This is how to make pizza dough homemade easy by hand and without a bread machine, without a mixer, and no dough hook. It’s part of our Homemade Pizzas in Oven Guide and our Bakery section. Or, if you do have a bread machine, here’s the recipe for making pizza dough in a bread machine.
How To Make Pizza Dough By Hand – No Machine
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Ingredients
- 2 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder optional
- 2 Tbsp Vital Wheat Gluten optional for extra chewiness
- 1 cup water warm from tap
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp active, dry yeast can be quick rising, instant, or bread maker yeast
- 2 Tbsp olive oil or other vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp olive oil (for coating mixing bowl)
Instructions
- Make the Pizza Dough with IngredientsIn a bowl, thoroughly mix the flour, salt, and any options of garlic powder and vital wheat gluten.In a measuring cup, combine the water, sugar, and yeast. Stir together a bit. Wait about 10 minutes (it might foam a bit).Stir in the olive oil into the water solution.Gradually pour the water solution into the flour mixture bowl, mixing it in as you go. When done mixing it thoroughly (by hand), you should have a slightly sticky consistency (if needed, add a little water or flour). It MUST be slightly sticky.Coat an empty mixing bowl, using about 1 Tbsp. oil. Then, place the sticky dough in it, seal top with plastic wrap for about 1 hour, in a warm area. It will double in size.
- Shape into a Dough BallAfter the hour has passed, mildly punch the dough down, remove it from the bowl onto a heavily floured countertop surface. Move the dough around to coat all of it in the flour.
- Work the DoughLift and stretch out the left side 2-3 inches and fold it over a few inches past the center. Press and pinch it downward to secure it. Repeat for right, top, & bottom sides.
- Let Dough RiseTurn it over and cover it with a towel. Let it rest for about 12 minutes on the counter space.Storage Option: After the brief resting period, you have the option to now store it in fridge or freezer, using a food storage bag. Otherwise, continue to the next steps for shaping the dough for pizza usage now.
- Shape the Pizza Dough Ready-To-UseYou can now either roll it out, press it out by hand (intermediate), or (advanced) stretch it out by lifting and turning while stretching (or draping and manipulating it across the backs of your hands). Here are some details on shaping the pizza dough.You can switch between using your hands to using a rolling pin at any time. Using your hands, from the center, press down and outward as if you're collapsing excess air bubbles from the dough. Rotate the dough and continue repeating this process. At times, turn the dough over. Another way is to use one hand to hold down the center, and use the other hand to lift and stretch away an outer area. Repeat this many times as you rotate and occasionally turn over the dough. Also, use the rolling pin when desired, until you have the desired size and shape to match a fit to your pizza pan, baking sheet, stone, or steel.Your pizza dough recipe is done! Follow any pizza recipe that calls for pizza dough.
Nutrition
Ingredients for Italian Pizza Dough Homemade
These ingredients for Italian homemade pizza dough are based all on having an Italian pizza dough from scratch recipe. Here are the key differences of ingredients going Italian vs Americanized pizza dough.
- Sugar is reduced
- Yeast amount is lower
Dry Ingredients of How To Make Pizza Dough Homemade Easy Recipe
So, it starts with the basic minimums for an Italian pizza. There is a reduction of sugar from most Americanized pizza recipes.
Also, another key ingredient difference from Americanized pizza recipes is the amount of yeast. It’s been reduced also. This permits you to have a thin or medium crust. To make a thicker crust, then double it.
Lastly, there is a simple optional consideration of adding garlic powder in a very small amount. This gives the Italian enhancement throughout the entire crust.
Italian Pizza Dough Recipes
This homemade Italian pizza dough recipe is based on more than one Italian type of pizza. And the methods used to roll, pull, push, and stretch out are also portions of various Italian methods used.
One Italian pizza dough method is to lift up & pull, and turn dough to repeat. 2nd way is to lift up & pull to fold it back into center, and turn dough to repeat.
There are many, many Italian recipes for pizza dough. And some of the more popular ones have been named. Many have names to define the dough handling and shaping techniques, e.g., “Neapolitan”. Here are some popular Italian pizza types as mentioned by the culinary Cardamom Magazine.
Keep reading to hear of my conversation with a Pizzaiolo.
How Italian Pizzerias Make Pizza Dough
I met a gentleman in an Italian Pizza restaurant recently. I saw him making dozens of pizza doughs spread out on the massive work station he was using. He had been working there for 18 years under the Italian owner. I was surprised because sometimes I saw him use a rolling pin. I asked him some questions and this was our conversation.
A Conversation With a Pizzaiolo
A Pizzaiolo is a pizza chef trained to make Italian-style pizzas. When asked about using a rolling pin, he replied that sometimes he and other Italians will use a rolling pin to speed up the process. That’s usually when there are a lot of doughs to make. He was making about 80 for the upcoming lunch rush.
Also, he continued, it sometimes helps even out the thickness of the dough or when there’s no time to let the gluten develop. He can use it to be more forceful of expanding the dough out when in a hurry due to a sudden volume of customers. Otherwise, he said, most of the time we press the dough out, lift up and stretch. Then, when it becomes large enough, to use the backs of our hands, we let gravity do the work with an occasional toss and turn.
