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Perfect Pizza Crust

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This homemade Pizza Dough Recipe has been a family favorite for years and years.  You won’t believe how quick, easy, and inexpensive it is to make your own pizza crust! 


Perfect Pizza Crust recipe from TastesBetterFromScratch.com
Pizza Dough Recipe

Everyone needs a good pizza crust recipe in their collection, and this one is my favorite because it’s so easy and tastes amazing!

I’ve been making homemade pizzas with my mom, ever since I was little. Once I got married, my husband requested them just about every weekend! But there was only one problem; I wasn’t in love with the pizza crust recipe I’d always used.

SO, I set out to find the best pizza crust recipe out there. Now, for someone who makes homemade pizza on almost a weekly basis, I’ve tried my fair share of pizza crust recipes!  Many of them were close successes, and many were utter failures!  It’s taken me a long time to adapt and combine things from recipes I’ve liked in order to make the perfect recipe–so you can thank me later, because THIS IS IT!

How to make homemade pizza dough:

First dissolve the yeast in warm water with sugar and let it sit for about 5 minutes.  Next add more water, salt, vinegar, and olive oil. Knead the dough on a medium-low speed for about 7 minutes, then cover it and let it rise for 1 hour.  Finally, divide the dough into 2-3 balls (I always do three because I like the thinner crust) and roll your pizza dough out on a floured surface.  Be sure to follow the tips below for perfect pizza dough.

Tips for making perfect homemade pizza dough:
1. Always pre-bake the pizza dough

I’ve found that the key to making pizza from home is pre-baking your pizza dough.  It’s absolutely essential to pre-bake it for 5-6 minutes, then put your toppings on, and 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.

2. Give the pizza dough sufficient time to rise!

You also really need to take the time to let the dough rise. I’ve tried tons of “no-rise” or “15-minute” pizza crust recipes, and none of them tastes as good as when you let the dough rise. That’s just how it has to be done–and you’ll be soo pleased with the results!

Homemade pizza is cheap, easy and fun to make. Try our Thai Chicken Pizza, or Barbeque Chicken Pizza or our whole wheat pizza crust!

Consider trying these popular pizza recipes:

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5 from 2 votes
Perfect Pizza Crust
Print Recipe
Prep Time
1 hr 30 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
1 hr 40 mins
 

This homemade pizza dough recipe has been a family favorite for years and years.  You won't believe how quick, easy, and inexpensive it is to make your own pizza crust! 

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: homemade pizza dough, pizza crust, pizza dough recipe
Unit: cup, Tablespoon, teaspoon
Servings: 3 thin crust pizzas
Calories: 751 kcal
Author: Lauren Allen
Ingredients
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 3 3/4 - 4 cups bread flour (bread flour works best, but all purpose works fine)
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl of a stand mixer combine 1/2 cup of the warm water with the sugar and yeast. Stir to dissolve the yeast and let rest for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the remaining 1 cup of warm water, and the olive oil, salt and vinegar.

  3. Begin mixing on medium-low speed and gradually add the flour --knead for about 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic (it should be sticky, but not soo sticky that it sticks to your clean fingertip.) 

  4. Cover the bowl with a dry towel and allow to rest in a warm place until doubled in volume--about 1 hour.

  5. Gently punch the dough down and place on a floured counter top. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 equal pieces (depending on how thick you want your crust/how big you want your pizza. I make three medium size, thinner crust pizzas. But you could make two larger pizzas). 

  6. Roll and stretch your dough to desired size and thickness. 

  7. Allow to rest for 20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F and brush dough lightly with olive oil.

  8. Pre-bake the dough on a pizza stone or in pizza pan for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and add toppings. 

  9. Return to oven and bake for 8-12 more minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.

Nutrition Facts
Perfect Pizza Crust
Amount Per Serving
Calories 751 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 23%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Sodium 1167mg 49%
Potassium 206mg 6%
Total Carbohydrates 131g 44%
Dietary Fiber 5g 20%
Sugars 3g
Protein 18g 36%
Calcium 2.5%
Iron 43.8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Have you tried this recipe?!

