FAVORITE PIZZA DOUGH — This easy to make pizza dough is perfect for pizza crust, calzones, breadsticks and more!
This Favorite Pizza Dough is a staple at our house. Everyone needs a good, no-fail, pizza dough recipe in their collection, and this is the one I go back to again and again.
I’ve been making this pizza dough since we were young married college students, so it has definitely stood the test of time. We use it for everything from pizza to calzones to breadsticks.
If you’re looking for a recipe that’s tried and true, this is the one. Now that we’re older and feeding hungry teenagers, I can tell you that this is their favorite pizza dough too.
Some people leave their crusts when they eat pizza, but the crust is my favorite part. If you’re like me, then this is the dough for you. It rises beautifully while baking for a thick, soft crust that’s perfect for dipping in marinara sauce to finish off your meal.
Just a few tips: the dough should be very soft, but not sticky, so add the last half cup of flour in slowly to make sure you get it just right.
For pizza, I like to drizzle the crusts with additional olive oil and sprinkle them with garlic salt and Italian herbs before adding the toppings.
And calzones are always fun because everyone can choose their own fillings. Once we put our calzones together, I brush the tops with an egg wash and sprinkle them with Italian seasoning or garlic salt and some Parmesan cheese.
This recipe makes enough for 2 large pizzas, or about 6 calzones.
Be sure to save this Favorite Pizza Dough recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Here’s what you’ll need to make Favorite Pizza Dough
- Yeast
- Sugar
- Olive oil
- Eggs
- Salt
- Flour
Favorite Pizza Dough
This easy to make pizza dough is perfect for pizza crust, calzones, breadsticks and more!
Ingredients
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 to 3 1/2 cups flour
Instructions
- Combine water, yeast and sugar in a bowl; let stand for 10 minutes.
- Mix egg and oil and add to yeast mixture. Add salt and stir. Gradually blend in flour until a soft dough forms.
- Oil dough and place in a large bowl. Let rise one hour.
- For pizza, divide dough in half and roll out to desired thickness. Spread into 2 pizza pans. Top with sauce and toppings and bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
- For calzones, divide the dough into 4-6 equal portions and form into circles.
- Place toppings on half of circle. Fold remaining dough over toppings and seal edges. Brush with milk and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
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If you love this recipe, you might also like:
Rustic Rosemary Bread
Parmesan Garlic Breadsticks
Easy Parmesan Garlic Knots
Who Dished It Up First: I got this recipe almost 20 years ago when we were living in student housing while my husband worked on his master’s degree. We’d gotten together with friends to make calzones. I still haven’t found a better recipe for pizza dough.
togethertheycome
I love this dough and I’ve made it several times as calzones! I had a dinner party and it was a hit!
Aileen Daya
Red in India: try decreasing the olive oil from 1/3 cup to 3 tablespoons instead.
Naveen
Nice. Thanks for sharing with us ! How can i store pizza dough in freezer ?
Thank you
Danelle
I have not done that, but I would probably freeze it in Ziploc type freezer bags.
Lindze
I’ve now made this dough 3 times and it’s turned out great each time. I only need to use 3 cups of flour, not the additional 1/2 a cup. It stores well in the fridge if you prepare the dough hours before you plan to use it I have learnt as well.
Danelle
Thank you!
Peter
For the wider world, it would be helpful to specify the temperature units… 400 degrees could easily be Fahrenheit but equally a good Italian stone oven will reach 400 degrees Celsius. For those of us wanting to try this for the first time, details are everything. Thanks.
Karen
Have you found Bread Flour or All Purpose to work the best for pizza dough?
Danelle
I’ve always used all-purpose and it works great.
Moses Brodin
Pizza is my favorite thing to cook with the kids. It is one food that their “help” can actually be help. You can’t really screw up putting toppings on, and they love to customize their own little pizzas.
Hibbie
Baked it on a stone in the oven..when it cooked it blew large bubbles in the top ?
Made it 3 times and it tasted great but it blows up like Pita bread?
Jeffrey A suda
In my world it’s called docking a pizza. They make a special tool for this, instead just poke the dough with a fork many times, you will not have any bubbles. Keep in mind when I say many times I mean like 50
Make it look like you shot with a shot gun over and over, problem solved
Alisha Ross
“This can be difficult if you have developed
bad habits over the years. We are all different, so the only
successful way to reach and maintain a healthy weight is
to find what works best for you. Pumpkin is not only a super healthy treat,”
Rose Martine
This looks really wonderful. I do think spaghetti squash is a great option for enjoying traditional noodle dishes on a grain-free diet. Thanks for posting this on Food Flicks Friday.
Raymond
With the egg added, does it make the crust yellowish? I had a pizza somewhere lately and the crust was yellowish and extremely good
Julie
Can you make this at night and use it the next day?
Danelle
I haven’t tried it, but if you refrigerate it, I think it would work.
Jeffrey A suda
Please make the dough a day before, let it rise at room temperature, punch it down, make into a ball, lightly oily it and wrap it in plastic wrap or something air tight, the next day the dough will be very workable. Time well spent. P.s. pre heat your oven, get it hotter than you think, and cook on the lowest rack
Jeffrey A suda
Oops I forgot to say refrigerate after wrapping
judi
what does the egg do i have never made a pizza with egg but im going to try it
Barbi
Which yeast do you use for this dough. The Instant? I have both
Steve Larkham
This was a very easy delicious pizza dough thank you
Harold Burton
I will share one of my family’s favorites- Scrambled hamburg and gravy over mashed potatoes– Scramble your hamburger in the skillet (I used cast iron) add some Lipton’s Onion Soup or my favorite- Watkin’s Onion Soup Mix- and water to the level you need gravy- to thicken you can use either corn starch and water or flour and water that were mixed together before adding to the watered (now simmering boiling) scrambled hamburg and soup mix and water– thicken to your family’s liking. We used Instant Potatoes when I was tired or fresh from the garden potatoes that had been cooked and mashed when I wasn’t! It is super easy and well liked! I hope you will like trying it!
Harold Burton
Ashley Jones
I made this tonight almost exactly as the new directions say. I had baked chicken left over from Sunday dinner so I used cooked chicken instead of raw. I just added the chicken and the rice a little later. It was not too thick at all. In fact just perfect. I love soup. Will be a family favorite.
Ashley Jones
Ashley Jones
Your post excite me too cook beef. I really like it. Thank you for this recipe, hope I’ll be able to cook something like this sooner. I can’t wait until the weekend. Looking forward for more great stuff here. More power.
CrazyAsk
Daph
I would like to use whole wheat flour. How would the flour ratio change please?
judith a judge
i notice you didnt mention kneading the dough is this right or misprint
Angie
Judith had a great question which was, do you knead the dough before letting it rise? I’ve seen other recipes and they mention kneading the dough before letting it rise. Also why are people making comments about other foods on this blog that has nothing to do with this recipe?