You want to make homemade pizza, but you have never made your own dough. Don't worry, I've got your covered. This is the most amazing fool proof homemade pizza dough recipe I've ever come across. It's quick and you can either make it by hand or use a stand mixer. It's simple and quick and did I mention it's absolutely foolproof? It is - foolproof.
Every time I have made this I've used a bowl and mixed everything together by hand. This recipe makes either one large thick crust pizza, or two medium sized thin crust pizza's.
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Tips and Trick to Making this Foolproof Pizza Dough
Must I Use Sugar to Activate the Yeast for this Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe?
Surprisingly No! But adding sugar affirms that the yeast is still active. Adding the sugar makes the yeast bubble if it's still active. If the yeast is not active, there really is not point in going forward. If you want your pizza to rise, you need active yeast. So by adding the sugar, you check that the yeast has not gone stale.
The most popular brand of yeast is made by Fleischmann's. Visit the site to determine which kind of yeast is right for your baking project here.
Don't Be Afraid to Get Down and Dirty
Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty. Just make sure that they are clean. Sometimes, the best way to ensure that ingredients get mixed well is to use your hands to mix and knead the dough.
Of course, as I stated earlier, you could use your mixer to mix the ingredients. But in the end you will still need to knock the dough out on a surface to finish incorporating all the flour.
Let this Foolproof Dough Rest
Once you have finished mixing the dough and rolled it out, place it in a bowl that has been greased with olive oil. Let it rest. If you are using traditional yeast, let is rest for at least one hour. If you are using quick rising yeast, let is rest for at least 30 minutes.
Why? Letting the dough rest allows the yeast to activate and makes the dough rise, makes it softer, easier to role and easier to chew. Not that we have gotten that out of the way, let is rest on the counter, covered with saran wrap and then a kitchen towel on top of the saran wrap.
Toppings for Your Homemade Pizza
Here are some great Pizza topping combinations:
- Traditional Cheese & Pepperoni - olive oil base, pizza sauce, parmesan cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, sliced pepperoni
- Potato Pizza - olive oil base, parmesan cheese, thinly sliced potato, salt, oregano, rosemary, garlic
- Mediterranean Pizza - olive oil base, feta cheese, kalamata olives, red peppers, cherry tomatoes, kale or spinach, salt, oregano
- Hawaiian Pizza - olive oil base, pizza sauce, ham, pineapple, black olives
As you can see, you can pretty much mix any number of food combinations together. You can even make a vegetarian pizza with your favorite vegetables. The combinations are endless.
Note that this homemade pizza dough recipe makes either one large pizza or two small pizzas. Therefore, you could make two pizzas with entirely different toppings. 🙂
Store leftovers for this homemade pizza dough refrigerated in an airtight container for a maximum of 4 days. You can also freeze for later. When you want to have leftovers, thaw it out in the fridge for 24 hours and then warm it up.
Drop a comment below if you made this Foolproof Pizza Dough. I’d love to see your pictures as well as know what topping you put on your pizza dough pizza. So don’t forget to post them on your Instagram account. Tag me at #girl_with_a_spatula and follow me @girl_with_a_spatula
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Recipe Card

Homemade Pizza Dough
This is the most amazing fool proof homemade pizza dough recipe I've ever come across. It's quick and you can either make it by hand or by mixer.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 active dry yeast packages
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 4 cups flour
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cups olive oil
For Tomato Sauce
- 2 cups tomato puree
- ¼ cups olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 pepper to taste
Potato Pizza Topping
- 1 large potato
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp dried rosemary
Instructions
Dough
- In a bowl place the warm water and sugar and yeast, let stand for 5 minutes until frothy. (I used warm tap water). Brush a large bowl with olive oil.
- Step 2Once the yeast has been activated and is frothy add the olive oil. Add salt and then start adding the flour a little at a time and using a whisk mix together until well incorporated. Keep adding flour and mix, switch to a spatula once you can’t use a whisk any more. Use the spatula to turn the dough. Once the dough is coming together and not so wet, turn it out on a surface and using the remaining flour knead the dough into a ball and drop into the oil bowl. Brush the top with a little more olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and place in a warm place to rise for about 45 to 60 minutes.
- Step 3Once the dough has risen, stretch out the pizza dough on a greased pizza pan or a pan with parchment paper. Both work well. Start assembling your pizza and bake at 400°F for 30 to 45 minutes, or top is golden. Pull up side to look under at crust to check for crispness.
Topping, Pizza Sauce
While the dough is rising. In a small frypan pour ¼ oil, 2 cups of tomato puree, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp onion powder and combine and cook about 30 minutes. Set aside.
Alternative Pizza Topping, Potato Pizza
To make the potato for the potato pizza, peel and thinly slice 1 large potato, steam and dress with olive oil, salt and dried Rosemary. Then top the pizza with the potato slices and push them into the dough.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 832Total Fat 29gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 24gCholesterol 0mgSodium 1795mgCarbohydrates 127gFiber 9gSugar 9gProtein 18g
Nutrition data is calculated automatically by Nutritionix and isn't always accurate. I am not a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. Each individual’s dietary needs and restrictions are unique to the individual. You are ultimately responsible for all decisions pertaining to your health.
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