I’ve been making and refining homemade pizza for decades, and this simple New York pizza dough recipe is my family’s favorite. It takes about 10 minutes to mix together, and then the dough rises over a few hours into a beautifully light, flavorful crust.
If you’ve been searching for a dependable homemade pizza dough that’s easy to make and tastes better than pizza delivery, you’re going to love this recipe.
The finished pizza has it all: a crisp edge, a soft and chewy interior, and a thin center that’s sturdy enough to fold just like a classic New York slice!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: The dough comes together in about 10 minutes with six simple ingredients.
- Better than takeout: Fresh, homemade pizza has the best flavor, and costs much less than delivery.
- Customizable: Top it with your favorite sauce, cheeses, meats, and vegetables to create endless pizza combinations.
- Versatile: Use the dough for calzones, stromboli, garlic knots, breadsticks, and more.
- Freezer-friendly: Make an extra batch and freeze the dough. You’ll be able to make a quick homemade pizza faster than waiting for delivery!
Ingredients Notes
Are you a visual learner? Here’s a photo of exactly what you’ll need to make this pizza dough:
Bread flour: Bread flour gives this dough the chewy texture and sturdy structure that makes New York-style pizza so satisfying. Its higher protein content develops more gluten than all-purpose flour, creating a crust that’s crisp on the outside and pleasantly chewy inside.
Sugar: A small amount of sugar feeds the yeast and helps the dough rise. It also encourages the crust to brown beautifully in the oven without making the dough taste sweet.
Extra virgin olive oil: Olive oil adds flavor, tenderness, and just enough richness to the dough. It also helps create a crisp, golden crust while keeping the inside soft and chewy.
Fine sea salt: Salt does much more than season the dough. It strengthens the gluten, helps control the yeast during fermentation, and enhances the overall flavor of the finished crust. Fine sea salt dissolves quickly and mixes evenly throughout the dough.
Instant dry yeast: Yeast is what gives the dough its rise and light, airy texture. Be sure your yeast is fresh for the best results. You’ll activate it in warm water before mixing it with the remaining ingredients.
Water: Warm water “wakes up” the yeast and brings the dough together. Aim for water that’s about 105°F to 110°F—warm to the touch but not hot, which can damage the yeast.
Equipment Needed
You can easily make this dough by hand if you like, with just a mixing bowl, using your hands to knead the dough.
If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, it’s even easier.
To home-cook the pizza, I use a simple round 16-inch aluminum pan. You can add a pizza stone in your oven for more even baking if you like. You’ll also need a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to cut the homemade pizza.
A Note About Weighing Flour
My inexpensive home office postal scale does double duty as a kitchen scale!
To weigh your bread flour, put the mixing bowl on the scale first, and then turn on the power so the scale doesn’t weigh the bowl.
Next, add flour until it reaches the correct weight — in this case, 1 pound or 16 ounces of flour.
Step by Step Instructions
STEP ONE: Add the flour, sugar, salt and yeast to a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer bowl and mix to combine.
STEP TWO: Combine the olive oil and warm (105°F to 110°F) water, and drizzle it in the mixture while the mixer is running on low until the dough comes together. (If you’re making it by hand, stir with a large spoon or your hands until combined.)
STEP THREE: Put the dough hook in your stand mixer and mix on medium for 5 minutes. Or knead the dough on a floured work surface for 5 minutes.
STEP FOUR: Lightly coat the dough with olive oil and place it in a large bowl or airtight container, leaving enough room for it to expand as it rises. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a lid, and let rise at room temperature until dough doubles in size, about 4 hours.
STEP FIVE: Divide the dough in half. Shape each in a slightly flattened round ball. You’re now ready to shape the dough into pizzas!
To Make an Easy New York Style Pizza
This blog is about simple living, so I’m going to teach you how to easily shape and bake a NY style pizza pie that will make your whole family happy.
(Here are the extensive directions to make a “real” New York pizza. Also a shout-out to Leite’s Culinaria’s overnight pizza dough, which uses a different technique but inspired my recipe.)
Preheat your oven to 550 degrees F. (If your oven only heats to 500 degrees F, that’s okay – you’ll just bake it a little longer.)
I use an everyday round metal pizza pan for baking. It’s easy to shape the pizza right on the pan, and the bottom gets perfectly browned. You can use a pizza stone with a peel if you prefer.
Put the dough ball in the middle of the pan, and gently stretch and press it in the pan, making it slightly thicker on the edge for the crust.
Spread with pizza sauce (I used about 1 1/4 cups of my easy homemade pizza sauce).
You can top it with shredded cheese for a cheese pizza, or also add your favorite pizza toppings. (Here are 75+ pizza topping ideas!)
Bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted. In our home oven, this takes about 8 to 10 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack, cut in slices and serve. One large pizza makes 8 slices.
Storing and Freezing
You can store unbaked pizza dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The slow, cold fermentation will actually help the dough develop a richer flavor and chewier texture than a same-day rise. (For a true prefermented dough with tons of flavor, check out our Poolish Pizza Dough recipe.)
When you’re ready to make pizza, remove the dough from the fridge about an hour before shaping so it can come to room temperature. If the dough has risen substantially, gently press it down before stretching it into your pizza crust.
To freeze pizza dough, divide the dough into two equal portions and shape each into a smooth ball. Lightly coat each ball with olive oil, then place it in a freezer-safe zip-top bag or airtight container, removing as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To thaw frozen pizza dough, transfer the bag or container to the refrigerator the day before you plan to use it and let it thaw overnight. About 30 to 60 minutes before baking, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature before shaping.
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New York Pizza Dough Recipe
Equipment
- stand mixer with dough hook (optional)
- large cutting board or work surface
- round pizza pan 16 inch
- Pizza Cutter or sharp knife
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 16 ounces bread flour about 3 3/4 cups, plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 1/4 cups water 105°F to 110°F (warm but not hot)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus extra for greasing the bowl
For the pizza:
- 1 1/4 cups pizza sauce
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- To make the pizza dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread flour, sugar, salt, and yeast, and mix for 30 seconds to combine.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the warm water and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. With the mixer running, slowly pour the mixture in until a ball of dough forms.
- Put the dough hook on the mixer and knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes, until smooth. Alternately, you can knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured board until smooth.
- Transfer the oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit at room temperature until dough doubles in size – about 4 hours.
- Divide in half and smooth into two round balls. Use to shape and bake pizzas, or refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months to use later.
To Make and Bake a Pizza:
- Preheat the oven to 550°F. If your oven reaches only 500°F, increase the baking time slightly.
- Shape the dough: Place the dough ball in the center of a pizza pan. Gently stretch and press the dough toward the edges, leaving the outer edge slightly thicker to form the crust.
- Add toppings: Spread the dough with pizza sauce, leaving a small border around the edge. Add your favorite toppings and shredded cheese.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Baking time may vary depending on your oven.
- Cool and serve: Transfer the pizza to a wire rack and let cool briefly. Slice into 8 pieces and serve warm. Store leftovers tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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Eliza Cross is the creator of Happy Simple Living, where she shares ideas to help busy people simplify cooking, gardening, holidays, home, and money. She is also the award-winning author of 17 cookbooks, including Small Bites and 101 Things To Do With Bacon.