How To Make Pizza Dough Homemade Easy & THIN
This pizza dough homemade easy thin recipe accommodates up to a 16-inch thin pizza. When I make a thin 14-inch pizza, I’ll trim off the excess dough and sometimes use it for bread sticks. To ensure you have a thin pizza dough, it’s assumed you rolled or stretched it out to become reasonably thin. But keep reading for more techniques to ensure it bakes thin.
Working the pizza dough to make it thin
There are three key techniques to having pizza dough thin crust. Here they are.
- First, very specifically, follow the recommended amount on this recipe for the yeast. It’s just a small amount and less than a packet. It has been tested repeatedly in order to be able to produce either a thin crust or a medium crust. To have it thin or medium, you control it next by how thick you have created the final, shaped dough.
- Second, in order to have a thin crust (after you’ve shaped it into a thin dough), ensure you do not par bake it. That one was easy!
- Third, as soon as your dough has been shaped thin, proceed immediately with the sauce and toppings, and put it into the oven. No waiting whatsoever! As soon as you stopping shaping the dough, it will slowly but surely begin to rise so, you’ll want to execute these final steps quickly. If you discover you’ve had a little delay before putting on the sauce and toppings, you can easily press or roll the dough one last time to expel any air that might have caused any rising. Problem solved!
FAQ on How To Make Pizza Dough Homemade Easy
Here are some of the more common pizza dough questions people ask. If you have a question, just send it as a comment and we’ll get back with the answer.
Can you refrigerate homemade pizza dough?
Yes, you can refrigerate homemade pizza dough. The recipe steps lets you know when you can stop and put it in the fridge. Just take your dough, oil it a little, and put it into a food storage bag. Press it down to get rid of excess air, and toss it into the fridge. Max time frame is about 3-4 days. When ready to roll it out to use, just set it out for at least 30 minutes (still enclosed in the bag).
Pizza dough you can freeze
You can freeze this pizza dough homemade easy recipe. The recipe steps lets you know when you can stop and put it in the freezer. Just take your dough, put it into a food storage bag, press it down to get rid of excess air. Don’t forget to mark it: “DarnGoodRecipes.com Pizza Dough” (LOL or just “Pizza Dough”). It can stay in the freezer and still be good for up to about 3 months. When ready to make your pizza, just set it out for at least 1 hour (still in the food bag). To save thawing time, you can opt to mash it down a little bit so it won’t take as long to thaw out.
Why does pizza dough shrink?
Why does pizza dough pull back or shrink when you start to roll it out or stretch it out? That’s because the gluten in the dough hasn’t yet developed enough. It takes a little handling of the initial dough mixture and some resting time to start the activation and development of the gluten. Fortunately, this recipe advises you of the point to which you will need to pause and let the dough rest a bit more before continuing. This is probably the number one problem with people who start to make their own pizza dough. Tip: Just allow an extra 1/2 hour in planning the pizza completion time for your meal.
What temperature to cook homemade pizza dough?
Oven Temperature Range for Homemade Pizza is 450-500F degrees.
When people ask me what oven temperature homemade oven pizza needs to be, I explain the differing scenarios. If you’re talking about just pre-baking (aka “par baking”) the pizza dough, it’s at 450°F for about 5 minutes. If you’re talking about the temperature to cook the entire homemade pizza, it’s at 500°F in home ovens. However, it’s much higher in a pizza oven.
Most home ovens are limited to 500°F so, all my pizza recipes are geared towards that. If I had a specialized pizza oven, I would reference that as well as they can have pizzas baked around 850°F in just a few short minutes, like what the pizza restaurants use.
Italian Recipes Related to Dough
- How to Make PIZZA DOUGH in Bread Machine Properly
- Authentic Italian CALZONE with Pizza Dough: How To Make
- Recipe for SUB ROLLS in Bread Machine
Nutritional Values of Pizza Dough Homemade Easy
There are about 175 calories, 25 carbs, and 2g of sugar per slice of this pizza dough homemade easy recipe with no toppings added. The nutritional values are shown in detail the option.
Related To Homemade Pizza Baking
- Best Pizza Peels by Purpose, Material, & Surface
- How To Use A Pizza Peel
- How To Make & Bake Pizza in Oven – Several Recipes
- Cast Iron Pizzas – Complete Guide
- How To Make Pizza Cast Iron PAN Recipes
- How To Make Pizza Cast Iron SKILLET Recipes
- Guide on How To Clean Pizza Steel
- Reheating Pizza Leftovers
Conclusion of How To Make Pizza Dough Homemade Easy
In conclusion, this is the best way of how to make pizza dough homemade easy by hand. It has the fewest steps, no kneading is required, and there is no need for a mixer or dough hook. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. So what are you waiting for? Make this recipe today! Also, share it and comment on it.
Well I definitely liked this pizza dough recipe. It’s a little different than others I found and it turned out a whole lot better. I found out I was using way too much yeast in my own recipe. THANK YOU!!!
Really interesting. Assisted me a lot, just what I was looking for.