This is hands down the best pizza dough! It makes a New York-style pizza with a thin crust in the center and beautifully puffed on the 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!
Unlike our Quick and Easy Pizza Dough (which is great if you’re in a hurry), this is an Overnight pizza dough. You can only get this kind of pizzeria-quality crust by letting it rest in the refrigerator and slowly rise overnight. It’s also easier than you think. Watch the video tutorial, and you’ll be a pro in no time!
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The Best 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 pizza dough also makes throwing a pizza party stress-free and everyone will be super impressed by your pizza-making skills. P.S. This overnight pizza dough is also great for homemade Stromboli or even Calzones (i.e. pizza pockets).
Pizza Dough Video Tutorial
Watch the pizza dough video tutorial once and you will be a pro in no time.
The Secret to the Best Pizza Crust
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 to rise in the slow/ cold fermentation step. This process makes the dough much easier to work with and forms the coveted texture, rise, and bubbles at the edges.
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.
If you want to make a more Neopolitan-style pizza, a “00” Flour is a great choice as well.
You can dust the pizza peel with the flour you are using to make the dough, or dust with semolina flour if you have it on hand. It’s what the pros use for easier transfer from the pizza peel to the oven.
Pro Tip:
Do not use too much yeast! Most ‘quick’ pizza doughs use way too much yeast which makes the crust doughy and causes 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.
How to Make Overnight Pizza Dough
- Mix together water, salt and honey. Sprinkle with yeast and set aside 5 min then stir.
- Pour the water mixture over your flour and stir to combine with a spatula, then knead by hand for 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 the ‘book fold’ and turning the dough between each fold strengthens the gluten threads and traps carbon dioxide created by the yeast, which helps form those beautiful bubbles in the dough.
How to Form and Bake Pizza Crust
- Remove the 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 and dust lightly with flour.
- Gently press the dough down in the center with your 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 pizza sauce or red pizza sauce, 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 Homemade 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 in the oven
- Pizza Cutter – the easiest way to slice a pizza
- Instant Read Thermometer – to check water temperature
Pro Tip:
If you are looking for fresh pizza topping inspiration, you’ll love the Tuscan Pizza we shared in Natasha’s Kitchen Cookbook (it uses this same overnight pizza dough recipe)!
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 mastered your pizza-making skills, you will want to throw a pizza party. Once you throw a pizza party, you’ll need sides to go with it. These are all great options:
- Avocado Ranch or Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Caesar Salad – a fresh and crisp green salad
- Avocado Corn Salad – so vibrant and satisfying
- Cobb Salad – beautiful and delicious
- Garden Salad – A restaurant-style side salad
- Instant Pot Corn on the Cob – the juiciest way to cook corn
Overnight Pizza Dough Recipe
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
I made this on Sunday and it was amazing! I made more dough today but left it out for 7+ hours before putting it in the fridge. Can I still use it? Or should I toss it?
Hi Augustine, there is no need to toss it, I would just refrigerate the dough portions as usual.
Hi Natasha!
I love this recipe! The first time I made it, it immediately became our new family favorite.
I’m planning to make about six pizzas this weekend for visitors coming to town. Does each pizza dough need to be divided into separate bowls to sit in the refrigerator for a few nights? Would freezer bags with the air squeezed out work instead, or would that interfere with the process? I’m just tight on space.
Thanks so much!
Hi Heather! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe! I love the idea of making several pizzas for a party. I would recommend individual bowls for these but I have not tested this in freezer bags to advise. We do have tips on freezing the dough in comments if you plan on going that route.
Love your recipes! Question, will this work if dough doesn’t rest overnight? Thanks!
Thanks Lora. The secret to an incredible dough is to let it rest and give it time, we recommend doing it at least overnight.
