whole batch of dough, bake it at 425 for 20-25 minutes. The inside is soft, the outside is crispy & chewy. I recommend letting the dough chill in the fridge for 3 days to develop the flavor. Thanks Natasha for another great recioe!
Great to hear that it worked great, Cheryl. Thank you for your review!
Hi Natasha,
When I first made this, the dough was sticky just like in your video. And it tasted great! The 2nd time, the dough was firm so I added alittle bit of water to get the dough to be softer. Should I have done that? I just made the dough again today and same outcome. I measure the flour the same way, so not sure why my dough is not coming out sticky. Use less flour next time? Or the firmer dough shouldn’t really affect the overall outcome of the pizza? Thanks!
Hi Arie, maybe consider if anything was different the second time around – any ingredient substitutions? I have mismeasured flour before and the dough can end up more tough that way with too much flour. If the dough rises and forms the bubbles, it should still work for pizza.
Natasha, I used instant yeast and I guess because of that it kept rising in the fridge. And also it was ripping when I was rolling the dough on my knuckles. But I used the exact amount of flour. Do you think the yeast was the problem? I kinda have thoughts to make it again but quite afraid that I will fail again.
Hi Sendini, I recommend making it with active dry yeast and it should work better
Hi Natasha,
Thank you I always love your recipes. You said I can leave it in the fridge for several days, but it keeps rising there. Is there something wrong?
Hi Anna, did you use regular yeast and not rapid rise? And also make sure to use the same amount? It will continue to rise a little bit in the refrigerator and that is pretty normal but it shouldn’t rise too much (it definitely won’t double).
What if your oven only reaches to 500? Would I bake for longer time?
Hi Sandra, yes, you could bake at 500 for a little longer and just look for the visual cues for pizza doneness.
I am always skeptical when a recipe says “best” or similar BUT this is definitely the best homemade pizza crust I have tried. Told my husband we might NEVER go out for pizza again. Froze one portion of dough for later use. Thanks Natasha!
Haha I told m husband the same thing, so glad you loved it.
Hi natasha i followed the recipe but the crust was very dry and there anything i can do
I’m so sorry to hear that, I’m not sure at which point something went wrong, make sure your yeast is not expired.
Hello Natasha, thanks for your pizza recipe which I followed exactly, except for doubling on the ingredients to get more. The pizza came out great but the dough ripped very easily and I wasn’t able to stretch it over my knuckles. What might the reason be? Thank you!
Hi Dorit, if all of the resting periods were followed, make sure to let it rest at room temperature as directed before forming the pizza crust so it is more pliable. Also, make sure to measure flour correctly which makes all the difference in great pizza dough.
Thanks for your reply. Yes, I followed your directions measuring and resting time exactly. Still, it ripped and I cannot figure out what I did wrong.
I’m sorry to hear that. I would say try again
Natasha, do you think doubling the recipe had something t do with the problem, making it too heavy to stretch.
HI Judith, I have made a double batch before without issues. I wonder if it’s an issue with measuring. A scale would make the process faster and is a great way to make sure the recipe is exactly the same every time, although our spoon and level measuring method works great as well. I wonder if there was just too much flour.
Dear Natasha! Thanks a lott for sharing great recipes with us!
I wish to ask how long is the best for fridging the dough? In your video you say at least 24 hours, in recipe it’s written at least 18 hours.
Thank you very much in advance, for your time and attention!
Hi Bahar, 18 hours is enough and you can refrigerate the dough up to a week.
I’ve made this pizza dough soooo many times! it’s the best! I recently, learned my glucose is a little high. Do you think this recipe would work with wheat flour?
Hi Catherine, I haven’t tried wheat flour, but it would make the dough tougher if using whole wheat.
thank you. I guess I’ll not mess with perfection! I’ll cut my carbs some place else!!!!
Haha that’s awesome, It’s so worth it.
Hi Natasha,
I don’t have a pizza stone. Can I use a regular pizza pan? If so, please let me know the temperature and cooking time suggested. TIA!
Hi Amira, it’s best on a pizza stone, but a regular pan will work great also.
If i dont have honey can i replace it with sugar? If so, same quantity?
Hi Evelyn, It can be substituted with 1 tsp of sugar.
Yummy! This recipe was the best. I love pizza and this recipe made me love it even more! Thank you so much Natasha!!!
