Quick Pizza Dough

ByHeather Tullos
234 Comments
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Easy from-scratch quick pizza dough that's ready to bake in just 10 minutes! This 10 Minute Pizza Dough turns homemade pizza-making into a quick meal for everyone to enjoy!

10 Minute Pizza Dough

UPDATE January 2018: WOWWWWWW. This recipe has been printed hundreds of thousands of times since I originally published it in October 2013.

This recipe is STILL a favorite in our house - we use this easy pizza dough almost weekly! The comments are full of tips and tricks from readers that have tried this recipe and make it nearly as much as I do.

If you have tried this Quick Pizza Dough - ready in 10 minutes and made from scratch I'd love to hear from you!

10 Minute Pizza Dough

[original post text follows]

I was talking to my mom on the phone a week or so ago and she was getting ready for they boys to come visit. She asked about what dinners would make them happy -- I think she was worried that they might have some kind of fancy food preferences because I use them as recipe guinea pigs all the time.

Truth be told though, my kids are just like all the other kids. They want tacos, chicken fingers, burgers, and pizza.

For all my Figgy Chicken and Creamy Chicken, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Soups, they would probably be happy with those 4 foods in rotation for all of eternity.

If we are being real here I could probably survive on pizza and tacos without much trouble.(shhh. That's a secret.)

How to Make 10 Minute Pizza Dough From Scratch

I make homemade pizza about once a week, mostly because I'm cheap and know that I can make dough for about 42 cents, and then cover it with cheese and leftovers and my kids are none the wiser (also a secret).

But after talking to my mom I realized that homemade pizza dough can seem sort of daunting and intimidating if you don't do it all the time.

And most recipes call for like 2 hours of rising and 10 minutes of kneading, and it's pretty much way easier to just pick up the phone and wait for pizza delivery while you check homework or watch TV.

So today I am sharing with you my favorite shortcut - quick pizza dough that is ready to bake in 10 minutes. You can have homemade pizza on the table in 20 minutes flat, and I don't know about you, but I can't get anyone to deliver here that fast (I actually can't get ANYONE to deliver here so maybe I'm out of touch, but seriously -- 20 minutes start to eat is pretty good, right?).

Do I need to knead quick pizza dough?

Yes. But I broke this recipe down into a few super easy steps. And this dough you only have to knead just a LITTLE. 

  1. Stir together the ingredients to form a shaggy dough ...
  2. Throw the dough on the counter and knead for 4-ish minutes.
  3. Add more flour if things are too sticky...
  4. Stretch the dough onto a well-floured surface. Sometimes I make circle pizzas. Sometimes they look like blobs. No one cares. They taste good.
  5. Put all your toppings on the pizza. If you want to be fancy, this Kale Pesto is soooooooooo good on pizza. Just an idea.
  6. Bake the pizza.EAT THE PIZZA.

10 Minute Pizza Dough Recipe

Do I need special equipment to make 10 Minute Pizza Dough?

Nope! I actually really pride myself on developing recipes that only require the bare minimum of basic kitchen necessities. So you can bake this pizza right on a baking sheet (or on the back of a baking sheet!). But if you have the items available (or are just looking to expand your kitchen repertoire), for this 10 Minute Pizza Dough Recipe you can use:

How to Make Homemade Pizza Dough Fast

Can I Make This Pizza Dough Ahead of Time?

You can, but I want to caveat this heavily. 

If you are serving a crowd and want to just BE PREPARED, you can definitely make this dough ahead, but instead of letting it quick rise covered with a towel ON the stove where it should be warm from the preheated oven, you should keep it in a cooler, drier place (like the countertop), and move it to the stove a few minutes before you are ready to shape it. 

This dough works best when you make it and bake it within the hour. If you are looking for a dough you can make a day or so ahead and then refrigerate, I'll suggest my Copycat Mellow Mushroom Pizza Dough, linked below. 

Wanna try your hand at other From Scratch Pizza Recipes?

You are definitely gonna want to try these.

A slice of pizza with Copycat Mellow Mushroom Pizza Dough

Chicken Cordon Blue Pizza

Copycat Mellow Mushroom Pizza Dough! This is my homemade version of my FAVORITE restaurant pizza dough. Obviously it takes longer than 10 minutes but it's SO worth it.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza. Chicken! Ham! CHEESE CHEESE AND MORE CHEESE. This is an amazing pizza recipe. So you are gonna want to try it. 

