Homemade Pizza Crust Recipe

Whisk the warm water, yeast, and granulated sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Add the olive oil, salt, and flour. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 3 to 4 minutes. The dough can be a little too heavy for a mixer to knead it so use the mixer on low speed instead.

After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with a finger – if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading.

Lightly grease a large bowl with oil– just use the same bowl you used for the dough. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel.

Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes or until double in size.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Allow it to heat for at least 15 to 20 minutes as you shape the pizza. Lightly grease baking sheet or pizza pan with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal.

When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough in half.

On a lightly floured work surface using lightly floured hands or rolling pin, gently flatten the dough into a disc. Place on prepared pan and, using lightly floured hands, stretch and flatten the disc into a 12-inch circle. 

Lift the edge of the dough up to create a lip around the edges. Simply pinch the edges up to create the rim. If using a pizza stone, place the dough directly on the baker’s peels dusted with cornmeal.

Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for a few minutes as you prepare your pizza toppings.

To prevent the filling from making your pizza crust soggy, brush the top lightly with olive oil. Using fingers, push dents into the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Top with toppings and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Slice hot pizza and serve immediately.