This is hands down the best pizza dough! It makes a New York-style pizza crust that is a thin crust pizza in the center with beautifully puffed 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!
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Why We Love This 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 crust also makes throwing a pizza party stress-free and everyone will be super impressed by your pizza-making skills.
The #1 Secret to the Best Pizza Dough:
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. This process makes the dough much easier to work with and forms the coveted texture, rise, and bubbles at the edges.
The #2 Secret to the Perfect Crust:
Do not use too much yeast! Many of the quick pizza doughs out there use way too much yeast which makes the crust doughy and makes 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.
The Takeaway: use less yeast and let the dough rest.
How to Make Pizza Dough Video Tutorial:
Watch the pizza dough video tutorial once and you will be a pro in no time. Here is a quick overview of the process for easy reference:
- Mix together water, salt and honey. Sprinkle with yeast and set aside 5 min then stir.
- Pour water mixture over your flour and stir to combine with a spatula then knead by hand 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 that book fold, and turning the dough between each fold, makes the gluten threads stronger and traps carbon dioxide created by the yeast to help form those beautiful bubbles in the dough.
How to Form and Bake Pizza Crust:
- Remove 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, dust lightly with flour.
- Gently press dough down in the center with 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 sauce or red sauce then 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 Making 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 on in the oven
- Pizza Cutter – the easiest way to slice a pizza
- Instant Read Thermometer – to check water temperature
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.
Note: We haven’t tried making a gluten-free version or any other flour, so let me know if you experiment.
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 your pizza-making skills down, you will want to throw a pizza party. Pizza pairs really well with these easy sides.
- Avocado Ranch – because everyone loves a great dipping sauce
- Caesar Salad – a fresh green salad with light homemade dressing
- Avocado Corn Salad – so vibrant and satisfying
- Cobb Salad – beautiful and delicious
- Instant Pot Corn on the Cob – the juiciest way to cook corn
Pizza Dough Recipe - The Best Pizza Crust!
4.97 from 392 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 day
Total Time: 1 day 10 minutes
This is hands down the best pizza dough! It makes a New York-style pizza crust that is a thin crust pizza in the center with beautifully puffed edges. You'll love chewing on the crust - it's crisp, chewy and so satisfying.
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Skill Level: Easy/Medium
Cost to Make: $2-$3
Keyword: pizza crust, pizza dough
Cuisine: American, Italian
Course: Main Course
Calories: 193
Servings: 8 people (makes 2, 10-12 inch crusts)
- 1 1/4cupswarm water, 105-110˚F
- 1/2tspactive dry yeast
- 1tsphoney
- 1/2Tbspfine sea salt
- 3 1/3cupsall-purpose flour, (measured correctly) plus more to dust*
US Customary - Metric
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 tomake 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.
*Use a high-quality flour. We used organic all-purpose flour.
Nutrition Facts
Pizza Dough Recipe - The Best Pizza Crust!
Amount Per Serving
Calories 193Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 439mg19%
Potassium 56mg2%
Carbohydrates 41g14%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 5g10%
Calcium 8mg1%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition Disclosure
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Natasha Kravchuk
Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.
Read more posts by Natasha
FAQs
Which crust is best for pizza? ›
- Cheese-Stuffed Crust. ...
- Pizza Bagels. ...
- Flatbread. ...
- Thin Crust. ...
- Sicilian Style. ...
- Chicago Deep Dish. ...
- Neapolitan Crust. Neapolitan crust pays homage to the pizza motherland: Italia. ...
- NY Style Pizza. You can find the best type of pizza crust in the Big NYC, aka America's pizza capital.
And make an indention with our fingertips. And now we're ready to start working the dough. You can
What makes a crispy pizza crust? ›No matter what type of pizza you make, the key to crispy pizza is a high baking temperature that gets rid of water during baking. In order to get crispy, enough water needs to evaporate in the oven. Baking time and temperature play an important role, but also the type of dough and toppings you use.