10 Minute Pizza Dough Recipe
Yield: 2 (12") Pizzas

Quick Pizza Dough

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

This Quick Pizza Dough comes together and is ready to bake in just 10 minutes; you can have fresh, hot, homemade pizza on the table in 20!!!

4.6 Stars (192 Reviews)

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup warm water *See Note*
  • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast (if you buy the little envelopes you will have some left over. Envelopes typically contain 2 ¼ teaspoons. Fold the remaining yeast up tightly and keep refrigerated for the next time)
  • 2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for kneading and dusting your work surfaces
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (less if you only have table salt handy)
  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
  • cornmeal (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. NOT BROIL. If you have a pizza stone, be sure it's in the oven before you turn it on (This prevents is from cracking). If you are not using a pizza stone you can use the back of a cookie sheet -- see instructions below.
  2. Pour the warm water in a large bowl. Add the yeast and let it sit for about a minute until it's looking a little foamy.
  3. Add the flour, sugar, salt, and olive oil. Stir to combine (I use a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon) and form a shaggy dough.
  4. Flour a clean work surface and dump the dough onto it. Knead the dough for about 4 minutes, incorporating any dry bits that weren't mixed in the bowl.
  5. Place the dough back in the bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel (I know the bowl is dirty; it's fine.). Put the bowl on top of the stove (the heat from the oven will make the dough more pliable) and let it sit for 5 minutes.
  6. While you wait for the dough, get your pizza toppings ready -- grate your cheese, slice onions and peppers, etc.
  7. If you have a pizza peel, rub it with flour and dust with cornmeal (this prevents sticking). If you do not have a pizza peel you can use a wooden cutting board OR you can assemble and bake on THE BACK of a cookie sheet.
  8. Divide the dough in half (well-floured hands help) and stretch it carefully into a circle. I like a thinner crust so I just leave a slight lip around the edge of my circle and I stretch it pretty thin but this is all about preference (Note: thicker dough will take a little longer to cook).
  9. Place your circle on the peel/cutting board/cookie sheet you set up and add your toppings.
  10. If you are using the cookie sheet, place it right in the oven (middle rack) and bake for 10 minutes.
  11. If you heated a pizza stone in the oven, carefully slide your pizza off the peel or cutting board and onto the stone. Bake for 10 minutes (more if you opted for a thicker crust) or until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.
  12. Repeat with the second dough.
  13. EAT.

Notes

#1 - I always test my water temp by sticking my fingers under the faucet and letting the water run -- you are looking for just barely warm (I read once to think of a baby's bath water if that gives you a reference point). Too hot will kill the yeast and too cold won't activate it. Your packaging should have a recommended temperature if you're nervous about this.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

2
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 197Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 344mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 5g
© Heather Tullos
Cuisine: American / Category: Pizza

More Pizza

234 Comments

  2. Hi Heather, in my search to find another pizza dough recipe I came across yours, and while I couldn't believe what I read, "10 minute pizza dough from scratch" I knew I had to attempt my hand at this recipe, as nothing speaks to me more profoundly than making food from scratch. With that being, minutes later I was in the kitchen taking out the ingredients, measuring the 1tsp of yeast (quite skeptical about the amount) and watching it settle. As I proceeded to add the remainder of the ingredients and slowly stir everything, I knew magic was about to happen, but no so much as what I saw in the oven as the crust rose turning a golden brown, the cheese bubbling and the pepperoni folding so slightly all around. The rest is set, this will be my go-to pizza recipe dough. Not only did it come together in the time indicated in the recipe, but the taste, crispy edges, and lightness to the dough reminded me altogether of the pizza made at one of the local restaurants close to home. I look forward to trying more of your recipes. Again, thank you for sharing this phenomenal recipe with us all.

    Reply

    1. Hi Zu! That was the nicest, most beautifully written review everrrrr. Thank you so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to write such a thoughtful response! So so happy you are enjoying it!

      Reply

  3. So quick and so yummy. The perfect thin crust and baked to perfection with slightly crisp cheese. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  4. Used your dough recipe tonight for dinner; first time ever making pizza. It was AWESOME! Husband really liked how it turned out. I made extra to freeze but he says he doesn't mind having pizza the rest of the week. Thanks so much!

    Reply

  5. This has been my go-to pizza crust recipe for a few months now! I make a double batch, then keep half of it in the fridge for a few days. It tastes awesome with some sun-dried tomato pesto, pizza sauce, and big slices of real mozzarella cheese on top! Thanks for such a tasty recipe.

    Reply

    1. Your pizza topping sound FANTASTIC Katherine! That's awesome that it keeps in the fridge! Good tip! Thank you so much for your feedback! I appreciate it!

