Hello! I’m back after…quite a long pause. I really have no good excuse other than that I’ve been super busy with life things (who isn’t?!) I originally started blogging as a fun side project after my kids went back to school. Around the same time, I also started a freelance copywriting business to, you know, actually try to make some money. Then I got roped into fundraising at my kids’ school, which was a WHOLE THING. Now we’re in the throes of summer camp season, during which we’ve somehow managed to give ourselves an even more intense commute schedule than during the school year. Sometimes it feels like I’ve barely stopped to catch my breath in a whole year. But I digress! You know what makes everything better? Homemade pizza! But only if you know how to make homemade dough for pizza.
I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve been working on my at-home pizza game for over 10 years, and I like to think I’ve gotten pretty good at it. Of course, there are other important elements to making pizza at home (like sauce and toppings and bake times – we’ll get to all that, I promise). But the real secret is in the dough.
Bad dough can ruin the whole experience.
When I was a kid, homemade pizza always seemed like a fun project, but the end product was – to put it mildly – a little lacking. When I set out to make homemade dough for my pizza, I was really freakin’ determined to not end up with the undercooked sad excuse for pizza dough we had back in the 90’s (I’m looking at you, Pillsbury). Friends, it turned out to be a lot simpler than I thought. Is it as good as what we get from our favorite pizza place down the street? No (lol).
But it’s pretty dang good, and it costs a whole lot less. Also, I can put whatever toppings on it I want to without doing all the guilty math about if I really think it’s worth another $4-5 to get more than one topping on a pizza at a time or if anyone else is going to eat the sundried tomato and artichoke heart pizza I love (they’re not). Let’s talk about how to make homemade pizza dough (and all the other steps to get delicious pizza at home).
How to make homemade dough for pizza
I’m going to be honest here: I use two different methods for making homemade pizza dough, depending on how much time I have and how far in advance I start thinking about wanting to make pizza. Today, we’re going to focus on my number one go-to recipe. It’s homemade pizza dough: easy mode. This is what I make 99% of the time, because I’m terrible at planning ahead. If you’re like me and want homemade, quick pizza dough…this recipe is where it’s at!
Homemade pizza dough (adapted from The Nester) :
1 ⅓ cups warm water
2 ¼ tsp dry yeast (one packet)
3 cups all-purpose flour + extra for consistency and rolling
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Dump water and yeast into the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle the sugar over the top. Let it sit for a few minutes until the top looks foamy – this usually takes about 10 or so. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix with a bread hook until everything comes together into a sticky ball. The surface should be taught and smooth-ish, but still sticky to the touch. If it’s not, throw in a few extra handfuls of flour and mix a little more until you get to this consistency. (Note: this happens so much for me that I usually just throw in the extra handfuls of flour before I begin mixing the dough, but experiment and see what works in your climate and kitchen!)
Once you reach the right consistency, shape the dough into a ball (I do this right in the bowl). Add some oil to cover the dough, then cover it with a towel and leave it to rise for 45 minutes-1 hour. After the rise, you’ll be ready to make pizzas for dinner!
The next most important thing
We’re working in order of importance here, and the sauce for homemade pizza is the next determining factor in the pizza deliciousness equation. Yes, there’s an equation for pizza deliciousness (look, I don’t make the rules.) My perfect pizza sauce is adapted from Kelly in the City, with a few tweaks.
Homemade pizza sauce recipe
½ jar of spaghetti sauce – use something you already think is delicious. We always have Rao’s on hand from Costco.
1 small can of tomato paste
½-¾ tsp garlic powder
Lots of dried oregano
A swirl of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix everything together with a whisk and heat up just until everything is well mixed and it begins to bubble.
How to make homemade pizza
Prebake the crust. Preheat your oven to 475 degrees. Separate dough into two (for a chewier crust) or three (for a thinner crust), and stretch out over pizza pans (I use these). While it’s fine to stretch things pretty thin, stop stretching before the dough is totally see through. Depending on if you’ve decided to make two or three pizzas and the size of your pan, the dough might not stretch all the way to the edges, and that’s okay! Pop the prepared dough into the oven and prebake for five minutes.
