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!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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
Hi, Natasha! I always do such an awful job preparing the pizza dough from scratch, but when I made the pizza dough using your recipe it came out perfectly. I made this for my family, they loved it. Thank you so much!
Wow, that is so awesome, and great job to you too! I’m glad it was a success, thank you for sharing that with us.
Hi, Natasha! Pizza is my all-time favorite food, and I would make and eat it daily were it not for all the other awesome foods out there to drool over. I have visited your site many times (all good stuff, by the way!), and, as it would be with a pizza fanatic, as I am, your pizza post simply grabbed me. I’ve made hundreds of pizzas, many styles, many types. We each probably have our own favorite crust type. I tried yours and IT’S THE BOMB!! I converted to metric measurements to be accurate (very important!), baked my pie on a 325° steel, and my crust looked just like yours – with all the gas pockets. Great crumb. And it had GREAT flavor and a GREAT chew! As it would after sitting for 3 days in the fridge. In a word – AWESOME!! It is now my go-to dough recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!!
So perfect! What a wonderful review and comment, Larry. Thank you so much for your detailed feedback, we truly appreciate it!
I have made the best pizza dough recipe and it is everything Natasha claimed. Incredibly easy to make and handle the next day while stretching. Most important delicious.
Thank you so much for your wonderful comments and feedback, Cindy. I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!
Made it two times already, it’s amazing, I try to make everything at home, pizza is something I could never make before, following your recipe was so simple and the results were amazing
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
hey so i wanted to try the recipe so i halved it but the dough came out pretty dry so i added like a little more water now i have left it to rest lets see what happens or ill start over again.
Hi Areej, make sure to measure the ingredients correctly to avoid adding too much flour.
Such an amazing recipe! We make this once a month now. Wondering, I know the refrigeration is super important but have you ever tried making the pizza right after the rise? I need a last minute meal for some guests and I’m wondering if this would work. Thanks!
Hi Suzy, I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise.
Can I use instant yeast instead
Hi Cindi, I have only tested this with regular yeast and not instant so I can’t speak to the process changes if you are substituting that ingredient without testing it through myself. My guess would be to keep the process the same.
can i use tipo “00” flour and bake in my pizza oven with this recipe?
Hi Stephen, I haven’t tested that so I can’t give you exact details on that substitution with 00 flour.
since I can’t have anything with yeast, is there a recipe I can do using cauliflower and no flour and yeast
Hi Rodney, we don’t have a cauliflower crust recipe currently.
Hi Natasha,
Can I use a pizza flour instead (higher protein content) and cook using a pizza oven?
Hi Kyle, I haven’t tested with pizza flour and always use all-purpose but I think it’s worth experimenting. I have tested in a pizza oven and it works great.
I will test this weekend and get back to you! Thanks for the reply.
Hi Natasha, worked a treat with the pizza dough in the pizza oven. If I could post pics I would ☺️
I’m so glad! You’re welcome to load it up to social media and tag #natashaskitchen for us to see it.
Hey Natasha, we made a pizza today following your instructions. It tasted awesome; couldn’t have been better. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise.
However, we set both the sides(bottom and top) to heat, and the bottom was not as soft as we wanted it to be. How can we avoid that the next time?
Hi, to avoid a soft crust on the bottom, be sure to preheat your pizza stone fully and also do not overload the pizza with toppings or sauce.
Actually, the bottom was not soft but hard. I want to make it softer. To do so, should I allow only the top of the oven to heat?
Hi Mathisha, the bottom is intended to be crisp but not hard. In that case, you might try to keep the center a little thicker when stretching the dough so it doesn’t end up too thin.
Thank you so much. Problem solved!!
Perfect! Glad it was solved.
This is an excellent recipe that does not disappoint! The best pizza crust have ever made!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
hi natasha, i have a question before i bake the pizza. first, do we need a pizza stone? and second, we have a convection bake oven so are we able to bake in that?
Hi Eeman, it’s best on a pizza stone, but a regular pan will work great also. We’ve baked this in a regular oven, so I can’t say which adjustments need to be made for a convection oven.
