After years of making pizza at home here in Northern Italy, I've tested and published a dough recipe for nearly every craving, schedule, and flour you've got in the pantry. This is the one page that pulls them all together, so you can pick the right pizza dough in about thirty seconds and head straight to the full recipe.
Every dough below has been kneaded, fermented, stretched, and eaten more times than I can count, with Luca (my food-loving Italian and most critically honest taste-tester) weighing in on each one.
Some are authentic regional Italian, some are elevated American pizzeria doughs, and a couple are no-yeast doughs for when you want pizza on the table in twenty minutes flat without sacrificing flavor or texture (truly)!
📌 Bookmark this post: I'll be continually updating this roundup with new pizza dough recipes - Neapolitan, Roman pizza al taglio, Detroit-style, Chicago deep dish, and more are on the way!
Which Pizza Dough Should I Make?
The best pizza dough for you comes down to three things: the flour you have, how much time you've got, and the crust texture you're after. Here's a side-by-side look at every dough recipe so you can choose at a glance, then scroll down for the full details on each one.
| Dough | Best For | Flour | Yeast? | Active Time | Crust Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00 Flour Thin-Crust | Authentic crispy Italian pizza | Italian 00 | Yes | ~12 min | Thin & crispy |
| 00 Flour Thick-Crust | Pillowy hand-tossed pizzeria pizza | Italian 00 | Yes | ~15 min | Thick, airy, chewy |
| Bread Flour | Everyday pantry pizza, any topping load | Bread flour | Yes | ~25 min | Thin or thick |
| Whole Wheat | Healthier, nutty, less-refined crust | 100% whole wheat | Yes | ~12 min | Thin & crispy or thick |
| Half Whole Wheat & Half Bread Flour | Best of both: structure + fiber with less refined carbs | Half bread, half whole wheat | Yes | ~15 min | Thin or thick |
| St. Louis-Style Regular | Fastest pizza, cracker-thin | All-purpose or 00 | No | ~20 min total | Ultra-thin, crispy |
| St. Louis-Style Whole Wheat | Fastest healthier pizza, kid-approved | Whole wheat | No | ~20 min total | Ultra-thin, crispy, nutty |
| Pizza Fritta (Italian Fried) | No-oven pizza, crispy fried dough lovers | Italian 00 | Yes | ~15 min | Crispy outside, soft & airy inside |
| Pumpkin Focaccia Base | Quick seasonal fall pizza, leftover focaccia | 00 or all-purpose | Yes | ~10 min to assemble | Thick, airy bread base |
| Naan Base | Under 15-min pizza, kid-friendly | Bread or whole wheat | Yes | ~10 min to assemble | Soft flatbread base |
Short on time? Go with the no-yeast St. Louis-style dough. Want authentic Italian? Reach for either 00 flour dough and an overnight ferment in the fridge. Only have pantry staples? Bread flour is your very delicious friend.
Want something healthier? The whole wheat and half-and-half doughs are our most-made at home just because they actually taste amazing and are healthier.
The Best Pizza Dough Recipes
Each recipe below links to its complete post with step-by-step photos, make-ahead and freezing instructions, and all my best tips. Pick your dough and click through to get started.
1. 00 Flour Thin-Crust Pizza Dough
This is the dough I make most often at home when entertaining. Just five basic ingredients and about twelve minutes of hands-on kneading work give you that crispy-edged, tender-centered crust Italian pizzerias are known for.
The beauty of it is the silky, powder-fine 00 flour, which stretches without tearing and crisps beautifully even in a regular home oven at 482°F or higher.
Make it if: you want authentic Italian pizza and you've got a bag of Caputo or Barilla 00 flour. Get the 00 Flour Thin-Crust Pizza Dough recipe →
2. 00 Flour Thick-Crust (Hand-Tossed) Pizza Dough
This is the hand-tossed style you'll find in pizzerias all over Italy, and it starts from the same 00 flour base as the thin-crust, just shaped thicker and baked a touch longer. What surprises people is how light and digestible it is. There's no stodgy, bready heaviness here (ever). The secret is in the fermentation, the flour, and the yeast, and it gives you a crispy bottom with a soft, airy, satisfying interior.
