My easy homemade pizza will be your new favorite way to make pizza at home. Not only is this a foolproof recipe, but this method also produces restaurant-style flavor and texture without a wood-burning oven or any fancy equipment. This dough is similar to an Italian Neapolitan-style pizza: a pleasantly chewy thin crust, speckled in dark spots from baking in a hot oven. Here I use active yeast and 00 flour (a finely milled flour, which is considered the gold standard for pizza and pasta dough, though I’ve included alternatives in the recipe notes) to create a light yet durable crust. The goal is a thin, even crust with lots of brown spots and an even golden-brown color on the bottom of the pizza. The result: a pizza that transports you to Italy.
I top my pizza very simply, using Rao’s store-bought pizza sauce (homemade or store-bought marinara, or sugo, all work well), provolone cheese (mozzarella, of course, works beautifully too), freshly grated parmesan, and fresh basil. The final product is a crispy yet tender dough, and the simple, satisfying Italian flavors of tomato, cheese, and basil. The best part is, the dough can be made in advance and frozen, and the pizza only takes about 10 minutes to cook. Buon appetito!
Homemade Pizza (Restaurant-Style)
My easy homemade pizza will be your new favorite way to make pizza at home. Not only is this a foolproof recipe, but this method also produces restaurant-style flavor and texture without a wood-burning oven or any fancy equipment.
Equipment
- 11-inch pan + a baking tray
Ingredients
The Yeast:
- 1 packet of active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons or 7 grams)
- 1 ¼ cups warm water (300ml)
- 1 teaspoon sugar (5 grams)
The Dough:
- 3 cups 00 flour, whole-wheat flour, bread flour, or all-purpose flour (450 grams), plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon salt (6 grams)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Additional Toppings:
- pizza sauce
- slices of provolone cheese or any melty cheese you like
- grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- fresh basil leaves
Instructions
Activate the Yeast:
- Note: Activating the yeast is the most important part of this recipe. If the yeast does not activate, start this step all over. If it does not activate it means that the water was too hot, too cold, or the yeast was old or bad. The water should be around 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a bowl, add the yeast, sugar and warm water. Give it a quick whisk and leave it to activate and foam up for 5 to 10 minutes.
The Pizza Dough:
- Note: You can use 00 flour, whole-wheat flour, all purpose, or bread flour for this recipe. 00 pizza dough flour is my favorite.
- Add the flour and salt to a large bowl (stand mixer instructions in notes below) and mix together. Pour in the activated yeast mixture and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon.
- Pour the dough out onto the clean counter and begin to knead it. If the dough is sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time (I used about 1/4 cup or less) and knead until you have a smooth dough.
- You will know the dough is ready when you press down on it with a finger and the indent bounces back up slowly. I knead by hand for 8 to 10 minutes. If you don't know how to knead dough, watch this Youtube tutorial here: How to knead dough
- Once the dough is kneaded, shape it into a ball and oil it up with the olive oil. Place it in a big bowl and let it rest, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm dry place away from drafts. (This can be in a turned-off oven, microwave, or cupboard.) Let rest for about 1 1/2 hours, until the dough has tripled in size.
- When the dough has risen, remove the plastic wrap and punch it down in the middle so it deflates. Place the dough on the counter and divide into four equal pieces.
- Roll each piece into a ball and start to roll out the pizzas one by one. I take a dough ball, flatten it with my hands and begin to stretch out the dough gently with my fingers, rotating it around.
- If you don't know how to gently stretch dough with your hands you can skip this step, grab a rolling pin, and roll it as thin as possible, making sure you rotate the rolling pin in all directions. Be sure to lightly flour the dough and rolling pin, if the dough gets sticky.
- Roll out all four pizzas as thin as possible and set them aside. You can set them on a big baking dish or kitchen towel that is sprinkled with flour. You can also set them on parchment paper.
Baking Method:
- Note: before you start, make sure you have all the toppings of choice ready.
- Preheat a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat (my skillet is 11 inches). Preheat the oven to broil. Place one pizza dough in the hot skillet and immediately (carefully) add the toppings. Spoon on your favorite pizza sauce, distributing it evenly with the back of a spoon, leaving a small border for the crust.
- Add the grated cheeses. When the pizza is charred on the bottom (lift it up with a spatula and check), transfer it onto a baking dish or sheet lined with parchment paper and place it in the oven on BROIL (top burner only), until it's melty and charred.
