Years ago, I shared our go-to pizza dough recipe on the blog. Since then, we have continued to use it ALL THE TIME and I have been thrilled to get emails from readers who love it too. I figured it was about time I updated the photos and share exactly what we do since we've perfected our craft. If you are a novice to pizza making or an old-pro, I promise, this recipe (and our technique) is sure to become a favorite.
For the perfect pizza dough, I recommend a pizza stone (we have this one) and a pizza peel (we have this one). Neither is "necessary" but the difference between a pizza cooked on a pre-heated stone and a pizza cooked on a baking sheet is unreal. You'll also want a rolling pin (we have one similar to this). (And since I always get asked on IG, this is our pizza cutter, and yes, we like it.)
I use our KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook attachment, but you can totally knead your dough by hand (we did for years). It will take longer but you'll get an arm workout.
Once you have the tools, the ingredients list is cheap and most likely you already have everything in your pantry…
- 1 T yeast (we buy the stuff in the jar that you store in your fridge after opening)
- 1 t white sugar
- 3/4 C warm water (should be about 100*F)
- 1 C white flour
- 1 C wheat flour
- 1 t salt
- 1 T olive oil
- small handful of cornmeal
Into the bowl of your stand mixer (or normal bowl if you are mixing by hand), pour the yeast and sugar. Next, add the warm water. (It's key that the dry ingredients go in first, then when the water is added, they will mix themselves.)
Give this about 10 minutes for the yeast to activate, if you watch, you'll actually see it happen. (It will bubble just like the image above.)
Add the flours and salt to the bowl and mix with the dough hook on low.
After it's started coming together, add in your olive oil. If you are doing this by hand, mix with a wooden spoon and then when it's started to stick together enough, knead by hand. It should take a few minutes to come together.
Turn off the mixer and give it a few minutes to rest, then turn to low again and give it another few minutes of kneading.
Remove your stand mixer bowl and shape dough in to a ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean towel.
Place it in a warm spot for a few hours to rise. (It will look like the photo above when it's ready!)
When you're ready to build your pizza, take it out of the bowl and mix by hand with some extra white flour.
Use your fingers to get your circle shape started on your pizza peel.
And then use a rolling pin to really thin it out. There is no need to "curl up" the edges of the crust, the yeast will help it rise naturally when it's baking.
Preheat your oven (with the pizza stone inside!) to 450*F.
Prepare your pizza toppings. Lately we've been using olive oil for a base and then throwing whatever meat and veggies we have in the fridge on top.
When your oven is preheated, you'll want to work fast and prep your pizza. We have found that if you let the pizza sit to long on the pizza peel it gets sticky and it's impossible to slide off. (More than once we've ended up eating a calzone on pizza night!) To speed up the process, we get all the toppings ready to go, then I give the dough one last flip, this time spreading corn meal on the underside to prevent sticking.
Add on your pizza toppings and carefully slide off the pizza onto your HOT pizza stone.
Bake for about 15 minutes and then check to see if it looks done (crust is hard, cheese is melted, etc.)
Slide your pizza peel back under the pizza to shimmy it out (usually takes a bit of practice) and TA-DA, homemade, fantastic pizza with the best crust ever. (Optional: take a photo in front of the window to make your pizza appear like it's sent directly from Heaven.)
Need some pizza topping suggestions? Check out these 20 that we've shared over the past few years.
enJOY it 
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