Easy Bread Flour Pizza Dough

4.06 from 136 votes

Easy Bread Flour Pizza Dough

This Easy Bread Flour Pizza Dough recipe quickly comes together using just 5 ingredients. The best choice for Italian-style pizza, bread flour always produces light, chewy, and irresistibly soft homemade pizza dough. You’ll never go back to all purpose flour again!

Prep Time5

Resting Time30

Total Time35

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: 30 minute meal, baking, breads, homemade dough, pizza

Servings: pizza doughs

Calories: 925kcal

Author: Lena Gladstone

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup warm water between 110-115°F
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 ¼ teaspoons yeast 1 active dry yeast packet
3 ½ cup bread flour or use Tipo "00" Extra Fine Flour

Instructions

Using a Kitchaid stand mixer: Add 1 ¼ cup warm water into the mixer bowl, sprinkle in the yeast. Stir to combine. Let bloom for five minutes, covered.
Tip: Check the expiration date on your yeast packet. If yeast turns foamy, continue with the process or toss and start over with new yeast if it doesn't foam.
Mix the dough: In the mixer bowl with yeast and water, add olive oil, salt, and flour. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on low. If too sticky, add additional flour one tablespoon at a time. Let the mixer knead for 7 minutes on low.
Rest the dough: Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap in a warm place and let it rest for at least 30-60 minutes. The dough will double in size. You can transfer the dough into a bolw with a teaspoon of olive oil and let it rest there if you are making mroe than one dough ball.
Prep the dough: After rising, remove from the bowl and divide into two equal size pieces. Use the dough immediately for your favorite pizza recipe or store in a loosely covered container in the fridge for up to three days. You can also freeze the dough. See notes for freezing and defrosting instructions.

Notes

Freezing Dough: You can freeze the dough in plastic bags for up to a month if you make it ahead.

Defrosting: To defrost, place dough in the fridge for a day, then let it come to room temperature on the counter with a little flour, covered with a damp towel for at least 30-60 minutes.

To make homemade pizza: Stretch the dough for your pizzas by hand. To bake, add sauce and toppings, then bake at 500 degrees for 9-12 minutes, depending on how thick your pizza is.

No equipment? No problem

If you're kneading pizza dough by hand, plan on about 8–12 minutes of active kneading.

Here's what to look for instead of watching the clock:

Mix the dough until no dry flour remains.
Let it rest for 15-20 minutes (this autolyse step makes hand-kneading much easier).
Knead using a push-fold-turn motion for about 8–12 minutes.

The dough is ready when:

It feels smooth and elastic rather than rough.
It springs back slowly when poked.
It can pass the windowpane test: stretch a small piece between your fingers. If it forms a thin, translucent membrane without tearing, the gluten is developed.

For higher-hydration pizza dough (65–75% hydration)

Instead of kneading continuously, use stretch-and-folds:

Mix dough.
Rest 20 minutes.
Perform 4 sets of stretch-and-folds every 20–30 minutes.
Then let it rise.

This method is often easier than traditional kneading and can produce excellent pizza crust with less effort.

Nutrition