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
Thank you for sharing this recipe! If I need to feed 10-15 people, can I double the recipe or will I need to make two separate batches? Thanks!
Hi Cy, making it in two batches will work. I hope you love this recipe!
Help! I love the dough but I can’t get the crust on the bottom to be crunchy. I have to spray my cookie sheet so it doesn’t stick so that makes it soft. Can you cook on parchment paper or a silpat? I only have one pizza stone and want them ready at the same time. The sauce is amazing and that’s coming from a full blooded Italian cook! Thanks so much!!
It’s critical to preheat the pizza stone fully for the crust to get that crispy consistency. You could use a large baking sheet inverted and fit two at a time, but having that baking sheet hot is going to help the most with the crust forming properly. I’m so glad you love the pizza sauce!
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 💕🇨🇦
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Loretta. Altitude change will cause adjustments, and I’m glad you found what works.
Can I freeze this dough?
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.
Hi, I made the dough yesterday and tried to roll it out today. It wouldn’t roll out, if I tried using my hands it wouldn’t spread evenly. I left it to rest again, and still would not roll out. It instantly contracts. What am I doing wrong? Alot of time to throw it in the garbage.
Hi Connie, make sure to measure the flour the same way. A tough dough sounds like too much flour. I also always recommend following the same process and tools whenever possible before making adjustments.
Hi Natasha, I would like to know if I can sprinkle the pizza stone and pizza peel with corn meal only or can I put corn meal and flour on pizza stone and pizza peel. Thank you.
Hi Caroluna, I bet that could work, but we made it successfully without the cornmeal.
Not sure if someone already asked. But you mentioned 550 °F but my pizza stone only takes 450°F. Will it need more cook time?
Hi Christina, 450 will still work, but yes, it will require slightly more time in the oven.
Absolutely love the crust of this pizza but don’t know shy the very centre of the pizza the dough is not cooked enough
Hi Janice, sometimes, if you overload the pizza with toppings and sauce, it can cause the center to soften. I don’t pre-bake the crust. Otherwise, it may burn by the time the toppings are done. I hope this is helpful!
Finally a dough I can put on my ooni and get it off the wheel and not have the whole pizza burn up. Was so good. I started this dough on Tuesday and cooked on a Friday. I left it out over night as I made the dough late Tuesday night. So it was out for 10 hours, divided and put in the fridge Wednesday morning. Took out Friday morning for 4 hours and then cooked in my ooni for 2 mins. My kids devoured it. It was gone in mins. I have failed so many times I wasn’t expecting it to work but it is so delish! I will definitely be making this again. ❤️
That is the best when kids love what we parents make. That’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Okay, Natasha, your recipes are really impressive!! Thanks to your recipes, I am really starting to lose my bad cook reputation. I just discovered you a couple weeks ago and have already made several of your recipes, including this pizza dough with your pizza sauce. Each recipe I’ve made has turned out absolutely delicious! They are always exactly to my taste. I’m going to have to work my way through all of them 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing your talent!
Hello Brooke, thank you for sharing your good comments and feedback with us. I’m really happy to know that you’re enjoying my recipes!
Hi Natasha, I just have a question about the proofing of the yeast. I was always taught to never add salt directly to the yeast mixture while proofing or it will kill the yeast? Here you add it directly, I’ve never seen that before…is there a reason for this? Thank you, just curious…I’m looking forward to trying this 🙂
Hi Christina, I haven’t had any issues with that and I have made countless batches of this pizza dough. Salt slows down fermentation which is perfect for this dough because you want that slow cold fermentation.
Perfect! I’m going to try it this afternoon, thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly:)
Hi Natasha, can I make this dough and then cook it on my gas stovetop as I don’t have an over to bake in…I have a large heavy bottom frying pan, can I use this to cook this pizza dough?
Hi Nilendra, I can’t say that it would work on a stove top. I haven’t tried that to advise on the outcome.
Let me take a crack at it. The dough came out well ☺️👍🏼 I’ll keep you posted on what happens with a stove top cook 🙂🤞🏼
HI Natasha, what do you suggest for pizza cheese?
Hi Silva, we used Mozzarella cheese. BUt you can definitely get creative!
Hello Natasha
Do you have a recipe for making pizza dough without yeast, I am allergic to yeast…any suggestions would be greatly appreciated..thanks again…love your cooking ideas it has brought me to a whole new level..
Hi Monica, I don’t have anything like that, unfortunately. I wish I could be more help with that.
You can always try the greek yogurt and self rising flour dough. Equal parts of each.
I have made it and is pretty good.
Best pizza dough ever!! Delicious
Thank you, that’s a nice comment!
Helllooo!! just want to say I love this recipe!! It tastes just like pizza shop dough, so good!! I been using the dry active yeast, but couldn’t find any recently, can I use Fleishman pizza crust yeast also? thank you!
Hi Cindy! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I have not experimented with Fleishman to advise on an outcome. If you happen to try that out, I would love to know how you like it!
Tried this recipe with your white sauce – so much better than store-bought. Thank you!
Would this recipe also work for mini pizzas by diving the dough further after proofing in the fridge?
Thanks for your great feedback. I imagine that would work too! If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
I’ll have to disagree on the AP flour, you can make a huge difference with Tipo II pizza flour.
I prefer a thicker crust in the middle, and was wondering if I added a bit more yeast than in the recipe, would I get a thicker crust?
Hi Terry, Stretching the dough less would also give you a thicker crust. Adding more yeast would make it puff up more during the fermentation and usually will be done faster but the quick-rising with added yeast usually results in a denser and tougher crust from my experience.
Hi Natasha, I do not have a pizza stone to preheat in oven at 550 degrees. What can I use and do I use the same oven temperature of 550 degrees?
Hi Carolina, please see the “prep” step in the instructions: Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet onto the center rack of the oven and preheat to 550˚F. I hope you love the pizza!
Thank you!
Hands down the best pizza dough I’ve found. My family now request this dough once a week and we love it. Thank you !!!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
We love this pizza dough recipe and love to use it for grilled pizza on our Big Green Egg!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!