The Only Italian Pizza Dough Recipe You’ll Need

The Only Italian Pizza Dough Recipe You’ll Need

Looking for a homemade Italian Pizza Dough recipe? Look no further!

Today I am sharing my recipe for Italian Pizza Dough that I have been using for years. I started to make pizza and pizza dough many many moons ago. My earliest memories of making pizza go way back to my middle school days. I can still remember one of my first attempts being a disappointment because I put way too much cheese on the pizza. Seriously, the ratio was soooooo off and the cheese so thick. If it was cold and flipped upside down,  the slice would not have flopped. Now that’s some serious cheesiness.

The Only Italian Pizza Dough Recipe You'll Need

Since then my ratios and pizza making skills have improved tremendously. The Italian pizza dough recipe I am sharing today is one that I found all them years ago while in middle school. Since then I have made slight tweaks, here or there, based on years of experience. As well as trial and error. However, the recipe is virtually unchanged and been a staple in repertoire.

 

SCROLL DOWN FOR ADDITIONAL TIPS AND TRICKS

 

The Dough

The dough starts out pretty basic. Simply use water, yeast, sugar, salt, oil and flour. What makes this dough different from any other is not so much the ingredients. It’s the technique.

The Only Italian Pizza Dough Recipe You'll Need

To start the dough you will need to bloom the yeast. To accomplish this, use warm water a packet of dry yeast and sugar. The yeast will bloom in about five minutes. You’ll see this happen when a layer of foam develops at the top of the water. No foam? Either your water was too cold and did not activate. Or the water was too hot and you killed the yeast, you monster!

The Only Italian Pizza Dough Recipe You'll Need

Once the yeast has bloomed, move the liquid to a mixing bowl if by hand or your stand mixer bowl if by machine. Add one cup of the flour and begin to mix. Once the flour is incorporated, add your salt and oil here. You add the salt as this point and not before to protect the yeast. Salt kills yeast and adding it after some flour keeps them from fighting. Adding the oil now helps condition and soften the dough. The oil helps make an easy working dough that is terrific to handle.

The Feel

Now add the remaining flour until your create the proper feel. At this point it is not about the amount of flour listed in the recipe. It’s all about the dough telling you how much flour it needs today. The amount of flour needed is based off more than just the amount of water used. The type and brand of flour affects feel. Humidity, temp and time all play a part as well. To stay from getting too technical what you want to create is a dough that is nice and soft, slightly tacky, but not sticky. You should be able to press your fingers lightly into the dough and pull them back with the dough slightly sticking to your fingers, but releasing and not leaving tiny bits.

The Only Italian Pizza Dough Recipe You'll Need

Once the right feel is achieved, knead the dough for roughly 5-8 minutes by machine and 10-12 minutes by hand. You should end up with a ball of dough that is nice and soft, but smooth like a baby’s bottom. At least that’s what my old professors used to say. Just knead the dough until it is nice and smooth.

The Only Italian Pizza Dough Recipe You'll Need

Now, roll the dough into a nice ball and place in a covered bowl until the dough doubles in size. Approximately 45 minutes to an hour.

Professional Tips and Tricks For Italian Pizza Dough

  • To develop flavor, start with cooler water. This will allow you to retard the dough in the fridge for a few days. Allowing the dough to rest and ferment (retard) in the fridge for an extended time develops a deeper flavor.
  • The fermentation period will also allow the dough to develop added texture and chewiness when baked. Most popular pizzerias and bakeries allow their dough to ferment overnight, if not longer.

The Only Italian Pizza Dough Recipe You'll Need

4.83 from 29 votes
The Only Italian Pizza Dough Recipe You'll Need
The Only Italian Pizza Dough Recipe You'll Need
Prep Time
20 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
 
Crispy, chewy and oh so tasty. This Italian Pizza Dough recipe is so good it's the only one I need. Once you try it, it will be the only one you need too.
Servings: 1 Recipe
Author: Nate
Ingredients
  • 1 1/3 cup filtered water
  • 1 pkt dry active yeast
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2.5 tbsp oilive oil
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 3 cup bread flour, high protein approximate amount
Instructions
  1. Bloom yeast in warm water with dissolved sugar.

