Basic Pizza Dough

 

This basic pizza dough recipe will make enough for one large pizza or two smaller 10-inch pizzas. You can also use it to make our addictively good Skillet Monkey Bread with Garlic Butter. While you can make this dough by hand, it’s much easier to prepare with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Makes 1 pound pizza dough

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: About 2 hours

  • 3/4 cup lukewarm water (between 98° and 105°F)

  • 1 teaspoon active-dry yeast

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

  • 1½ teaspoons salt

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the lukewarm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let sit until the yeast has dissolved and the mixture looks creamy or foamy, about 5 minutes. 

  2. Using a spatula, gently mix the flour and salt into the water until a shaggy dough forms. 

  3. Fitted with the dough hook attachment and at medium-low speed, knead the dough until it forms a smooth, slightly tacky ball that springs slowly back when you press it, about 5 minutes.

  4. In a separate medium bowl (or you can remove the dough and use the stand mixer bowl), add the olive oil. Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl. If the dough is sticking to your hands or the stand mixer bowl, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of flour. Wrap the oiled bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1½ hours. Alternatively, you can refrigerate it for up to 3 days.