Make it if: you love a pillowy hand-tossed crust with a proper puffy edge. Get the 00 Flour Thick-Crust Pizza Dough recipe →
3. Bread Flour Pizza Dough
Back when I was a private chef in NYC, King Arthur bread flour was my go-to for pizza, and it's still the recipe I reach for when I want great pizza from a flour most people already have. I recommend this as the best pizza dough for beginners because it's inexpensive and makes a great pizza.
The higher protein content builds a strong gluten network that holds up to any topping you pile on, and it makes either a crispy thin crust or a soft, chewy thick one. Cold-ferment it for a day or three, and the flavor gets even better.
Make it if: you want restaurant-quality pizza using everyday pantry flour. Get the Bread Flour Pizza Dough recipe →
4. Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
This is not your grandma's whole-wheat pizza. Made with 100% whole wheat flour and six simple ingredients, it bakes into a genuinely crispy thin crust with a natural nutty flavor in about eight minutes. I first developed it as a lower-sodium, less-processed option for my Mom when she was sick, and I was honestly stunned by how good it turned out.
Even living in Italy with great pizzerias nearby, this is the dough we make most often at home for its flavor and health benefits.
Make it if: you want a healthier, less-refined crust that still tastes incredible. Get the Whole Wheat Pizza Dough recipe →
5. Half Whole Wheat & Half Bread Flour Pizza Dough
This might be the Goldilocks of pizza dough. Half high-protein bread flour gives it structure and a great rise, while half whole wheat adds a nutty taste and extra fiber, so it's a little healthier and less refined without sacrificing big pizza flavor and texture. It works for thin or thick crust, and it's one of the doughs we keep coming back to especially if I'm running low on any one type of flour.
Make it if: you want structure and fiber in one dough. For now, the full recipe lives in the recipe card of my Best Pizza Toppings & Dough guide → (a dedicated post is on the way).
6. St. Louis-Style No-Yeast Pizza Dough
Hungry kids? When there's no time to wait on yeast, this is the dough to make. Ready in about twenty minutes start to finish, this no-yeast St. Louis-style dough bakes into a cracker-thin, super-crispy crust, like a Domino's cracker crust but better because you know exactly what's in it.
You can make it with all-purpose or 00 flour, and because there's no rise, you can shape it into any shape you like (heart-shaped pizza for Valentine's Day is always a hit).
Make it if: you want pizza fast and love a thin, crispy cracker crust, or want to make a specific-shaped pizza. Get the St. Louis-Style No-Yeast Pizza Dough recipe →
7. St. Louis-Style Whole Wheat No-Yeast Pizza Dough
All the speed of the original St. Louis-style no-yeast dough, with the nutty flavor and fiber of 100% whole wheat. It comes together in about twenty minutes, bakes into a crisp, thin square-cut crust, and your kids won't even notice it's healthy when they're wolfing it down.
This is one of my go-to weeknight pizzas when there's no time to wait on yeast, and I still want something better-for-you on the table that tastes indulgent.
Make it if: you want fast pizza and a healthier crust in the same recipe. Get the St. Louis-Style Whole Wheat No-Yeast Pizza Dough recipe →
Creative Pizza Bases (Beyond Traditional Dough)
Some of the best weeknight pizzas (especially the regional Italian kind) don't look like typical pizza at all! Some don't even start with pizza dough at all. When I want pizza in fifteen minutes, or I've got leftover bread to use up, these two bases do the trick.
8. Pizza Fritta (Abruzzese Italian Fried Pizza)
This Abruzzese fried pizza is crispy on the outside and impossibly soft and airy inside! It's for anyone who loves pizza, fried dough, or doesn't want to fuss with rolling out pizza dough or heating up the oven. It's seriously one of the best fried breads I've ever eaten.
Add your favorite pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings, or dress it up with burrata, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives (or anything you want).