      Reply

  6. I tried this last night (with half AP flour and half whole wheat) and it was great! I just threw everything into my stand mixer and let it go. I even managed to empty the dishwasher while it was kneading. Because you don't let it rise like a traditional pizza dough, it is lacking that developed yeast-dough flavor. However, I added some herbs to the crust and that helped it. I will definitely make this again when my pizza craving hits!

    Reply

  7. Gave this a try, so simple and easy, came out so good!! Will do it over and over again!! Thank you! Great recipe.

    Reply

  8. OH YES! this pregnant is happy making this today! I'm craving Alfredo pizza so this is perfect but i might make it with wheat flour

    Reply

    1. Wheat flour is gonna change the texture/rise a little. I'd recommend doing 1/2 all purpose and 1/2 whole wheat to start and then adjust from there. Let me know how you like it! Thanks Nisha!

      Reply

  9. Would this recipe work with a gluten free all purpose flour or almond flour? If I use coconut sugar would it still be a tsp? Thanks in advance. I am a nanny to to young girls, and we were going to have a pizza night using tortillas for the crust, but this recipe sounds so easy that I think they will even more fun making this crust 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hi Helena! I actually don't have much experience with gluten free flour but I have friend that often translates my recipes into gluten free and she might know! Her name is Michelle and you can find her here: http://mygluten-freekitchen.com/ (She responds pretty quickly to her contact form but I can usually get her on Facebook too!). I do know that coconut sugar is not going to be a 1:1 ratio in baking, but the sugar's main purpose in this recipe is to feed the yeast and make the dough pliable. I have tried it without the sugar but the salt kills the yeast and while the taste was there the texture wasn't. I scoped out a few other recipes for you but they seemed kind of cumbersome. If you are able to make this work for you and the girls I'd love to know so I can pass it on to my other gluten free readers. Thanks so much Helena!

      Reply

      1. Thank you. I will check with Michelle, and in the mean time I will try a one to one with the flour and use a little less coconut sugar. I will let you know how this turns out and how the girls do.. Thanks again for your response. 🙂

        Reply

        2. Hi, Helena: did you get a response from Michelle about a gluten-free version? I have a diabetic in the family, and I'd like to make it a little lighter on carbs without sacrificing taste.

          Reply

  10. I have one homemade pizza dough recipe but it takes about 2 hours, but ain't nobody got time for that. I NEED this 10 minute dough! See this is why we get along, I could survive on tacos, pizza....and Biscoff.

    Reply

    1. Seriously. No one has time for any of it! Hope you'll try this!
      Also. I forgot Biscoff on my list! What was I thinking?

      Reply

  11. 10 minutes is genius what a delicious pizza base 😀
    Now I can always fulfil my craving!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    Reply

  13. I love this, Heather! I adore making homemade pizza, but I hate the time that goes into making the dough from scratch. This is the perfect solution! 🙂

    Reply

    1. Thank you Carrie! I felt exactly the same way! I needed to cost to match the convenience. This recipe is a win for busy families!

      Reply

  14. LOVE this!! You always make me laugh when you talk about how your boys could live on pizza, tacos, burgers and chicken fingers. My son is the same way, except for the tacos. For some reason, he hates them. I tell him that he only thinks that he hates them, but he refuses to try them. I'm talking about an 18 year old here.... not a 10 year old!!

    I think I'm going to give this a try tonight. and then teach Mike how to make it. It would be perfect for him to throw a pizza together for himself... or better yet, for the family!!

    Thanks so much for sharing...this is awesome! Your photos are beautiful. I feel like I could reach right into my screen and grab a slice. Well done. 🙂

    Reply

    1. Thanks Prudy!!! I can't believe your son won't eat tacos! Mexican-inspired food is sooooo good!
      I hope you'll try this pizza dough -- it graces my table at least once a week! 🙂

      Reply

    1. Ten Minutes!!! It never fails me. I messed with this dough for forever and finally got something fast that works well & tastes really good!

      Reply

    2. Just made it....awesome dough/pizza. I messed up and forgot the oil but was still quick and good! Didn't realize til later while saving it to pintrest. Thanks for this great quick recipe.

      Reply

        1. I tried it tonight. Mine came out a little dry. Kinda like a cracker with pizza on it. I must have done something wrong.
          It was hard to stretch as well. Anysuggestions would be great.

          Reply

          1. Mine was dry when I first made it too. But instead of 3/4 cup of water I put 1 cup and it came out perfect and easy to work with stretching it too.

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