Making your own pizza dough means pizza night for the family is much more flexible than ordering in from the place down the street. This is the best pizza dough recipe and uses just five ingredients – flour, water, yeast, salt, and olive oil. The result is a beautifully smooth, elastic dough that’s great for an outdoor pizza oven or a standard household oven.

This dough rests in the refrigerator overnight, and it’s even better if you let it rest for a couple of days in the refrigerator. Stretching the dough will create a chewy, bubbly texture. Rolling it out will still give you bubbly dough, but with a crispy crust that makes homemade pizza so rewarding. The slow fermenting helps develop so much flavor, especially if you let it sit for up to 72 hours.

5 Ingredients You Need for the best Pizza Dough

• 2 cups cool water (room temperature or slightly warmer)
• ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
• 5 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Pro tip: Use a whisk to “fluff” up the flour in your bag before measuring the bread flour. This will help with spooning it into measuring cups for consistency.

How to Make Pizza Dough

Step 1 – Add the cool water to the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast on top and let rest for a few minutes.

Step 2 – Add in the bread flour and salt. Stir to combine, or use a dough hook to mix until the flour is just mixed in. See photo below for how the dough should look at this point.

Step 3 – Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

Step 4 – Drizzle the dough with olive oil. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on medium-low speed until the dough forms a smooth, elastic ball, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 5 – Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 4 smaller balls. I use a food scale to measure for uniformity.

Step 6 – Place each dough ball into individual containers or bowls and cover with a lid or plastic wrap.

Step 7 – Refrigerate overnight, or up to 3 days. You can get away with an extra day or two, though the dough will start to change flavor if overly fermented.

When ready to use, let the dough rest at room temperature for at least an hour before shaping. This will help it relax and make it easier to shape.

Tips for Pizza Dough Success

• Stick with bread flour: It has a higher protein content and helps create a strong, chewy structure. King Arthur makes a great bread flour (in the blue and white bag), which is a go-to for this recipe.
• Don’t rush the rise: The cold fermentation process in the refrigerator allows the dough to develop a complex, tangy flavor. The longer you rest it, the tangier it gets.
• Mix just until smooth: Over-mixing is possible, so make sure to set a timer. Once the dough forms a smooth ball, you’re ready to divide it and cover.
• Really let it rest: When you’re ready to make pizza, give yourself time to let the dough come to room temperature. At least an hour, maybe longer, depending on the temperature of the room. Cold dough will be difficult to stretch or roll without tearing or pulling back into a tight ball. Plus, room temperature dough will produce a better rise and more air bubbles (you want that) in your crust.

Rolling vs. Stretching Dough

When it comes time to shape your pizza, you can stretch or roll the dough. Here’s the difference:

• Stretching: This will create a more traditional, airy pizza with bubbles in the crust. This is the recommended method, especially for outdoor pizza ovens. This is how I prepare the dough when using my Ooni Koda 16.
• Rolling: If you want a cracker-like crust, rolling this dough is an option. Deflate the dough by pressing it flat with your fingers. Then use a rolling pin with dough on a lightly floured surface. This method works best for baking in a standard oven.

No matter how you prepare your dough for toppings, you will end up with a delicious crust.

Pro tip: Keep topping simple. You want to use no more than about ½ a cup of sauce and 1 cup or so of toppings to keep your pizza from getting soggy or weighing down.

Freezing Dough

You can batch make this dough and freeze the balls for later use. Let them rest on the counter for about 20 minutes after forming. Place on a sheetpan and freeze solid. Then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and place in a reusable zip-top bag.

When you’re ready for pizza, bring your frozen dough out to rest until it reaches room temperature. Alternatively, you can bring it back out of the freezer the night before you want to make pizza and let it thaw in the refrigerator. Then, bring it from the refrigerator back to room temperature.

Dough will stay fresh in the freezer for 2 to 3 months. It may last longer, but it may be subject to freezer burn.