I’ve made this dough so many times and love it. This has to be like 10th pizza dough recipe I’ve tried and is my favorite. highly recommend.
Isn’t it so great! I’m happy you enjoyed that, Jacquie!
Hi Natasha, I have made this recipe umpteen times. I love it! I only have instant yeast, so I add that directly to the flour. And I’ve found it tastes more awesome (and is easier to shape) when I use bread flour. Usually I use this for breadsticks (make the base, add garlic, parsley, butter and cheese, bake then slice into strips). My question: You mention in some comments that we can replace honey with sugar. How much sugar to use, and how would you incorporate it into the dough? Add directly to the flour? Or would I need to dissolve the sugar in the warm water first?
I’m so happy to hear you’ve enjoyed this recipe, Kinny! Yes, it can be substituted with 1 tsp of sugar.
Wow.. it really is that simple and that good. You definitely need a nice and hot pizza stone for this because it is a very thin pizza dough, but its taste and texture is amazing. Just made another batch that we’ll be cooking with friends on the weekend, though, I kind of messed up and dumped everything except the yeast in a big bowl, so I just proofed the yeast in a bit of water with some sugar on the side and then kneaded that in… hopefully it turns out as well as the first one. Thanks Natasha!
I hope it becomes a hit and your friends will love this recipe! Thanks for your great review, we appreciate it.
Hey there,i have made this many times and i just cant seem to get the bottom of pizza to crisp up ? If i cook it longer than the top of the pizza will be burnt but underneath is not really cooked? any tips?
Hi Jan, were you using a pizza stone and preheated? If not, make sure you’re preheating your pan.
Yes i use a pizza stone and of course its always preheated to 550. I love pizza i could eat it everyday but i would love to tackle this problem with your pizza dough ,the bottom taste awful but the top is cooked perfect ,if i cook longer than the tp will be burnt!! thanks??
Hi Jan, sometimes if there are too many toppings, it can make it hard for the bottom of the crust to crisp up properly.
I see the ingredient list has 1/2 Tbsp listed but the directions states 1/2 tsp salt. Which is it? Thank you for such wonderful recipes. I love your site!
Oops I just noticed I read the directions wrong and it’s 1/2 tsp yeast. Sorry!
No worries, I hope you love it!
This turned out so good. The first pizza I made 24 hours after the dough tested in the fridge. The second was made almost a week later. My family said the second turned out even better! The dough was easier to work with the longer it was in the fridge. I never even got to try it because they ate it all! Thank you again for such a wonderful website!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Elizabeth!
Hi Natasha, thanks for the recipe!! It was definitely the best homemade pizza with a nice chewy crust! Can I freeze the dough as well for future use?
Hi Tash, Freezing should work fine. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when freezing. To Freeze Pizza Dough: 1. Let the dough do its cold ferment overnight before freezing. 2. Lightly coat the dough with oil and transfer to a resealable freezer-safe zip bag, squeeze out the excess air, and 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.
Hi do you have to cut it in half or can I leave it as one big pizza?
Hi Angela, you can make it one big pizza. This recipe is easy to scale up or down or leave it as is and make a very large pizza, it’s just a little more difficult to slide it into the oven if it is larger or heavier.
Can this dough be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use?
Hi Connie, 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!
Hi Natasha, I’m in England, uk. I’d never baked with yeast before and wanted to make my own pizza dough, found your recipe on line and decided to have a go. I’m now on my 3rd attempt and getting much better. You certainly make it look easy rolling over the knuckles, but as I said I’m Getting there. I’ve had to slightly adapt things as I do not own a pizza stone, so I made it on a pizza plate with holes in and I found if I part baked it for 3 minutes before adding my toppings this worked really well, no soggy bottom! I also found a good quality all purpose( we call it plain here) flour. An organic one with a high protein content, which I think makes a difference.
I have a very picky son, but he loves the base, thank you for your recipe, I’m sure in time, or I hope, mine will look as professional as yours. I’m also thinking in investing in a pizza steel instead of a stone?
Thank you once again for a delicious recipe, and easy to follow video.
I’m so glad you gave this recipe a try, Jayne! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful comment & feedback with me.