Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe with Freezing Tips

Skip the pizza delivery this week and let me show you how to make this easy recipe for homemade pizza dough that also includes easy freezing tips. Use my homemade tomato sauce to for a perfect tasting recipe everyone will love.

This recipe I'm sharing with you today is a very traditional pizza recipe. I have a few other pizza recipes here on the site that you will love as well, a few are homemade like the Beer Dough Pizza Recipe and a few are semi-homemade like the Pizza Braid Recipe that starts out with a refrigerator pizza dough.

A Family Tradition

My family loves homemade pizza. Maybe it's because my grandmother made the very best pizza...ever. When we would make the trip out to Ohio from New York to visit with my grandmother, my sister and I would call her up and put in our requests for her homemade pizza.

I can't even tell you how many pizzas she would make for our visit. All I know is her freezer was full and we had pizza every single day during our visits.

Grandma would make her own dough and put the pizzas together with sauce, cheese and all the toppings, however, she wouldn't, bake them. They were wrapped, labeled and frozen. They were the original "frozen pizza" and they were amazing.

Unicook Large Pizza Stone 20 Inch, RectangularMore InformationWeber Gourmet BBQ System Pizza Stone withMore InformationThermoPro TP03 Digital Instant Read Meat ThermometerMore InformationReynolds Kitchens Cookie Baking Sheets, Pre-Cut ParchmentMore Information

 

Main Ingredients Needed

This is an overview of the ingredients and instructions. Be sure to see the recipe card below for exact quantities, detailed instructions and special notes.

• Active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water; 105 - 110 degrees
• All purpose flour
• Olive oil
• Salt
• White sugar

Directions

Step 1 | How to make the Dough

• In a small bowl, add the yeast to the 1 cup of warm water. Use a digital meat thermometer to make sure the water is somewhere between 105 and 110 degrees. Stir and set aside for about 5 minutes to proof.
• I like to put a plate over the bowl which helps capture the heat of the water and grow the yeast. When the yeast starts to get bubbly and foamy, it’s ready. 

Step 2 | How to form the dough

• In the bowl of a KitchenAid Mixer, add the salt, sugar and olive oil with the dough hook attached. Then add the proofed yeast to the bowl as well.
• Begin by adding one cup of flour while the mixer is on low speed until it is combined with the wet ingredients. Then add the second cup of flour.
• The mixture should start to come together into a ball that is just a bit sticky.
• Set a timer for 5 minutes and let the machine continue to mix or knead the dough on low speed.
• If the dough starts sticking to the sides of the mixer, add a little more flour. After 5 minutes you should have a nice smooth ball of dough that is slightly tacky and springs back when you poke it.

Step 3 | Let the Dough Rise

• Now, add a little oil to another clean bowl and swirl it around so it covers the sides of the bowl. Add the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm area until the dough has doubled in size; about 1 to 2 hours.
• Look how much the dough has grown within two hours! That's the power of yeast. This dough is ready to divide and make into pizza.

• After the dough has risen, lightly “punch the dough” and then turn it out on a floured surface to prepare for pizza or you can freeze the dough at this point.

Step 4 | How to Make Pizza

• For this traditional pizza dough, I chose to make it into a rectangle shape, because that's how my grandmother always made her pizzas. You can choose to bake your pizza on a pizza stone or baking trays.
• If you choose to use a pizza stone, you need to preheat it for about 30 minutes in a 435 degree oven. Be careful when removing it from the oven because it will be very hot.
• Spread out the dough into a rectangle shape.  You can do this with a rolling pin; or just use your hands.  I like to use my hands to stretch and shape the dough, my hubby likes to use a rolling pin. It’s really up to you.
• Spread the marinara sauce on top followed by cheese and your favorite pizza toppings.

Step 5 | Baking Instructions

• Place the baking tray or pizza stone in the preheated 435 degree oven and bake for about 15 to 18 minutes or until the pizza crust is browned and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Can you freeze store bought pizza dough?

• If for some reason you don't feel like making this easy recipe, you can freeze store bought pizza dough as well. I've frozen purchased pizza dough from my local pizza restaurant, grocery store and even Walmart. They all defrost nicely and bake delicious pizza.

Can you freeze homemade pizza dough?

• Yes! This recipe will make two loaves of pizza dough and I always make one pizza for dinner and freeze the other one for a later time.
• I've even made a few recipes of homemade pizza dough in one day to freeze them all for a later time...especially when the kids will be coming home. It's always good to have homemade pizza dough in the freezer when my kids are coming home for a visit.

This recipe will make two loaves of pizza dough.  You can use them both for dinner or you can make one pizza and freeze the other dough for another time. 

• After you have divided the dough into the 2 equal parts, you can place the dough rounds on a parchment or waxed paper lined baking sheet.
• Place the baking sheet into the freezer and flash freeze the dough for about 30 minutes.

• Remove the dough rounds from the baking sheet and wrap individually in either plastic wrap or parchment paper.
• Place each dough round into a large freezer safe plastic bag and freeze for up to two months.
• When you are ready to use, take the frozen dough round out of the freezer and let it come to room temperature.
• Once defrosted, prepare the pizza as instructed below.

Ready for more great pizza recipes?

• Homemade Pizza Dipping Sauces - I had no clue dipping sauces were so popular until I tasted them a few years ago. These sauces are amazing!
• Mini Pizza Appetizers - use cookie cutters to cut out adorable shapes to make cute mini pizzas for parties, bridal showers or movie night with the family.
• Bacon and Spinach Alfredo Pizza - a new delicious twist on pizza made with a refrigerator pizza dough.

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This recipe has been updated since it first appeared in 2017 with new photos and a new printable recipe card that includes nutritional information. I hope you enjoy the updates as much as I enjoyed working on them!