9. Pumpkin Focaccia Pizza Base
Besides leftover Thanksgiving turkey pizza, homemade focaccia pizza is one of the best seasonal fall pizzas to make with leftovers. This light, airy Italian bread doubles as a quick, creative pizza base - just slice it in half, toast both sides under the broiler, sauce it, top it, and broil again until the cheese is melty and delicious. It's a fast way to get pizza on the table when you don't want to fuss with rolling and stretching dough.
Make it if: you want a quick seasonal fall pizza or have leftover focaccia to use up. Get the Pumpkin Focaccia recipe →
10. Naan Pizza Base
Naan pizza is the perfect way to use up leftover homemade flatbread, and you can get pizza on the table in under fifteen minutes, which means no fussy kids, no need to employ Chris Voss-style negotiation tactics to get them to eat, and the whole family eats the same thing. If your kids think pizza has to be round, shape the naan into circles when you make it.
Make it if: you want pizza in under 15 minutes using leftover flatbread. Get the original Naan recipe → OR, for an even healthier option, try my fluffy Whole Wheat Naan recipe →
How to Choose the Right Pizza Flour
Flour is the single biggest factor in how your crust turns out. Here's the quick version of what each one does, drawn from making all of these doughs over and over.
- Italian 00 flour: Ultra-fine milled flour, usually 11.5 to 13% protein. Stretches smoothly without tearing and crisps beautifully. The authentic choice for Italian-style pizza.
- Bread flour: High protein, typically 12 to 14%. Builds a strong, chewy gluten network that handles heavy toppings. The most accessible flour for great pizza.
- Whole wheat flour: Adds fiber, nutty flavor, and nutrition. Makes a surprisingly crisp thin crust when handled right. The thicker crust is not as delightfully chewy as 00 or bread flour, but it's still airy and light.
- All-purpose flour: Best for no-yeast, cracker-style crusts like St. Louis-style, where you don't need a big gluten structure. I never use regular AP flour to make pizza anymore.
Pizza Dough FAQ
The best flour depends on the crust you want. Italian 00 flour makes the most authentic crispy-tender Italian pizza, bread flour gives you a strong, chewy crust using a pantry staple, and 100% whole wheat makes a healthier, nutty thin crust. For fast no-yeast pizza, all-purpose flour works perfectly in a St. Louis-style dough.
Yes. A no-yeast St. Louis-style dough comes together in about 20 minutes from start to finish and bakes into a thin, crispy, cracker-like crust. Because there is no rise, you can shape it any way you like and have pizza on the table fast.
The 00 flour thin-crust dough is one of the easiest to start with, as well as the bread flour thin-crust dough, which both need just five ingredients and about twelve minutes of hands-on kneading work. If you want zero waiting, the no-yeast St. Louis-style dough is even simpler since there is no rise time at all.
Absolutely. All of the yeasted doughs here bake well in a regular home oven. The pizzas in these recipes were baked at 482°F on a preheated stone or steel, and they come out golden and crispy. Higher heat helps, but you do not need a 500°F (or higher) oven for really good results. That said, the higher your oven goes, the better the pizza will be. You can find out why in any of my individual pizza dough posts.
Yes, and it often tastes better that way. Most of these yeasted doughs can be cold-fermented in the fridge for one to three days for deeper flavor and superior digestibility, and they freeze well for three months or longer. Just thaw and bring to room temperature before shaping.
More Pizza Recipes
- Best Pizza Toppings & Pizza Dough Ultimate Guide w/Real Photos
- Thick-Crust Pizza (Fluffy 00 Flour Pizza Dough Recipe)
- Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce Recipe (With Video)
- Best Bread Flour Pizza Dough Recipe (5 Ingredients)
- Best Whole Wheat Pizza Dough Recipe (For Thin Crust Pizza)
- Best 00 Flour Pizza Dough Recipe (Thin-Crust, 5 Ingredients)
- Crispy Italian Fried Pizza (Easy Abruzzo Pizza Fritta)
- 20-Minute Valentine's Day Heart-Shaped Pizza
Kelly Leding says
All the pizza dough recipes you could ever want or need, all in one place, so you can still have a legitimately delicious family pizza night without the hefty price tag.