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
Natasha I have a question when we are using istant yeast do we but it in the flour or in the water another question do we but instant yeast in the fridge or but It in warm place thanks natasha
Hi Malak, 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.
Thank you natasha.
Made this tonight with an olive oil base. Cooked up some fennel sausage and caramelized some onions. Added artichoke hearts and fresh mozzarella. The BEST pizza by far!! Thank you for the recipe! Will make again and again!
Thank you for sharing that awesome review Wendy! I’m happy you enjoyed that!
Hi, I tried the recipe with bread flour. It came out brilliant. Thanks a lot for sharing it. Just want to know if I can substitute it with wholemeal bread flour. If you have tried it, let me know pls. Thanks
Hi Tania, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hey I made the dough yesterday and I feel like there wasn’t enough water but I still knead the dough i let the dough sit in room temperature overnight this morning I Divided then fold them eight times but my dough wasn’t sticky at all ??? My party is today advice please thank you!!
Hi Nikki, it is difficult to remove too much flour but it sounds like that is the culprit. Make sure to look over our article on how we measure flour. The dough should still be ok if it is rising.
This was very good. I doubled the recipe and I’m glad we have more dough for later in the week. I also made the pizza sauce recipe which I liked as well. I’d add a little more salt next time to the dough
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Laynie..did you double up the yeast also with other ingredients. Thank you
I made your pizza dough last night, and it was FANTASTIC!!! I didn’t end up refrigerating it at all, and it still turned out great. I used my KitchenAid mixer, mixed on low for 2 minutes, and then left it to rise. Thin center, and a nice and fluffy crust. My family is Italian, so I have grown up on homemade pizza, and this recipe got the thumbs up from the pizza maker in my house. I will definitely use this recipe to make pizza again. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing that wonderful review with me! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Nadia!
Hi Natasha
i want to do 2 14 inch pizzas with this recipe for my familey can you please advise how i can adjust the messurements to get this perfect.
Hi Glenn, You could click on the servings and adjust the measurements up and down. I hope that helps and that you all completely love this pizza dough recipe!
This was good pizza dough. You can make just 1 pizza and use the second dough ball to make crazybread beadsticks if you don’t want 2 pizzas. Natasha, please check your california and 8inch pizza reciepe. I belueve you have an error. The instructions call for a Tablespoon of yeast for 2 cups of flour. That’s alot if yeast.
Absolutely!! That sounds delicious Eric and a great idea! If you experiment I would love to know how you like that.
Hi Natasha,
I follow your receipt and use “1/2 tsp active dry yeast” but my dough cannot double up the size. I am using instant dry yeast. Is it different?
Many thanks.
Hi Cindy, we used active dry yeast, not instant dry yeast, that could be the culprit. I always make this with active dry yeast because it seems to keep better for longer, but that should work fine and there would be no need to wait 5 minutes. You could mix the instant yeast right into the flour before adding the liquids. Please let me know if you experiment with instant yeast.
Can you use the kitchen aid mixer to kneed the dough?
Hi Olga, one of our readers commented, saying they made this in a Kitchen Aid mixer on low speed with a dough attachment. I hope that is helpful.
I made this last night. It was FANTASTIC! What brand mozzarella do you use? I’ve tried several brands of low moisture, whole and skim, and they just don’t stretch quite as well as yours did on the video. It was still the best pizza dough by far!
Hi Sonya, my favorite cheese brand is Galbani for low moisture part-skim mozzarella.
Where do you get Galbani cheese? I haven’t found it anywhere in our area.
Hi Irene, we purchase it in our local grocery store.
No Galbani cheese anywhere here. I used Dierbergs low moisture, part skim mozzarella cheese.
Hi, would you say the recipe yields a 2lb dough?
Thank you
Hi Wallace, I honestly have not weighed the finished dough. That sounds about right for 1 lb of dough from each piece of dough for a total of 2 lbs.
How can I make this pizza recipe gluten free?
Hi Irene, I have not tested this with gluten-free flour. You might also want to check the comments section if someone else alredy tried it.
Hi! I don’t have honey available, what can I substitute it with? Thank you.
Hi Christina, yes it can be substituted with 1 tsp of sugar.
Why that 4 hour wait before making the balls? Couldn’t we make the balls at that earlier stage since its gonna slow/cold proof anyway?
Hi Michael, you want it to proof first while the dough is warmer to jumpstart it. Once it’s chilled, it’s a very slow fermentation/rising process.
I made your pizza dough recipe tonight and rested for 2 1/2 hrs. I did not leave in refrigerator at all and turned out great. I made supreme pizza. First I added tomatoes sauce, mushroom and some mozzarella cheese placed in pre heated oven for 5 minutes. Then removed it added meat, bell peppers, olive, onions, cherry tomatoes covered more mozzarella cheese and some parmesan cheese returned back in oven for another 3 minutes it turned so delicious. Thank you for great recipes. I love all your recipes and videos you make.
Super nice! Thank you for sharing your experience making this recipe. I’m glad that you enjoyed it!
Hello, Natasha! I really love your recipes. It’s super easy to follow and they’re all incredibly delicious 🤤😍 btw my oven’s temperature is up to 450F only. What should I do? Because in the direction should be 550F 😭
Hi Bel, I would suggest going to the highest it goes and just bake for a little longer.
Hi Natasha! This is my very first review of any recipe, ever. I just made this amazing pizza tonight. We used both sauces, too. I honestly think this may be the best recipe of anything I have ever made!! Wow!! The kids loved it too!! Your videos are fantastic and incredibly helpful!! I watched how you spread the dough a few times before I got to that step. It helped SO much!! Thank you, truly, for this recipe and technique. We all said we love these pizzas way better than takeout. That white sauce, too…oohh my!!
Thanks again!! 🙂
Yay thank you for sharing that with us, your comment just made my day. I’m glad your family loved it! I hope they will also enjoy all the other recipes that you will try. Thanks, Julie!
Hi Natasha. Love this recipe. My friend asked me if she makes this dough early in the day, can you use it the same day, and how would you do that? After dividing the dough in half and placing in oiled bowls, would you left it rise again at room temp, then make the pizzas? Thank you.
Hi Carolyn, 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.
Hello! I left a comment yesterday but it seems to have disappeared. My dough is continuing to rise after being refrigerated. It’s been in the fridge since yesterday and I now need to put it in a bigger bowl! I can’t use it until tomorrow. Will the continued rising affect the quality? Is there something I can do? Thanks.
Can the finished dough be frozen for future use? if so how would you dethaw?
Hi Jose, yes you can freeze the dough. 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.
Thank you so much, Can’t wait to try this! Keep up the good work with the content you produce. I’m in marketing and people don’t know how much hard work it is to put out good quality content. Great Work!
You’re so nice! Thank you for that wonderful compliment Jose!