Next, spread a little sauce over the whole thing – but not too much! Take it easy. I start with about three tablespoons full (like the tablespoon you eat with – you don’t have to do exact measurements here), then spread it over the whole pizza with the back of the spoon. If you can’t spread it out of the entire pizza, then add more in sparing amounts.
Add a layer of shredded mozzarella. Again, this will be less than you think it should be – it’s totally okay if you can see a little sauce underneath the cheese. Spread your toppings of choice over the mozzarella, then sprinkle a fine coating of cheese over the top. If you’re feeling fancy, shake a little bit of Parmesan over everything before sticking it in the oven.
Place the pizza back in the oven and cook for 6-10 more minutes.
Topping variations
Follow your heart’s desire! I like quartered artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes, and my family loves ground Italian sausage and sliced green olives. Whatever we do, we always make at least one Margherita and one pepperoni pizza for everyone to share.
Homemade pizza: Margherita style
If you want to make a Margherita pizza, pre-bake the pizza dough and spread sauce over the whole thing. Instead of adding shredded mozzarella cheese, we’re going to use fresh. First, set the slices or ball of mozzarella out on some paper towels to get rid of some of the moisture (so your pizza doesn’t get soggy.) Then, tear off pieces of fresh mozzarella and toss them over the surface of the pizza. Don’t feel like you have to cover the whole thing with cheese! It will melt and spread out for the most part, and where it doesn’t, the sauce will caramelize and end up super delicious. Sprinkled chopped or torn fresh basil over the whole thing before baking.
Homemade pizza: Pepperoni
I’m of the opinion that there are two ways to make homemade pepperoni pizza. The first is to buy a bag of Hormel pepperoni slices. I know…it seems kind of gross and un-glamorous, but it’s exactly the pepperoni taste you’re used to. If you want something that tastes closer to the pepperoni at an upscale artisanal pizza restaurant, head over the the deli section in the grocery store and buy some of the fancy pepperoni that’s the size of your palm. Either one is going to be delicious!
An aside about pizza recipes with fresh mozzarella
Fresh vs. shredded mozzarella on pizza is a huge debate in our household. My daughter and I would pick fresh mozzarella every time, but the rest of the fam prefers shredded cheese. In an attempt to make everyone as happy as possible (and not waste the rest of the fresh mozzarella we’ve purchased for Margherita pizza), here are some of my favorite pizza topping combinations involving fresh mozzarella:
- Fresh mozzarella, arugula, and red pepper flakes
- Ground Italian Sausage and fresh mozzarella
- Halved or thinly sliced sungold tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, finished with honey before serving
How to store homemade pizza dough
The whole point of this pizza dough is that it comes together relatively quickly so you can make homemade pizza in just a few hours. If you prefer to make it ahead of time, I find that it works best to store it inside a plastic bag or well-sealed container in the fridge for a few days. Bring it to room temperature before spreading it out on pans and proceeding with the prebaking and pizza-building process.
Homemade pizza baking temp
I’ve tried SO MANY different homemade pizza recipes, and the ideal homemade pizza baking temp is somewhere between 450-500 degrees – this recipe officially calls for 475, but you’ll be good to go anywhere in that window. Basically, you want everything as hot as possible, so you can get somewhere close to that truly delicious pizza crust you’d get at a restaurant. In my experience, anything lower than 450 won’t do!
Homemade pizza bake time
This one’s a little subjective. I like to prebake the crust for about 6 minutes, then put on all the toppings and bake for another 10-ish minutes until the pizza looks the way I like. I start with 6 minutes, then work my way up from there, checking at one-minute intervals until things until the cheese is well melted and the crust and toppings are a little charred. This method makes sure the dough and the pizza get cooked all the way through and nothing is overly chewy
I hope this post on how to make homemade dough for pizza helps you make your most delicious pizza yet!