  2. Allow yeast to bloom until a thick foam has developed on top of water.

  3. Add liquid to mixing bowl and add 1 cup of flour and combine well.

  4. Once the first cup of flour is incorporated, add the salt and oil. Combine.

  5. Now add the remaining flour until that soft, slightly tacky dough is achieved. Focus on the feel. 

  6. Proof until dough has doubled in size. Approximately 45 minutes to an hour.

 



96 thoughts on “The Only Italian Pizza Dough Recipe You’ll Need”

  • Angie. Thank you for pointing that out. This recipe is for the dough only and does not require a temp. Temperature setting will be based on fuel source and what you plan to bake the pizza on, in or over. I have an electric oven with a well seasoned pizza stone and have found 450° works best for my needs. Thank you for checking out my recipe and happy cooking.

  • Hi Nate! Can you tell us how you bake your pizza, the steps you do after allowing dough to rest ? Your article suggests that overnight would be best. To rest it; Do you do this, and what are your steps once ready to make your pizza? Do you put any cornmeal down on stone ? have my Italian grandma’s sauce recipe but just wondering the rest of the instructions… thank you!’

  • I have a question. If I choose to put in refrigerator for a few days you say to start with cool water but the yeast wouldn’t be able to bloom, correct? I’m looking forward to try it out.

  • Didi. Thank you for the question. Anything cooler than 70° and the yeast might not activate. I’ve never really temp’d my water when making my dough, done it by feel. (OK, I did it just now and it was around 75-80°F) which is in the ideal range for fermentation. Putting the dough in the fridge is a process called retarding. Basically you are trying to control the rise of the dough to increase flavor and structure. Some call for up to three days, but who can wait that long for tasty pizza?

  • Can you freeze portions this dough to be used later as you want say for smaller sized individual pizzas?

  • Rebekah. Without a doubt. Place in a plastic bag, date and freeze. Probably good to freeze for 6 months or so. Let thaw in fridge and then set out on counter to proof.

  • bk, you can definitely use AP flour in place of bread flour, however the texture just won’t be the same. Bread flour has a higher protein content and is going to provide the chewy texture that some look for in pizza crust.

  • Can this dough be used to make pizza after the 45 minute rise? I hate waiting for pizza and never can plan dinner a day in advance.

  • If I want to let my dough ferment, do I ignore the 45 minute rise time and just pop it in the fridge, or am I supposed to let it rise for 45 minutes AND THEN store it in the refrigerator?

  • Jessica. I usually put mine in the fridge prior to the rise, however it can be done both ways. If you are going to let it rise before popping in the fridge, I suggest punching the dough down after the rise and then stretch it out on your pan. Wrapping and then cooling. When ready to bake take the dough out and allow to warm up a bit.

  • 5 stars
    I ended up leaving the dough in the fridge for 2 days. It takes a while to get it back to room temp but it was outstanding in taste and texture. Thanks for answering my question and for the great recipe!

  • Can this be made in a bread machine? Due to a medical condition it is extremely painful and almost impossible to knead bread anymore. I’m doing good to get a batch of biscuits in the oven. But I refuse to lower myself to refrigerated biscuits or pizza dough. Thanks for your help.

  • 5 stars
    If I were to add Italian seasoning to my dough, when would I do that? And thank you for this recipe. I have never ever made my own dough. I’m so inspired.

  • Hi Nate! If I am going to use the method of storing dough in refrigerator overnight, do I proof the dough before storing in the fridge? When storing in fridge, should dough be lightly covered in olive oil and put in a covered bowl?Then, once dough has rested in fridge overnight, does dough need to come to room temp before using? Thank you taking the time to provide these details!

  • Barb. I must admit I am not familiar with bread machines. However, if your bread machine has a “dough” setting, I don’t see why not. If you machine can knead regular bread dough, it should have no problem with this dough. Happy baking.

  • Beth, thank you for the question. You can add some Italian seasoning while mixing the dough. I’ve never tried it myself, but I bet it would be tasty.

  • Andrea, Thank you for your questions. I just posted a sheet pan pizza recipe that should answer your questions. Feel free to check it out.

  • Faith. Thank you for your question. This recipe was just for the dough itself. You can use this dough recipe for pepperoni bread, calzone, fried dough, the possibilities are endless and all use a different temp. For more detailed instructions on baking pizza, please check out the sheet pan pizza recipe now up.