Hiii!!! I was so excited to make this dough!!! And… I made it… it did not come out right… it Kept rising while resting in the fridge overnight… had no bubles and didnt bake right, but I my oven sucks so… Im so upset!! Im from Brazil and lived in US 10 years.. been to Italy… so… Love pizza… would Love to be able to make a good homemade pizza…
Hi Any Kely, sorry it did not work out for you and I’m always happy to help troubleshoot. The liquid to dry ingredients proportion is accurate and make sure you aren’t substituting with a different type of flour. Check out our post on how to measure ingredients – measuring flour the wrong way can result in 25% more flour than you need. Also, make sure your yeast is not expired and be sure not to overheat the dough while it proofs or it can deactivate and kill the yeast.
This dough was amazingly delicious and easy to prepare. Got my 11 yr old son involved and we learned more about yeast and fermentation. Of course his most favorite part was “playing with his food”. He loved getting his hands in the dough. The rest of the family loved the taste, comparing it to restaurant quality, and asked to add it to the “do again” list. Thank you.
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
Hi, this looks amazing! Can you use this dough to make garlic knots?
Hi Jane, I have not tested that to advise. If you experiment please let me know how you like this recipe.
Made this tonight for supper. It was a hit. Definitely a new family favorite. Restaurant quality. My family and I joked while it was stretching the dough. I am not like one of those pizza places that has the guy that stretches the dough so perfectly. I will need more practice. I was a bit nervous to make a hole so I was very slow and careful. The crust was delicious lite and crispy. We will definitely be making this soon and sharing it with close friends and family. Can’t wait to enjoy those 2 pizza sauces on your blog!! Yummo!
Hello Elizabeth, thanks for sharing that with us. I’m sure you did great and yes, practice makes perfect! I am happy to know that you enjoyed making the pizza dough.
Love this pizza recipe! It has become our Friday night go to. I’d like to pre-make the dough and freeze it??? any hints and recommendations?
I’m thinking, take it out of the freezer 2 days before I want to serve. Thaw in fridge for a day and then let it rise on the counter the morning I want to use it??? Thanks!
Thanks for your wonderful feedback, Krista. Freezing will work fine. To Freeze Pizza Dough: 1. Let the dough do it’s cold ferment overnight before freezing. 2. Lightly coat the dough with oil and transfer to a resealable freezer-safe zip bag and squeeze out the excess air then freeze up to 3 months. 3. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter and come to room temperature 1 hour before shaping.
Natasha I made the dough, after one hour of putting it out, it wasn’t a hard dough like yours, I mean I couldn’t even lift it. any how I shaped it and backed it. There were lots of bubbles before backing it, but no bubbles after it was backed. the taste was good though. what did I do wrong?
Hi Sam, I haven’t had that experience to advise. I’m curious, was anything altered or substituted in the recipe? I recommend reading through all of our tips on the dough. Also, you may find this post on measuring helpful.
I made this exactly as your video and recipe instructed. The rising went well but stretching it was not easy. It came out lumpy and too thick. When I tried to stretch it tore apart. The crust tasted good but was too thick in some spots and too thin in others. I know you said not to disturb the air bubbles so I didn’t roll it out. I was actually disappointed with the result. What did I do wrong?
Hi Diana, if you followed the steps and timing for the resting, chilling, and then letting it come to room temperature before forming the crust, then it sounds like there may be too much flour. Make sure to follow our tutorial here on how to measure flour. If you push the measuring cup into the flour bin, you can compact it and get 25% too much flour. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha, My dough is in cold fermentation stage now, after two hours of being in the fridge they are getting bigger and the bowl is full, there is no more space for the dough to rise. Should I change their place into bigger bowl? If I change their bowl, is it going to ruin my dough? I’m going to keep them in the fridge for the next 3 days.
Hi Sam, it won’t ruin the dough – just transfer it to a larger oiled bowl.
Made this pizza Dough – was heavenly – had the best pizza ever made at home – was pure high end restaurant quality ! Thank you
Yay that is awesome! Thank you so much for your excellent feedback.
I want to make it but dont have pizza stone..what options doi have?
Hi Karolina, we have a note on that but I also recommend reading through the comments. Several of our readers reported great results using a baking pan.
