Homemade Garlic and Herb Pizza Dough Recipe – State of Dinner (2024)

This super simple homemade garlic and herb pizza dough recipe is so flavorful and makes a chewy, crispy crust. It's easy to make your own pizza dough at home! Just 5 minutes to mix together, about an hour to rest, and the dough is ready to bake!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

A great pizza begins with a delicious pizza crust! And I have found there are two ways to get a flavorful crust. One great way is to allow your pizza dough to slowly rise, which creates complexity in the flavor. If you have a few days before you need the pizza dough, check out my Cold Ferment Pizza Crust recipe.

But the other way is much faster! Begin with a flour-water ratio that delivers a great textured crust, and then add in a blend of herbs that accentuate the pizza's flavor. That's what this recipe will give you!

Pizza night should be easy, right? And that's exactly what this recipe is! Less than 10 minutes of hands-on time, and a pretty short rising period. You will have hot, fresh, and super tasty pizza in about an hour!

Ingredients

Bread Flour - This recipe uses bread flour to give the crust a really good chewiness, but you can substitute an equal amount of all-purpose flour if that is all you have on hand. The crust will be a little softer.

Active Dry Yeast - Instant yeast can also be used. It will have a slightly shorter rise time.

Italian Seasoning - You can use ½ teaspoon of oregano and ½ teaspoon of basil instead of the Italian seasoning.

Garlic - Fresh garlic has a little more flavor than garlic powder and is my preference in this recipe.

Water - It is important to use lukewarm water in this recipe. If it is too cold the yeast will not activate, and too hot can kill the yeast. 100-110°F is perfect!

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step One: Mix together the dry ingredients

• Place the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt into a large bowl.
• Stir with a spoon to mix these ingredients together.

Step Two: Add water and oil

• Pour the water and oil around the outer edge of the flour mixture, closest to the bowl.
• This will help it mix in properly as it spreads the liquid across the surface of the flour instead of making a puddle in one spot.

Step Three: Knead the dough

Stand Mixer Instructions:

• Place the dough hook attachment onto your electric mixer and turn it to low speed.
• The flour mixture will begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
• Once the dough forms, continue kneading for several minutes.

Hand Kneading Instructions

• Use a large spatula or spoon to fold the liquids into the flour mixture.
• Continue to fold until a ball of dough forms.
• Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead by folding one side in half over the other, turning, and repeating the motion.
• Knead for 4-5 minutes, until it becomes a soft dough.

Step Four: Let the dough rise

• Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil into the bottom of the bowl.
• Turn dough to coat with oil, and use the dough ball to wipe the oil around the surface of the bowl.
• Cover with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and place the bowl in a warm place.
  I like to heat my oven to 200°F then turn it off. Place the bowl into the oven once it is OFF and close the door. This is the perfect environment for the dough to rise. I know I am being a bit redundant, but it cannot be stressed enough --- make sure that you do not turn the oven on while the dough is in there!
• In 45-60 minutes the dough should have doubled in size and be ready to stretch.

Step Five: Stretch the dough

• Divide dough into two equal pieces.
• The best way to prepare your crust is to stretch it. Using a rolling pin presses out the bubbles in the dough, making a dense and tough crust.
• For a thin crust pizza, stretch each ball of dough into a 9-inch circle. For a thicker crust, make a 7-inch circle. And for one large pizza, keep the dough as one ball and stretch to 14-18 inches.

Step Six: Top the pizza and bake

• I love a crispy crust so I preheat a pizza stone in the oven at 450°F for about an hour. (Heat at 500°F if your baking stone is approved for higher temperatures.)
• This is the closest thing to a pizza oven that you will get in your home kitchen.
• If you are using a preheated pizza stone then you need to top the pizza on a pizza peel and then slide the dough onto the stone.
• Place some cornmeal onto the peel, then transfer your dough circle. Add your pizza sauce, mozzarella, and your favorite toppings. I like to finish it off with a little Parmesan cheese.
• If you are using a baking sheet, skip the pizza peel, place your dough directly onto the sheet, then add the sauce and toppings.
• A preheated stone cooks faster than a baking sheet, so add a few extra minutes to the cooking time if you use this method.

Flavor Variations

• Use 1 tablespoon of your favorite fresh herbs, like basil, oregano, or rosemary, in place of the Italian seasoning.
• Make it cheesy by adding 1-2 tablespoons of Parmesan into the dough.
• If you like spicy, try adding ¼ teaspoon of crush red pepper flakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

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