The Best Pizza Crust Recipe

Friday pizza night is a regular thing at our house. We often turn it into family night and play games or watch a movie together. Homemade pizza is such an easy and fun thing to make with your children and it is SO much tastier than anything you can eat out. With so many variations for crust, sauce, meat, and veggies the options are literally endless.

In this post I will share my favorite pizza crust recipe, plus all of my tips and tricks for making the most delicious pizza at home.

What are the ingredients in the pizza crust?

All-purpose flour – White flour gives this pizza crust a soft, airy texture similar to any hand-tossed pizza crust you would get in a restaurant.

Whole wheat flour- I really love to add a couple cups of fresh milled whole wheat flour to this crust recipe. It adds a little extra texture and chewiness, plus helps give the crust some structure to hold lots of toppings.

Yeast – Yeast is the leavening agent in this crust that will give it that light and fluffy texture.

Salt – Enhances flavor, a necessity in any bread recipe.

Water – The moisture in this recipe that brings it all together.

That’s it! Five ingredients, four if you choose to do all white flour.

How do you make the crust?

The crust recipe is super simple to throw together. Really. No kneading involved. I throw all the ingredients together in a a bowl and mix. It will be super wet and sticky and feel like it needs more flour, but resist that temptation. This is not a stiff dough that will needs lots of kneading and rolling.

Once the dough is mixed up, I let it rise for 1-2 hours in a warm space. It will get nice and puffy and then you know it is ready to use.

What is the secret to the perfect crust?

Okay, here’s where the magic happens. The perfect crust, in my opinion, comes from baking your pizza on a preheated stone AND brushing the crust with melted butter and garlic. More on that later.

How do I bake the pizza?

If you don’t have a pizza stone, no worries, you can still make delicious pizza, it will just turn out slightly different.

Pizza stone – If you have a pizza stone, preheat your oven to 500 degrees. 15-20 minutes before you are ready to bake your pizza, go ahead and put the stone in the oven to preheat. Placing your pizza on a preheated stone means that it will start to bake the moment you put it on the stone and gives you a beautiful, crispy crust, without over-baking or burning it.

Aluminum or stainless steel pans – If you don’t have a pizza stone, you will NOT preheat your pan. Simply preheat your oven to 450 degrees and place your pizza directly on the pan and into the oven.

What toppings go on the pizza?

This is my favorite thing about pizza, the sky is the limit. Classic marinara sauce is always delicious, but you could also try barbecue, alfredo, or even butter sauce!

Meat options are also varied, but some of our favorites are pepperoni, sausage, bacon, and ground beef.

We love all the veggies on our pizza! Onions, green peppers, mushrooms, and olives are our favorites, but we also love a good margarita pizza with fresh tomatoes, spinach, and basil.

What is the process for making the pizza?

We have already talked about how to make the dough and after it has risen, you will be ready to make up your pizza. This crust requires no pre-baking. Place a sheet of parchment paper on your counter or work surface and dust it with flour, cornmeal, salt, and oregano. Plop your dough onto the parchment paper, coat your hands liberally in flour, and slowly push the dough out into your desired shape and size. This crust rises quite a bit, so make it thinner than you think you need.

Add your sauce, cheese, and toppings. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, oregano, and red paper flakes.

Place directly on your hot stone or baking sheet and place in the oven. Pizza will bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and crust is cooked through.