Pizza is an all-time favorite around the world. But what if you could make authentic Italian pizza at home? That’s exactly what you get here: a classic homemade pizza dough recipe with an authentic Italian approach.
This recipe is the first of my 4-part How to Make Homemade Pizza series (1. Making the pizza dough; 2. Shaping your pizza dough; 3. Pizza sauce and toppings; 4. Baking your pizza). In this first step I’m going to show you how to make the best authentic pizza dough at home.
Next step: How to shape pizza dough »
Tips For Making Pizza Dough at Home
- Some recipes tell you to use bread flour for pizza dough. While that certainly wouldn’t hurt, I find that regular all-purpose flour can also give you a fantastic, crispy homemade pizza. Of course, you can also use bread flour or type 00 flour, such as the popular Antimo Caputo 00 Pizzeria Flour.
- For the best results, you should definitely use a scale. I tried to give exact cup measurements as well, but when making a bread dough (and pizza dough is a type of bread dough), going by weight is the better method.
- Italians usually use fresh yeast for pizza dough. In fact, this was the first time I used active dry yeast, mainly so I could publish the recipe in a more accessible format. In my experience, both versions turned out great. The one with dry yeast was easier to stretch and yielded slightly larger pizzas.
- I find pizza dough is best if you let it rest for 2–4 days in the fridge before shaping and baking it.
Tips When Making Pizza Dough With Measuring Cups
- The perfect pizza dough should be completely smooth. It shouldn’t stick to the side of your bowl, but still feel a little bit wet when you touch it.
- All measuring cups are slightly different, and the moisture content of your flour can also affect how your pizza dough turns out. Adjust the ingredients accordingly to get the desired consistency (see above).
- If you use a scale, it’s easier to have the same size pizza dough for each of your homemade pizzas. This recipe yields about 1700 g (60 oz) pizza dough in total. You need 280 g (10 oz) of dough for a regular size pizza, and 140 g (5 oz) for a small pizza.
Ingredient Amounts For Different Servings
In this table, I give you the exact ingredient amounts for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 regular-size (12–14 inch) pizzas.
| Ingredient | 1 pizza | 2 pizzas | 3 pizzas | 4 pizzas | 5 pizzas | 6 pizzas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 1/3 cups | 2 2/3 cups | 4 cups | 5 1/3 cups | 6 2/3 cups | 8 cups |
| Active dry yeast | 1/4 tbsp | 1/2 tbsp | 3/4 tbsp | 1 tbsp | 1 1/4 tbsp | 1 1/2 tbsp |
| Extra virgin olive oil | 2/3 tbsp | 1 1/3 tbsp | 2 tbsp | 2 2/3 tbsp | 3 1/3 tbsp | 4 tbsp |
| Water | 3/8 cups | 3/4 cups | 1 1/4 cups | 1 2/3 cups | 2 cups | 2 1/2 cups |
| Sugar | 1/3 tsp | 2/3 tsp | 1 tsp | 1 1/3 tsp | 1 2/3 tsp | 2 tsp |
| Salt | 1/3 tsp | 2/3 tsp | 1 tsp | 1 1/3 tsp | 1 2/3 tsp | 2 tsp |
Next Step
Once you’ve made your pizza dough, it is ready to be shaped and baked – of course with your favorite toppings and the best pizza sauce. For the next step in the How to Make Homemade Pizza series, click here: How to shape pizza dough ».
Homemade Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 2 ⅔ cups flour 335 g
- ½ tbsp active dry yeast 5 g
- 20 ml olive oil extra virgin, about 1 ⅓ tbsp
- 200 ml water lukewarm, about 13½ tbsp
- ⅔ tsp sugar
- ⅔ tsp salt
Instructions
- Start by measuring out your dry ingredients. Add the flour, active dry yeast, sugar, and salt to a large mixing bowl.
- Add olive oil and lukewarm water.
- Using your dough hook, knead your pizza dough for 10 minutes.The perfect pizza dough should be completely smooth. It shouldn't stick to the side of your bowl, but still feel a little bit wet when you touch it.
- Place your dough in a large bowl that has been lightly oiled with about 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Move it around with your hand so that all sides are coated with oil.
- Cover it and let it proof for 90 minutes.
- After 90 minutes, push the air out of the dough.
- Cut the pizza dough into equal pieces – one for each pizza. For the amounts in this recipe, cut it into 2 equal pieces, about 280 g each.
- Form a ball from each piece of dough. Start by making a circular motion with the palm of your hand, using some pressure. Then gradually release the pressure until you get a nice ball shape. Put the balls on a lightly floured work surface. Dust them with a little more flour, and let them proof, covered with a kitchen towel, for another 15 minutes.
