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, have you ever used 00 Flour? I’ve been told I should be using 00 Flour for Pizza and Pasta doughs.
Hi G, I haven’t because it works so well with All-purpose, but if you test it out, I’d love to know how you liked it compared to all-purpose flour.
Hi Natasha! Would a normal baking sheet give a crusty pizza dough similar to the one that is bake in a pizza stone?
Hi Kei, we prefer baking this on a stone but it will still work on a baking sheet. I hope that helps.
I made the pizza for supper today.
It is awesome.
Love it. Also did the white sauce. Perfect
Tks
That’s so great! I’m glad you enjoyed it! Our kids LOVE the white sauce!
Great recipe. I made one pizza 24hrs after and one pizza 4 days after I made the dough. The second one tasted even better! So easy and quick to make. Will be doubling the recipe next time:)
That is awesome Rachel! Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your good feedback.
Hi, can you omit honey? or substitute for sugar? If so, how much sugar?
Hi Chantelle, yes it can be substituted with 1 tsp of sugar.
We made your pizza today. Both we delicious the crust was amazing. And the white sauce was soooo good! Luv your recipes!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback
Hi Natasha ,
Can we substitute honey with sugar/ brown sugar? If yes, then how much ?
Hello Tanya, yes it can be substituted with 1 tsp of sugar.
I thought I made good pizza. I made this recipe tonight, and WOWZA it is the best ever. I will need to remember to make it on Friday’s for our Sat. night pizza tradition. I have 2 pizza stones, now I need one of those pizza paddles. Thank you Natasha!
You’re so welcome! I’m so glad that you loved the pizza, thanks for sharing that with us and for giving this recipe an awesome review!
Hi Natasha.. love your recipes.. thank you. I want to try this pizza crust but my oven only goes up to 500. Do I need to adjust the time of cooking? Thanks!
Hi Lena, it will still work at 500, just preheat with the pizza stone as usual at 500 and you may need to bake a couple of minutes longer, just keep an eye on the pizza.
It was my first time making pizza at home. We really LOVE it. It is the perfect Italian dough. We did one with tomato sauce/cheese and olive oil/Rugula/Brochuto for us. Thank you for sharing this receipt with us.
That is so awesome! Thanks for giving this recipe a try, I am happy to know that you enjoyed it!
The pizza stone ou recommended is not available. Do you have another one in mind we could order?
Hi Bobette, sorry about that! I have updated the link, but here is a pizza stone that will work great.
Best and easiest pizza dough I have ever made! We LOVED it (and your pizza sauce as well 😊).
Love from Belgium!
Thank you, I’m so glad you loved it!
Hi. Do you have a recipe book with your recipes? Would love to buy one. I love all your recipes..
Thank you
Rowena
Hi Rowena, thank you for your message. I am currently working on a cookbook but it’s taking some time for me to finish it but I’ll make sure to share it with everyone when it’s ready.
Hi Natasha, just wondering if this dough can be frozen? Thanks
Hi Natalia, This would work fine for freezing. 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 Natasha. Can I use this dough to make a pan pizza using a cast iron frying pan and make the distribution of the dough equal instead of making it thin in the middle and thick at the ends? Would like to hear your comment. Thanks.
Hi Glenn, yes this will work in a cast iron! We prefer it more traditional and thicker on the ends but it should still work equal also. If you experiment please let me know how you like this recipe.
Forgot to mention that I made pizza following your recipe, and it is THE BEST PIZZA ever! Also tried both White and Red pizza souce, and I just love white! Thank you!
So great to hear that you, Natalia. Thanks for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha. I tried it today using the cast iron pan and spreading the dough equally. After 14 mins at 250 deg C, I put the cast iron on the burner for 5 mins to make the crust crunchier. It was absolutely great! Crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy inside. I will definitely recommend this to my friends.
Thank you so much for sharing your tip with using a cast iron pan to make pizza dough.
Hi Natasha
Can the honey be substituted with brown sugar?
Thanks much.
Warmest Regards
Nicole
Hi Nicole, I haven’t tried that but I think it would still work fine.
Can I use this for making Stromboli?
Hi Maggie, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment I would love to know how you like that.
Hi Natasha, I just finished making my dough and I am letting it rest. I made two batches, and when I was making the second batch, I realized that I misread the amount of salt when I did the first. In my first batch I only added 1/2 tsp of salt. Will this affect the rise/taste of the dough?
Hi Ashley, the added salt does make it taste better but the dough is still useable and will work.
I don’t have a pizza Stone will I get the same results using a tin pizza pan
Hi Janette, I always bake mine on a pizza stone but I think a pizza pan should still work. I would oil the pizza pan (you don’t have to oil a stone and it won’t stick when it’s placed on a hot stone). In a pizza pan, you might bake around 500˚F for 10-15 minutes and keep an eye one it after 12 minutes so it doesn’t burn.
Hi Natasha,
I love this recipe!
I was wondering if I would skip the refrigeration part for the pizza dough and just let it risen for 5-6 hours in room temperature would it be ok?
Thank you,
Katalin
Hi Katalin, I have tested it and it’s just not quite as good as refrigerating and letting it do the cold ferment stage.
Hello Natasha! I have to say, I totally agree with you. This pizza dough is the best ever! I let it set in the fridge for 3 days, followed the directions to a T…it turned out perfect and amazing. A chewy outer crust with a crispy center. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!
I am so happy you loved the pizza crust! Thank you for the amazing review. I couldn’t have described it better myself. Now I’m craving pizza all over again.