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    Published September 12, 2022. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    You will love this delicious homemade pizza dough recipe that perfectly rises every time with a soft, chewy crust. This recipe is easy to make and can be slightly altered to your liking, and will quickly become your new favorite pizza dough recipe.

    We are huge Italian food fans and eat it at least 1 once a week. If you love it as much as we do, you should try my Chicken Marsala or Pasta Cacio E Pepe.

    pizza dough on a sheet tray

    Pizza Dough

    Pizza dough is a basic bread dough consisting of flour, water, salt, and yeast that is rested and stretched to strengthen the gluten until it is ready to use. There are many different preferences when it comes to pizza dough. Some like paper thin, deep dish, tavern-style, while others enjoy very thick, and everything in between. The thickness will depend on the time you have for proofing and what you prefer.  

    You do not need anything special to make pizza dough outside of a bowl and a towel or plastic wrap. Please watch the video on making this pizza dough recipe and switch the recipe ingredients in the recipe card below from metric to us customary for cups. This recipe has worked perfectly every time that I make it.

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    • Flour – I prefer a combination of bread flour and whole wheat flour, although you can just use bread flour in this recipe. You can also use all-purpose flour but need to decrease the amount of water by 5%.
    • Water – You will need water at warm temperatures between 98° and 100°
    • Salt – This will help season the dough and assist in turning brown.
    • Yeast – I use active dry yeast in this recipe. However, you can use instant yeast.

    How to Make the Best Homemade Pizza Dough

    In a large bowl, combine with your hands both of the flours, warm water, salt, and yeast until completely mixed. Use a combination of pinching and squeezing to ensure everything is incorporated.   

    mixing pizza dough in a bowl

    Let the pizza dough rest for 90 minutes or until double in size, covered in plastic wrap.

    covering a bowl of pizza dough with plastic wrap

    Next, knead the dough by stretching and folding the dough for 2 minutes and cover and rest for 90 more minutes.

    stretching and folding pizza dough

    Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the top with flour and fold the dough over 2 times.

    folding pizza dough over

    Mold the ball of dough by cupping the dough into the bottom.

    Cut the dough into 4 individual dough balls.

    cutting pizza dough

    Using the same cupping method, form 4 dough balls and place them on a sheet tray with parchment paper dusted with flour and covered with a towel, and rest for 90 minutes. Store or use the dough.

    forming a pizza dough ball

    Make-Ahead

    Make-Ahead: You can make this pizza dough up to 1 day ahead of time.

    How to Store: If you use the dough the same day, keep it covered at room temperature until you are ready to use it. Cover and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Pull the dough out for 1 hour before forming it and using it. You can cover and freeze the dough for up to 3 months. Thaw it at room temperature until soft and pliable.

    Chef Billy Parisi

    Chef Notes + Tips

    • You can substitute 4 tablespoons of water with 4 tablespoons of olive oil if you’d like.
    • A trick to help proof the dough is to add the bowl while resting in a slightly cracked oven with only the oven light on. It creates the perfect moist temperature environment for proofing.
    • If you’re serious about pizza dough making, then I recommend purchasing a bench knife and banneton.
    • You can do this recipe in a stand mixer with the dough hook. Let the dough rise during the resting period and knead at low speed during the folding procedures.
    • No need for a rolling pin in this recipe.

    More Pizza Recipes

    Let's Cook - Chef Billy Parisi

    Video

    Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

    5 from 15 votes
    You will love this delicious homemade pizza dough recipe that perfectly rises every time with a soft, chewy crust.
    Servings: 4 pizza doughs
    Prep Time: 5 hours

    Ingredients 

    • 560 grams bread flour
    • 190 grams whole wheat flour
    • 600 grams warm water, 98° to 100°
    • 10 grams sea salt
    • 4 grams active yeast

    Instructions

    • In a large bowl, combine with your hands the flours, water, salt, and yeast until completely mixed. Use a combination of pinching and squeezing to ensure everything is incorporated.
    • Let the pizza dough rest for 90 minutes, covered in plastic wrap.
    • Next, stretch and fold the dough for 2 minutes and cover and rest for 90 more minutes. See the video.
    • Dust a clean surface with flour and place the dough onto it.
    • Sprinkle the top with flour and fold the dough over two times and then begin to mold the dough into a ball by cupping around the dough into the bottom.
    • Cut the dough into 4 individual dough balls, and using the same cupping method form 4 dough balls and place them on a sheet tray with parchment paper dusted with flour and covered with a towel, and rest for 90 minutes.
    • Store or use the dough.

    Notes

    Make-Ahead: You can make this pizza dough up to 1 day ahead of time.
    How to Store: If you use the dough the same day, keep it covered at room temperature until you are ready to use it. Cover and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Pull the dough out for 1 hour before forming it and using it. You can cover and freeze the dough for up to 3 months. Thaw it at room temperature until soft and pliable.
    You can substitute 4 tablespoons of water with 4 tablespoons of olive oil if you’d like.
    A trick to help proof the dough is to add the bowl while resting in a slightly cracked oven with only the oven light on. It creates the perfect moist temperature environment for proofing.
    If you’re serious about pizza dough making, then I recommend purchasing a bench knife and banneton.
    You can do this recipe in a stand mixer with the dough hook. Let the dough rise during the resting period and knead at low speed during the folding procedures.
    No need for a rolling pin in this recipe.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 670kcalCarbohydrates: 136gProtein: 23gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.4gSodium: 981mgPotassium: 322mgFiber: 9gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 7IUVitamin C: 0.003mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 3mg
    Course: bread, lunch, Main
    Cuisine: Italian

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