  • 5 stars
    I have tried your pizza dough recipe . First I made a spinach and feta cheese pizza, baked at 450°.I split the dough and froze the other half.
    Today I made a pizza with mushrooms, black olives ground turkey and onions. I baked this one at 500°. The second one was a little crunchy but still tasty. The dough was very good. Thanks for the recipe 🍕 Note: I left it in the refrigerator overnight.

  • Cheryl. Without a doubt. In fact, official Neapolitan pizza uses “Tipo 00” flour. I use it too, but not always readily available in my area.

  • Can you tell me at what point in the process you would refrigerate for fermentation? After it rises, or before. Then, after refrigeration, do you just go one and roll it out ?
    Thank you. This sounds like an awesome recipe and I look forward to trying it..

  • 5 stars
    perfect for makning loaves of bread just make sure to add some seasoning it rises very nicely when doubled in size

  • I haven’t made it yet but I’m going to tomorrow. Do you need to cook the pizza dough first before you put the toppings on and cook it the rest of the way. Or just put everything on the raw pizza dough and cook it that way.

  • Laura. Could be a couple of different things that caused the dough to not rise. Yeast could have been dead. The water could have been too cold or too hot. Yeast doesn’t play well with salt, so you try to add the salt in after the dough has been mixing for a bit. Or, the ambient temp in house was too low or bowl was near a draft. Keep with it!

  • 5 stars
    This is a great quick rise pizza dough! I should have rolled it out a little thinner for a little crispier bottom. I will make this one again! Thank you for sharing this.

  • 5 stars
    I use caputo tipo00 it works great I have made pizza sausage bread calzone and Fococcia .

  • Laura, yes you can use honey. The sugar is there for slight flavor, but more for the yeast to feed off of. Honey will serve this purpose, but may alter the flavor a bit. Tip: You will need to use warmer water (90-95°F) to dissolve the honey. With the warmer water, if you are planning to retard the dough, I would go with method one on my sheet pan pizza recipe.

  • I always add Italian seasoning to my pizza dough, but I add in it with the flour so it gets distributed evenly.

  • This seems like an extreme amount of salt for one pizza crust. That equals 7200 mg of sodium! Most recipes call for 1 teaspoon, not 1 tablespoon.

  • Sheila, admittedly us Chef’s do use a bit more salt that your average home cook. Good thing is, you can use less salt if you want and it really won’t affect the end result.

  • Used Sunrise Pizza Flour and cooked in 550 four 10-14 mind came out delicious. This was my first try yummy

  • 5 stars
    Hey Nate, I wanted to know that how many pizzas I can bake out of this dough with the number of ingredients in this recipe?

  • Bardia, I get a 12×18 cookie sheet out of this recipe. However, you can split it up into 2 or three pies. Size of pie will depend oh how thick you want the crust or vice versa.

  • Just a quick question, because I buy my yeast by the large package, I need to know how many teaspoons are in the given pizza recipe?

  • Ida. If you are doubling or tripling the recipe, yes, double the yeast. If you double the recipe, but not the yeast you are cutting its power in half and affecting the end results. If you are scaling larger for professional use, shoot me an email at [email protected] and I will be glad to explain further.

  • Has anyone made this yet?? I had to use 6 cups flour and it’s still super shaggy. I’m cook so I’m a little concerned about this recipe.

  • 4 stars
    Crust–The taste , bottom browness colour and chewieness was great. I also had to add much more bread flour than in recipe, thks dd

  • Your recipe looks amazing, certainly easy enough! Would it work with instant yeast (reduce amount by 25%)?

  • Can you use instant yeast? I thought I had reg active but looked and only have instant..How to use it if ok ? Oh gosh……

  • 2 stars
    I agree, it’s a lot of salt. Traditionally it’s about 2% of your flour. In this case about 7.2 grams of salt. This is almost 3x that amount. I would cut it in half at a minimum.

  • Cathey, yes you can. Don’t need to change any ingredients, just have to divide the dough how you would like.