- I put the pizza on the second highest rack to prevent the parchment paper from burning. Watch the pizza the whole time as it can quickly burn. Mine takes about 5 minutes (sometimes less).
- Note: if you have an oven-safe skillet, you do not need to transfer the pizza onto a baking sheet, you can put the skillet in the oven IF it's oven-safe and safe to put under the broiler.
- Remove the pizza from the oven, top with basil, slice and enjoy!
Notes
Using a stand mixer: If you’re using the stand mixer you can do everything in one bowl by activating the yeast in the mixer bowl, then adding the flour and salt and mixing the dough with the dough hook attachment on low speed until it’s kneaded and smooth. If the dough is sticky and not pulling away from the sides, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The kneading should take 6 to 8 minutes on medium-low speed.
Can I use store-bought dough: absolutely! buy a nice pizza dough from an Italian bakery and make it the same way to save time 🙂
How to freeze pizza dough? After the dough has risen and punched back: divide the dough into your preferred portion sizes, wrap loosely in cling film and seal each ball of dough tightly in a freezer bag. When you want to prepare a pizza, thaw the dough overnight in the fridge, or for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature, then roll out and bake as per my instructions above.
Can I make this pizza gluten-free? I have not tried but it should absolutely work with 1-to-1 all-purpose gluten-free flour. My favorite flour is by Caputo and they have an amazing pizza dough recipe on the back of their GF flour pack linked here Caputo Fioreglut (1kg) – Italian Gluten Free Flour
Can I use any yeast?: Yes you can but if you use instant yeast you do not need to activate it, as the grains are super fine. Simply add all the dough ingredients to a bowl all at once. If you use quick rise, it will cut down the rise time so keep an eye on it. You can also use FRESH yeast which would be 21 grams total.
If you use parchment paper make sure you don’t place the tray too close to the top burners as the paper can start to burn. I always place the oven rack on the second highest level.
The water must be warm in order to activate the yeast — not hot, not cold. The water needs to be between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit (37 to 43 degrees Celsius). If the water is too hot or too cold the yeast will not activate.
Make sure the yeast is not OLD nor EXPIRED.
For precise measurement, always scoop the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon and level off the flour with a knife, discarding the excess before adding it to the bowl.
You CAN use 00 flour, whole-wheat flour, or bread flour for this recipe. 00 pizza dough flour is my favorite.
My favorite pizza sauce is by Rao’s and linked in both my Amazon stores:
Rao’s pizza sauce USA: Rao’s Homemade Classic Pizza Sauce
Rao’s pizza sauce Canada: Rao’s Pizza Sauce
Tried this recipe?Mention @themodernnonna or tag #themodernnonna!
12 Responses
I have been following you on insta for quite some time. Have re created many of your recipes. This one however I had to share because my husband stated to me it was the best pizza I have made him so far! Lol I used my new our place cast iron pan and it came out super delicious! Nice char on the stove top and a nice crispy cheesy crust in the oven. Thank u for the delicious recipe!
AHHHHHH this comment made me so happy! So glad it was and I am proud of you for making it. Thank you for trusting me
As I am writing this note, I am making the Pizza dough x2. Getting all the toppings ready and will post the end result which I am confident will turn out Amazing. p.s just the dough smells amazing
Hope you loved it Rose 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve been following you and making your recipes for a while now, but stumbled across this particular recipe today. We had to give it a try tonight. My husband and I loved it! We are once a week pizza makers and have tried many recipes, but this one tops them all! It was fantastic!
That makes me so happy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
What happens if I just bake this and skip the stove top step?
The stovetop part of the method helps get a nice brown-speckled crust that is chewy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Ok, so I just want to say that I ended up trying this recipe and I’m floored with the results. I couldn’t believe how perfect this dough came out. I’ve always been so scared/intimidated by working with yeast but this recipe was great. I made it with all purpose flour, next time I will try the 00 and see what/if there’s a difference.
Also, I was super worried about cooking the pizza in a pan first, but it was much easier and smoother than I thought. I can’t imagine making pizza any other way now! Thank you for this recipe!
This makes me SO happy to hear Lena! I’m so glad this came out well for you.
So I just want you to know that this is my new go to pizza dough recipe. I won’t even waste my time with anything else. It turned out amazing. I was so nervous about putting the dough on the stovetop first but it was really easy. Thank you so much for this easy and delicious recipe!
This makes me so happy Lena! Thank you for the amazing comment!