How do you make pizza pizza crust crispy? ›And crispy pizzas you want to make sure that the entire oven gets really hot especially that deck
What does Domino's put on their crust? ›Making Domino's famous crust seasoning at home is easy. It is a blend of dry oregano, rosemary, basil, and such spices as garlic powder, black pepper, chili powder, and salt.
What are three types of pizza crust? ›- The Classic: Neapolitan-Style Pizza Dough.
- The Modern: New York-Style Pizza Dough.
- The Best For Parties: Sicilian-style Pizza Dough.
- Get The Recipes:
The Secret Ingredient That Needs To Be In Homemade Pizza Sauce
Should you put baking powder in pizza dough? ›A: Baking powder can and has successfully been used in making pizza crusts for many years. It has also been used in making yeast-raised donuts even longer.
Whats the best flour for pizza? ›Compared to other Italian flour, Tipo 00 flour is the most refined and has the least fiber left. Tipo 00 flour normally has a gluten content of 12%. Tipo 00 is the best flour you can use for pizza.
Should you put olive oil on pizza crust? ›To ensure your pizza will have a sturdy base, especially if you eat your pizza New York-style (grab, fold, devour), go easy with the sauce. Brush on the olive oil: To get that crispy, crackly crust, use a brush to slather on some olive oil. A flavorful extra virgin olive oil will score you maximum flavor points.
What is the secret to thin crust pizza? ›
The easiest technique is using a pizza pan. Place the rolled dough directly into the cold pan, add toppings, and then place in the preheated oven. You won't get quite the same crispy crust, but you'll still end up with a tasty pizza. Perforated pizza pans let heat in faster and give a better finished slice.
What temperature do you cook pizza on a pizza stone? ›Preheat the oven between 450 and 500 degrees F (250 to 260 degrees C) — the stone needs heat up while the oven heats. Large, thick-crusted pizzas might need an oven temperature closer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) so the crust can cook completely before the toppings burn.
What temperature should you pre cook pizza dough? ›Pre-bake the crust at 500 degrees F. for 5-7 minutes, or until it's beginning to turn golden, but still soft. It might puff up in the center. That's ok.
Should you pre-bake homemade pizza crust? ›It's absolutely essential to pre-bake the dough for 5-6 minutes before adding your toppings. Once you've added Pizza Sauce and all your toppings, return it to the oven to finish baking! This will result in a crust that holds on it's own and is crispy on the outside, and soft and airy on the inside.
How do I get my pizza crust to brown on the bottom? ›Sugar in the dough is the most common way of getting your crust to brown. If you don't want to use sugar in the dough, you can use some in a wash on the dough. Pour about 1/4 cup of milk and 2 teaspoons of honey into a small container and mix to create a wash for your dough rim.
Does Domino's use frozen dough? ›What Is Domino's Handmade Pan Pizza Crust? Our Handmade Pan pizzas are made from fresh, never frozen dough that's hand—pressed into a pizza pan to create a nice, thick crust.
Does Domino's use cornmeal or semolina? ›The majority of Domino's pizza locations use either cornmeal or a mix of flour and cornmeal on their fresh dough to stretch the pizza skin.
Which is best crust in Dominos? ›Brooklyn Style and Hand-Tossed – Two Different Types of Handmade Dough. Not only does the handmade taste the best out of all crusts this chain offers – but it also comes in two different options. Besides the hand-tossed, Domino's also has Brooklyn-style dough.
What type of pizza has the thickest crust? ›The pan pizza crust, also known as the deep-dish pizza crust, is thicker and fluffier with more cheese. This is because the dough has little to no room to expand, so it only grows in width but not in height.
What is the thick crust pizza called? ›Also known as deep-dish pizza, Chicago-style pizza is very different from traditional Neapolitan-style pizza. Instead of a soft, thin-crust pizza like the Neapolitan, Chicago-style pizza utilizes a thick crust with raised edges.
Which is better hand-tossed or pan pizza? ›
Pan pizza crusts tend to be crunchier and more golden because the crust is essentially fried in oil in the oven. Hand-tossed pizza can also be crispy, but it is drier and softer than pan pizza. 3. Toppings: The crust on a pan pizza is thicker and can accommodate more toppings.