  • 5 stars
    So I made this recipe in my stand mixer Thursday afternoon and transferred the dough to a 1 gallon freezer bag and refrigerated overnight to make Friday. I preheated oven to 250 transferred the dough to a 16″ pizza pan and pressed it in. I let my dough rise for 1 hour , removed the pan from the oven and let it cool. I brushed the dough with olive oil, added 1/2 cup of pizza sauce and all my toppings and baked @ 425 for 15 minutes. This dough was a joy to work with and the pizza tasted wonderful

  • 5 stars
    Hi! I’ve been using this recipe for almost a year and it’s a favorite every time I make pizza!! Do you happen to have a rough estimate for the nutrition info?

  • 5 stars
    This recipe has made me fall in love with baking again. I just couldn’t get the dough right at all until I came across this recipe.

  • Bev, try to not use water that is any lower than 70-75°F. The yeast may not react. Any longer than 3 days in the fridge might be stretching it.

  • All depends on the size of the pizza you plan on making. This makes one sheet pizza for me. You can divide the dough into as many rounds as you would like.

  • 5 stars
    YES! This was so good! Made 2 pizzas tonight, and both were perfect! I haven’t made pizza dough since high school or so… it’s been a long time!
    This is a keeper for nice chewy, and lightly crisp crust pizza dough. Thank you!!

  • 5 stars
    Sheila B I thought the same thing. I used slightly less. MAKING NOW so hopefully it’ll delicious. 🙂

  • 5 stars
    This recipe was amazing. This was my absolute first time making pizza dough, and this was the PERFECT recipe. I would definitly use this recipe again!

  • 5 stars
    Thank you SO much for this recipe! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your instructions being detailed while not too scientific. Just perfect for my high detailed brain but busy mom life. It made making the recipe go smoothly. I used it to make your NY sheet pizza for Friday night movie night with the family. Everyone loved it. My son said it was better than dominos so that’s a win! Please keep this blog going!

  • 5 stars
    I have made this dough several times and LOVE it! I have tried several various recipes but so far this is the BEST.
    I follow the instructions, using only 3 cups of flour. It turns out perfect. Plus, I cook it in a wood–fired oven, with a white sauce and various toppings. It is delicious!

  • 5 stars
    Cheated a little, substituted barleywine for the water, and added maybe 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan. Did the rest and rise method, came out awesome!

  • 5 stars
    I haven’t tried it I’ll try it tomorrow. I’ve read all the questions replies & comments from the very beginning till the end, so I know this would be the best pizza recipe I’ve been searching for. Thanks so much Nate for sharing this recipe.

  • 5 stars
    I just made this Pizza yesterday turned out wonderful. I had to put it in a large cookie sheet Had enough dough for the pan. I haven’t baked it yet,, We like a thin Crust.
    Thanks again

  • 5 stars
    This was the absolute best dough I’ve ever made. Doubled in size and tasted great. Thank you for sharing this recipe

  • 5 stars
    Great recipe! I made this yesterday for dinner and everybody loved it. I have tried other “quick” recipes and found them too bread-y but this is perfect! Not quick, but that’s okay; I have a nice mixer that takes the hard work out of it for me. Making another batch today to have in the fridge for this week.

  • 5 stars
    Looks like a great recipe. Would using 00 flour improve it.? Was able to pick up some at a local deli.

  • you say “warm” water for this recipe……i would use water that is 75-80 degrees to froth the yeast? i dont need any other water after i start mixing?

  • Is the recipe accurate with amount of salt? Is it really 1 Tablespoon and not teaspoon? This seems like a lot of salt?? Is the large amount of salt due to using bread flour?

  • Hello. Thank you for asking. Yes, the amount of salt is 1 tablespoon. This is based off of a ratio of 3% salt to flour used, which is standard salt to flour ratio for pizza dough. The ratio in this recipe is just over that 3%. The recipe is also based on the use of kosher salt which has a less salty taste than iodized table salt. Adjusting the salt ratio to your preferences or healthcare needs is encouraged and will not affect the rise or chew of the dough.

  • Ruth. Depends on what type of crust you are looking for. Italian OO flour has a bit less protein (means less gluten) and is better suited for thin crust, Neapolitan style pies. I typically make Grandma style square pies so I lean toward the red wheat bread flour for the higher protein content.

  • Tim, the ideal temp for blooming yeast is around 110°F, go a little cooler if looking for a longer ferment on the dough. I wouldn’t go lower than 75°-80° for that process. The amount of water in the recipe should be sufficient, however, factors such as flour used and ambient humidity may affect if a touch more/less water is needed.