This homemade quick and easy pizza dough can be thrown together in just 15 minutes and be ready for your favorite toppings. It is our go-to recipe for Saturday pizza nights!

Who loves pizza? THIS girl. Who doesn’t have time for homemade pizza? THIS GI–… actually. I’ve got 15 minutes. 😉
Saturday pizza night makes me happy. The boys play video games. Or sit out on the back patio chatting, while Alli and I prep pizza toppings. We interrupt sentences with “1 cup” . . . “2 cups” . . . “3 cups” . . . because it is too easy to lose track of how much flour I’ve added to the dough when so-and-so is dating whats-his-face and did you hear Disney is changing Splash Mountain?
You know. The important stuff.
We eat pizza. And we talk. We eat more pizza and watch the squirrels terrorize the dogs. And we talk some more. We run this loop on repeat until twilight sets. And somehow–somewhere between the stringy cheese pulls and the extra jalapenos–the stress that has built up through the week fades and is replaced by a peaceful, happy calm.




How do you make pizza dough from scratch?
This pizza dough recipe uses pantry staples: water, sugar, yeast, oil, flour, and salt. I’m bad at thinking ahead and pizza cravings tend to hit hard. So this recipe uses rapid-rise or fast-acting yeast, in order to expedite the pizza dough situation.
I typically knead this pizza dough by hand, since it only needs a couple minutes of kneading. But you’re welcome to use your mixer and dough hook if you prefer.
Do you have to bake pizza dough before adding toppings to it?
You do not have to. But I recommend pre-baking homemade pizza crust for five minutes if you want it nice and crispy. If you top it without pre-baking, then you run the risk of your toppings getting extra crispy (too crispy) before the pizza dough is where you want it.
What is the best sauce for homemade pizza?
All of our pizza nights include homemade pizza dough and sauce–this is my favorite homemade pizza sauce recipe. It is a traditional red sauce that is perfect for homemade margherita or hawaiian pizza.
Some other sauce ideas include a garlic white sauce (ranch dressing + minced garlic), cajun white sauce (ranch dressing + cajun seasoning), or BBQ sauce.

mikaela | wyldflour
2 12"-16" Pizza Crusts
Serves 16
This quick and easy pizza dough is my go-to recipe for pizza night!
15 minPrep Time
15 minCook Time
30 minTotal Time
Ingredients
- 1 cup hot water (no more than 130 degrees Fahrenheit)
- 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) rapid-rise or quick-acting yeast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour + 1/4 cup for kneading
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 2 pizza pans at least 12" in diameter and set aside.
- Add water and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the water and let sit for 5 minutes, until a creamy-looking foam layer has formed on the top of the water.
- Add olive oil, salt, and 3 cups flour and stir until the dough starts to come together into a cohesive ball. Using floured hands, pull the dough off the spoon and use your hands to fully gather the dough ball together. Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes, adding flour to your hands or sprinkling over the dough to prevent excessive sticking. The dough should start to become more smooth and pliable.
- Divide the dough in half, form each half into a ball, and place each ball in the middle of the pizza pan. Use your hands to press the pizza dough into a circle that is 12"-16" in diameter. (A 12" crust will be thicker, while a 16" crust will be thinner.) Use a fork to prick the crust all over (a lot) to reduce the chance of bubbles. Pre-bake the crust for 5 minutes.
- After pre-baking the crust, top it with your desired sauce, mozzarella, and toppings and bake for 10-15 minutes.
Notes
If you only have one pizza pan, it's perfectly fine to let one dough ball sit in the bowl until the second pizza is done baking. Then let the pan cool and use your hands to spread the second dough into a crust!
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