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

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Comments

    • You can “beat” it with a fork. Just stir well with a fork until the dough pulls from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. Then lightly flour or grease your hands and you kitchen counter, pour the dough out onto the counter, and knead it with your hands until it’s smooth and elastic!

      Reply

  3. Loved this recipe! The recipe was perfect as is! I used my Kitchenaid Mixer to do the first part of the kneading. I topped my pizza with homemade pizza sauce, sauteed onions, mushrooms and peppers, goat cheese, and kielbasa! Yummy!

    Reply

  4. There’s only two of us. Can I freeze some of the dough or should I scale it down? Freezing would be great if it would keep.

    Reply

    • Hi Sally, I think freezing it would work great. Just stick it in the freezer right after you make it. Then let it unthaw on your counter all day, enough that it’s able to get a first rise. Then shape it into your pizza and let it rest again for 20 minutes before pre-baking it!

      Reply

  5. I made this tonight after trying a couple other dough recipes for the past few weeks and this one was just perfect! Thanks for a recipe that is sure to be a keeper!

    Reply

  6. This recipe sounds great. I would like to try it today but I’m out of white vinegar..Would apple cider vinegar work in a pinch?

    Reply

  7. Just because I’m curious, what does the vinegar do in the recipe? I’ve made several pizza dough recipes but none that use vinegar.

    Reply

  8. Do you save some of the dough in the refrigerator for another night? How long does it last in the fridge? Thanks in advance!

    Reply

  11. This pizza dough is fantastic! We too are avid pizza eaters, and my son will choose this dough over going out. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Your blog is outstanding!

    Reply

  12. We also make pizza once a week. Just ordered a stand mixer for my birthday, so I’m excited to try homemade pizza dough! Would it be okay to make the pizza crust, including pre-baking it, THEN freeze it for a week or so and thaw a day before we’re ready to top it? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Janine, that’s so exciting–hope you love your new stand mixer! Yes, that should work great to freeze it after pre-baking it! I’d love to hear how you like it!

      Reply

  16. This pizza looks delicious…want to make it with your homemade crust but the link gives me the post w/o recipe. Maybe my computer??? Thanks for all the wonderful recipes, you inspire me!

    Reply

    • Hi Brenda, I’m so sorry, my site had a some technical problems this morning for a short window of time. It should be fixed now! Let me know if you need anything else! Hope you enjoy the pizza!

      Reply

  17. I’m new at pizza dough. I made this recipe a couple weeks ago. ore-Baked Then COKKED With toppings. Dough was hard/crunchy on edges. Not like restaurant pizza. I followed recipe to letter. What can I do to improve texture of crust?

    Reply

  18. I would like to thank you for a most WONDERFUL pizza dough! I do a lot of research before investing the monies to purchase ingredients. I forgot that I didn’t have tomato sauce. As I put away the groceries, I realized I purchased mini tomatoes, Sazon, garlic salt, garlic, and fresh garlic, and put it all in the mini food processor. AMAZING! I didn’t even cook it. A friend bragged about a pizza dough recipe. I thought he said he put vinegar in it. So after losing the written recipe, I searched on YouTube, since he said he found his recipe there. I searched and nothing really “felt” right, but I kept searching and found your blog. He said he didn’t use vinegar. He also said he wanted to save up for a pizza pan with holes in the bottom. I told him I had just bought one at Dollar Tree. Sure enough, I found his written recipe, and there was no vinegar, but I thought about it, and read on the internet that vinegar makes a difference. Dang sure does! With the sauce, cheeses, pepperoni, and homemade sausage I made, with black olives. Oh! My! Goodness! Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!

    Reply

  20. I am h I got lots people over and we are making personal,pizzas. Can I make a double batch or do I need to do it one batch at a time?

    Reply

  21. Absolutely love this pizza recipe. It’s the only one I use. I make it every Friday night, my husband and kids love it. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 I’ve also done it for other members of the family and they can’t believe how amazing and authentic the pizzas turn out 🍕
    I’ve been using a shop bought pizza sauce but would love to make my own.

    Reply

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