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
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, Click HERE for how to measure ingredients tutorial. Too much flour makes this dough difficult to work with.
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! 🙂