Yay! I’m so happy this was a hit, Zoe! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Natasha, this is ALWAYS my go-to recipe for pizza! I’ve tried so many others that have been inconsistent, but this one never misses. I even used this dough recipe for cheese breadsticks today and it was delicious! Thanks!
That’s fantastic! I’m glad this is your go-to recipe.
I just tried this. I wanted to use the last of my 00 flour so I added 1/4 more. It is still way too hot to use my oven so I put my stone on my gas grill. This is the best crust I have ever made. It stayed crunchy in the middle but thin and big and puffy on the edge. Thank you!
I meant to say 1/4 cup more
Thank you for your good comments and feedback, Kathleen!
I made this pizza dough last night, was the best pizza. I like that it has less yeast, makes perfect sense. Thank you for sharing your beautiful recipe.
You are so welcome! I’m happy to know that you enjoyed it.
Hi Natasha- my dough isn’t sticky after mixing and kneading 2 minutes. Will it be ok?
Hi Jill, it sounds like there may be too much flour. Be sure to measure by fluffing the flour first with a spoon then spoon it into a dry ingredient measuring cup and scrape off the top. If you push your measuring cup into a flour bin, you will get up to 25% too much flour. Also, do not tap the flour down in the measuring cup.
Hi Natasha,
I followed the recipe exactly but the dough was very dry.
What can I do to fix this?
Hi Ame, It’s hard to say what caused that without being there. I recommend checking out post on measuring to make sure too much flour was not used.
Just getting ready to mix the dough.. can’t wait to try. I have read some reviews about the dough being dry. Even when I make bread, if the dough is dry sprinkle a bit more warm water it until it gets sticky. You definitely do not want the dough dry. Hope this helps!
I dont have any honey, can I use sugar?
Hi Vikki! It can be substituted with 1 tsp of sugar.
I think I am missing something. I want to use this for calzones, so do I put the whole ball into the refrigerator and then divide it into eight balls the next day? I’m cunfused.
Hi Barbara, yes, that will work for calzones. You can use my Calzones Recipe here.
I was wondering if I could use this pizza dough the same day, letting it rise for a few hours and then using it.
Thank you
If I leave it out longer than an hour, it puffs up a little too much which is why 1 hour is ideal. You want it to do the extra puffing in the oven rather than on the counter.
hi Natasha. Great video and receipe. After I have done all the steps. Can I rest the dough in room temperature for more than an hour like 3 hours or more before I will mold it and put it to the oven to cook it already? what is the maximum number of hours you can rest pizza before you can mold and cook it?
Hi Mitzi, I have found that if I leave it out longer than that, it puffs up a little too much which is why 1 hour is ideal. You want it to do the extra puffing in the oven rather than on the counter.
I have tried your recipes and really enjoyed it… thank you for great recipes..please help me with this recipe. There are no bubbles/foam after rest in my yeast mix. Yeast is new. What should I do? I really want to try this recipe
Hi Ghanyah, I recommend reviewing all the steps and ingredients to make sure nothing was missed.
Hey Natasha! Hi, I happen to notice in your recipe for your pizza dough that in your oven, your pizza stone had a carrying rack. I checked the link that you posted on where to buy your pizza stone but it does not say it comes with the rack do I was wondering where you got the rack from?? Please and Thank you!
Hi Sandra, the stone that we use is one that came with our oven, and I don’t think it is available for purchase separately from the oven, but a rack is not necessary, and we typically just let the stone cool down inside the oven as the oven cools.
Sorry… I should have read some of the other comments before I asked… I see that you’ve already answered my question !
No worries. I haven’t tested it myself so I’m not sure if the substitution is exact straight across but I have had one reader report good results using 00 flour.
Hi, apologies if this has been answered already on the comments(haven’t seen it yet, so far). I just want to ask if it’s okay to not have pizza stone? Will there be any changes to the procedure in making the dough? Thank you.
Hi there. Please see the first step prep. Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet onto the center rack of the oven and preheat to 550˚F.” It works great without a pizza stone.
Instead of all purpose flour or bread flour for pizza dough…could I use 00 flour? Never tried pizza dough..alittle nervous
Thank you
Hi Sherry, I haven’t tested it myself so I’m not sure if the substitution is exact straight across but I have had one reader report good results using 00 flour.
Natasha this is my second time making we love it both being a diabetic, just love your pizza dough recipe tysvmmmm
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Aline! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hi Natasha, What would I change in the recipe to make a double batch of your dough?
Thank you!
Hi Dale, yes, this recipe can be doubled. I haven’t tried it myself, but I would double everything equally.