Hello Natasha,
I’m about to make the pizza for the first time and I’m excited because your recipe looks amazing! I was just at a very fancy pizza place here in Mexico and they told me they use fresh mozarella italian cheese (bel gioso). I noticed that you use shredded cheese. Can I use the fresh mozarella?
Hi Lulu, I bet that could work! I would love to know you like this if you experiment!
Did you attach the white and red pizza sauce somewhere? Also a link to your pizza making cooking utensils please.
Hi Vicky, yes, we have it linked in the recipe. Find our Classic Red Sauce HERE & White Pizza Sauce HERE. You can find our favorite tools on our blog shop and our Amazon Shop. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha,
I’m having a party in 5 days, so i made my dough and now its resting in the fridge. as it’s 6 pizzas i will make, what’s the best way to save time with rolling, adding toppings in advance. thanks
Hi Charlotte, I like to build my pizzas just before putting them in the oven, otherwise, you will need a significant amount of flour under the dough or the sauce, and toppings will soften it and make it difficult to transfer later. If you wanted them fully assembled for the party, freezing might be a good option although it will change the texture of the crust baking from frozen. If anyone else has some great make-ahead tips, please share!
Hi natasha the party was yesterday i ended up leaving the dough for 5 days in the fridge, and cooked them fresh on the party. I just prepared the fillings, there was a bit of flour mess but results were soooo worth it. Everybody complimented on the dough, u could eat a full pizza without getting full. I made 1.5 times of the recipe and had 9 pizzas 8 slices each. Fillings were
– cheese
– pilli steak (ur recipe for a sandwich. I made it on the pizza)
– barbecue chicken
– pepperoni
– veggy
Also used ur white sauce and red sauce.
Can’t wait to make pizza again.
Yay so great to hear that you had a wonderful experience. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha, I’m going to use instant yeast. Do I still need to add honey to the water?
Hi Sam I would keep the rest of the recipe the same.
I made mine in a cast iron skillet. O. M.G. Soooooo good. I’ve made several pizza dough recipes in quarantine. THIS by far, hands down, is seriously the best! I made one pizza the first day and made the next one the day after. Totally recommend letting the dough proof for at least 2 days. Unfortunately, I’m not patient enough to wait for it to proof 3 days! Lol I also made the classic red sauce from this link too. Highly recommend!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe Joy! That’s so great!
How long did you preheat the cast iron skillet in the oven for? and how did you transfer the pizza onto it?
After pre heating the oven, can I use rolling pin on the dough to make it even and in proper shape?
Hi Nandy, we do not recommend a rolling pin as it could destroy the bubbles in the dough that give the pizza dough its texture.
Hi Natasha, I tried this recipe and had several fails. Can you help me achieve the perfect pizza and tell me what I am doing wrong.
First time I did it was a complete fail. I think it was because I used instant yeast and did not read that you can add directly to the ingredients. Also it never rised and ended up super thin and the crust was super hard.
Second attempt, way much better. I used the instant yeast and incorporated it into the ingredients right away. I also used my stand mixer because last time I did not knead correctly. Left it to rise 4 to 5 hours at room temperature and it rose great. When I cooked the pizza I achieved the perfect crust with the holes like you said. The center of the pizza rose to much it was not thin. Everything else tasted great. Did I do something wrong? I stretched it to the size you said. Please tell me what am I doing wrong. I will try again until achieve it.
Hi Carmen, the center of the pizza rising usually indicates too much yeast. I had that happen in my testing with too much yeast. Make sure you are adding the correct amount of yeast. I hope that helps!
Hi Natasha,
If you only want to make one pizza, can you freeze the 2nd ball of dough for later use? If so, what is the process?
Hi Michele, Freezing will work fine. To Freeze Pizza Dough: 1. Let the dough do it’s cold ferment overnight before freezing. 2. Lightly coat the dough with oil and transfer to a resealable freezer-safe zip bag and squeeze out the excess air then freeze up to 3 months. 3. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter and come to room temperature 1 hour before shaping.