How to make pizza dough at home

Pizza night is always a favourite with the family, especially when the pizza is homemade. Learn how to make pizza dough at home with this step-by-step pizza dough recipe and video. With these tips and tricks, you'll always get it right, and it's so easy that the kids can do it too.

Prep: 15 min + 30 min proving time (see tips)
Makes: Two large or three medium pizza bases
Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 tsps (7 g sachet) dried yeast
1 cup (250 ml) lukewarm water
400 g (2 2/3 cups) plain flour, plus extra to dust
2 tsps salt
3 tbsps (1/4 cup) olive oil

Method

Whisk yeast and water in a heatproof jug. Stand for 5 minutes or until frothy
Place flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Pour in the yeast mixture and oil. Using your hands or a spatula, mix the dough until it comes together and is smooth. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling wrap. Set aside in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes to an hour until it doubles in size
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for another 5 minutes or until smooth. Divide dough and roll out pizza bases to desired size. Sprinkle a little flour on the bench before rolling to prevent dough from sticking. Your dough is now ready for your favourite pizza topping

Get the recipe you can save to your myfoodbook cookbooks: Basic Pizza Dough

What is the best flour for pizza dough?

Plain all-purpose flour is all you need for homemade pizza dough. Yep, no need for any fancy flours like '00' flour, bread flour or even self-raising flour. Standard plain flour will give you a great result.

Why didn't my pizza dough rise?

There may be a few reasons. If your yeast is too old, it won't froth up and create the gases that make your pizza dough rise. If your water was too hot, it might have killed the yeast. Make sure your water is only lukewarm, test the temperature of the water on your wrist, as if checking the temperature of a baby's milk bottle. You want it to be just slightly warmer than your body temperature. If your yeast and water mixture did get frothy, then it could be because your dough proved for too long. Only let your dough prove until it doubles in size, or you could risk it not rising in the oven.

How to make pizza dough rise faster

If you're after pizza in a hurry, you can fill your kitchen sink a third full with warm water and sit the dough in the bowl in the water to prove. This provides a nice warm environment for the yeast to work its magic much faster than at room temperature.

What temperature do you cook a homemade pizza?

When you think about wood-fired ovens in restaurants, they get pretty hot indeed. To get the best result when cooking your pizza at home, you want to get your oven as hot as possible. And to get the base crisp, you want to have a pizza tray or baking tray nice and hot before you add the pizza to it for cooking. Preheat your oven, with the pizza tray or baking sheet or tray in it, to 220°C / 200°C fan forced.

How to freeze pizza dough

Once your pizza dough has proved and risen, knead gently and divide into two. Roll each piece of dough into a ball. Wrap well in plastic wrap and freeze for up to two months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then let come to room temperature on the bench before using as usual.

Making other types of pizza dough

If you're gluten intolerant or looking for a healthier version of pizza dough, find out how to make different types of pizza bases here.

Pizza topping ideas

If you're passionate about getting your handmade pizza dough right, make sure you're also getting the best cheese and pizza toppings. Find out how to pick the best cheese for your pizza here and get some veggie-packed pizza topping ideas here.

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