Which is best crust in Dominos? ›Brooklyn Style and Hand-Tossed – Two Different Types of Handmade Dough. Not only does the handmade taste the best out of all crusts this chain offers – but it also comes in two different options. Besides the hand-tossed, Domino's also has Brooklyn-style dough.
Which is better hand tossed or pan pizza? ›Pan pizza crusts tend to be crunchier and more golden because the crust is essentially fried in oil in the oven. Hand-tossed pizza can also be crispy, but it is drier and softer than pan pizza. 3. Toppings: The crust on a pan pizza is thicker and can accommodate more toppings.
What is the difference in pizza crusts? ›Thick crust is typically topped with a thicker tomato sauce while thin crust typically has a thinner sauce. Thick crust typically contains more cheese than the thin crust. Also, there are more choices in thick crust pizzas including sausage, peppers, onions, olives and pepperoni.
What type of pizza crust is healthiest? ›Technically speaking, thin-crust pizza is healthier than thick-crust pizza! The thinner a pizza crust is, the fewer calories and carbohydrates it contains. Thin crust pizza also has less salt, less sodium, and less saturated fat.
Which pizza is best in taste? ›1. Margherita Pizza. Margherita is the mother of all pizzas. This Neopaltian-style pizza has thin crust, fresh tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese, and just a few leaves of basil.
Which is better hand tossed or thin crust? ›The hand-tossed pizza will be your perfect delicacy if you want a thin pie with less oil and fewer toppings. Alternatively, the pan pizza will give you a nice experience if you prefer a thick slice with plenty of cheese and toppings. Remember, both options are almost identical when it comes to crunchiness.
Does Domino's use frozen dough? ›What Is Domino's Handmade Pan Pizza Crust? Our Handmade Pan pizzas are made from fresh, never frozen dough that's hand—pressed into a pizza pan to create a nice, thick crust.
What is traditional pizza base? ›Most pizza dough recipes call for bread flour, salt, yeast, and olive oil. Yeasted doughs are the most common for pizza, but unleavened dough works, too. New York-style pizza is what many consider traditional pizza in the United States, but Neapolitan-style pizza reigns supreme in Italy.
What is Pizza Hut's original crust? ›The Pan Crust was the first crust type Pizza Hut offered when the restaurant opened its doors to the public in the 1950s. As the name suggests, the crust is made by deep-frying dough in a shallow pan. The pizza is commonly referred to as a deep dish, meaning the base is deep-fried rather than baked or grilled.
Which Pizza Hut crust is buttery? ›
The Hand Tossed style is one of two main styles of pizza crust at Pizza Hut® restaurants. The original crust has an airy texture and crisp crust with a buttery taste that goes great with any of your favorite toppings.
What makes pizza tasty? ›Pizza toppings are also packed with a compound called glutamate, which can be found in the tomatoes, cheese, pepperoni and sausage. When glutamate hits our tongues, it tells our brains to get excited – and to crave more of it. This compound actually causes our mouths to water in anticipation of the next bite.
Is pizza crust same as pizza dough? ›They're carried by almost all supermarkets, and you'll usually find them at the frozen foods section or the bread aisle. Pizza crust is dough that's mixed, kneaded, leavened, then rolled into shape for you.
How does Domino's make their pizza? ›How Pizza is Made at Dominos - YouTube
What is the best pizza crust for diabetics? ›- Zucchini pizza crust. ...
- Cauliflower pizza crust. ...
- Almond flour pizza crust.
Whole Wheat Flour
This high-protein whole grain flour is perfect for both novice and advanced bakers and creates a consistent, high-rising pizza crust.
Eating too much dough can also increase your cravings by raising your body's insulin levels. However, when you choose a thin crust, you're consuming less dough and, as a result, fewer carbohydrates and calories. Further, by adding plenty of delicious and healthy toppings, your thin crust pizza becomes more nutritious.