Homemade Pizza (& Pizza Dough)

This pizza dough is perfect for a homemade pizza in your home oven. It’s made with just a few simple ingredients like King Arthur all-purpose flour, olive oil, fine sea salt, yeast, sugar, and warm water.

Not only did I work in a pizzeria over here in Queens, New York for over 5 years, but I’ve made TONS of pizzas right here in my own oven — and one thing I know to be true: it’s HARD to get the dough just right for my oven. And I’m super picky when it comes to pizzas.

Since home ovens don’t get nearly as hot as legit pizza ovens, I always call in the help of every home oven pizza maker’s BFF: a pizza stone.

What is a Pizza Stone?

Made to mimic the bottom of a pizza oven, a pizza stone (like this one) retains heat in order to help make the bottom of your pizza (or even a flatbread) crispy.

Note: Do NOT build your pizza on a COLD STONE and put it in the oven — that completely defeats the purpose of a pizza stone. Instead, preheat it for at least 40 minutes at the highest setting your oven goes (typically around 550 degrees F).

Additionally, another tool you may want to invest in for your pizza-making journey is a pizza peel, like mine:

A pizza peel is what you should build your pizza on, and then gently transfer it to your preheated stone.

Homemade Pizza Dough Ingredients

King Arthur All-Purpose Flour: If you’re using a different all-purpose flour, you’ll want to reduce the water by ¼ cup. King Arthur’s AP flour has a higher protein content than most other APs, which means it needs more water to drink up.

Warm water: To 110 degrees F.

Active dry yeast: To help the dough rise.

Sugar: To feed the yeast.

Fine sea salt: Can sub kosher salt, but you’ll need to increase the amount to 1 TBS

Olive oil: Bring a bit of flavor to the dough

How to Make Homemade Pizza Dough

Now listen, I made sure the dough I finally presented you with wasn’t extra AF. I wanted this to be more attainable for the average pizza maker, so you don’t need to do a bunch of fancy kneads (although those are fun, too!), or have it sit for too long.

Instead, you have a straightforward, easy-to-follow dough recipe that will make you a bomb-ass homemade pizza each and every time.

Step 1: Prep your ingredients

The first thing you’ll want to do is combine your warm water (remember to reduce this by ¼ cup if you’re using regular AP flour instead of King Arthur’s AP flour), yeast, and sugar. Stir that up and set it aside until it gets foamy and smells like beer (about 5-10 mins).

While that’s doing its thing, get your 4 cups of flour into the bowl of a standing mixer, and have about ¼ cup of extra flour on standby. Put your dough hook attachment on.

You can also get your salt measured out and have your olive oil ready to go.

Also, get a bowl ready with some olive oil rubbed inside of it and set it aside.

Step 2: Mix your dough

Now turn the mixer on low and start slowly adding your water mixture. Once it’s all incorporated and your dough is mixing up turn the speed up to medium and start pouring the salt in and pour in your TBS of olive oil.

Let that mix for about 3 minutes, or until it’s sticky and probably sticking to the sides of the bowl. Like this:

During this time, start adding a bit of that extra flour little by little to help release the dough that’s stuck to the sides of the bowl. Once you notice that the dough is in one soft mass with the dough hook, turn off the machine. It’ll look like this:

Step 3: Knead your dough

Now sprinkle a little bit of flour down on a clean work surface and pour the dough onto it. The dough should be very soft and supple, but not overly wet. Add a bit of flour (just about a TBS or 2 in all) while working with it to shape it into a ball (this should only take a few minutes).

Once ready add the dough to the oiled bowl, rubbing it around to make sure the dough is covered in oil. Tightly wrap it in plastic and let it rest in a warm place until doubled in size (I like to leave it in my OFF oven with the oven light turned on. The rise takes about 1.5–2 hours).

After the two hours are up, it should look like this:

Step 4: Divide and shape your dough balls

Get a baking sheet ready and rub it with a little olive oil. Set it aside.

Now remove the plastic wrap from your dough and punch down the center to deflate it.

Add a bit of flour to a clean work surface and pour the dough onto it. Cut the dough into two equal parts and put one off to the side while working with the first one.

Take a bit of flour and sprinkle it over the dough. You want it to feel nice and supple, but it should be more tacky than sticky.

To make the dough balls, you can start off by laying the dough flat and picking up the two sides, like this:

And bring them together like this:

Shape the dough into a ball by pinching two ends together, rotating, and repeating the pinch motion. Like this:

Do this a few times, or until the dough forms a tight ball. To close the seam, you’ll want to twist and rotate just one side of the dough until it forms a cute little nub, like this:

Place it on the oiled baking sheet and repeat with the second dough.

When done, rub oil on the top of both dough balls, cover with plastic wrap.

Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, or until it looks like this then place it in the refrigerator for AT LEAST an additional 30 minutes (or until you’re ready to make your pizza).

*Note: If you’re going to be making your pizzas after this rise, get your pizza stone preheating now. Add it to the bottom rack and turn the heat on to the highest setting.

Once you’re ready to make your pizzas, your dough should look like this:

How to Make Homemade Pizza

Now let’s get ready to make a PIZZAAAAAAA!!!! For this I’m just using a simple pizza sauce made up of crushed tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, fresh basil, salt, and red pepper flakes, as well as freshly grated whole-milk mozzarella and grated Locatelli.

Step 1: Prep your station

Take your pizza dough out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature for ~15 minutes.

Sprinkle some flour onto your pizza peel, rub most of it off, and put it aside.

You’re also going to want to have a plate with flour on it in order to dip the pizza dough, like this:

Step 2: Form your pizza

Take one pizza dough and place it onto the floured plate, then flip it and flour the second side.

Make sure to toss it in your hands back and forth a little bit in order to get any excess flour off of it, like this:

Add it to your clean work surface. Now, using your pointer, middle, and index fingers on both hands, begin pressing down on the center of the dough and working your way around to form a circle, making sure NOT to press on the edges (aka the sexy crust). Like this:

Once done, you’re going to create the border by using your pointer and middle finger in one hand and pressing the dough from about 1 inch into the edge, where your other hand will be guiding you. Like this:

Once you’ve created your border, place both hands in the center of the dough and gently rotate them in order for your dough to stretch out, making sure not to make your dough too thin or it will break in the oven (you don’t want any see-through spots!). Like this:

Step 3: Transfer your pizza to the pizza peel

Now, using two fists, pick up your pizza and stretch it out by rotating your fists all around (yes, exactly how you see it in movies).

Then gently place your pizza on the lightly floured peel and shape it to form a 12″ pizza.

Step 4: Build your pizza

Now it’s the best part: BUILDING YOUR PIZZAAAAA!!

You’ll want to work quickly here so that your pizza doesn’t stick to the peel. And remember that less is more when it comes to toppings — too much sauce and you risk your pizza breaking in the oven.

So, take just a bit of sauce (¼ cup at most) and add it to the center of your pizza. Then, using your ladle, make circular motions until the pizza is covered (except for the border).

Sprinkle on your cheese of choice (I’m using mozzarella and Locatelli here). Again, less is more. Don’t go too crazy:

Step 5: Bake your pizza

Now gently slide your pizza onto the stone and back for 8-9 minutes. At the 4-minute mark, slide your pizza peel under the pizza and rotate it for even cooking.

Note: Wiggle your pizza around a bit on the peel before trying to slide in the oven to make sure it won’t stick). If it isn’t sliding easily, you can lift one section of the dough and gently blow air under it. This should help it move around easily.

Remove, add some fresh basil, and enjoy!