Easy stand mixer pizza dough - With simple pantry ingredients, you can now whip up a pizza dough in no time using your trusty stand mixer!
The original recipe was published on November 28, 2018, and updated on July 12, 2021.
Pizza is a popular menu in my household since it's something my husband and I can both enjoy. I have a pizza dough recipe that does NOT require a stand mixer (pizza dough recipe by hand). But if you rather spend your energy eating the pizza rather than kneading the dough, this recipe is for you 😉
Why this recipe works
- Simple ingredients – water, sugar, active dry yeast, all-purpose flour, and salt.
- Minimum effort – All the kneading will be done by your trusty stand mixer!
- You can make it ahead - Pizza dough will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days and freezer for up to 3 months.
How to make pizza dough using a stand mixer
- Dissolve sugar in lukewarm water and bloom your yeast in a bowl.
- Mix the flour and salt in a stand mixer bowl.
- Add the yeast mixture (wet ingredients) to the flour mixture (dry ingredients).
- Let the stand mixer knead the dough until it comes together and the surface appears to be smooth.
- Transfer the dough in a large bowl and coat with olive oil.
- Let the dough rise until it doubles the size and uses in any pizza recipe of your choice!
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Active dry yeast is the yeast that needs to be "bloomed" in water. And instant yeast is the yeast that you can add directly to your dry ingredients and requires no blooming.
It is difficult to say the exact time. Rather than giving you the exact time of the kneading in the stand mixer, you should look for several signs.
There should be no dry ingredient present in the dough.
The dough should pull away from the side of the bowl (see the photo below), leave it clean, and collect onto the hook.
Also, the feel of the dough is something you should check as well. The dough shouldn't be too sticky (This means it has too much water. Add a little more flour) or too dense (This means the dough is too dry. Add ½ tablespoon of water at a time and continue to knead in the stand mixer).
I usually let the dough rise until it doubles in size. During the warm weather, it takes about 45 minutes to an hour but it may take longer during the colder month. The easiest way to test is to gently press the dough with your index finger until your first joint disappears into the dough. If the indentation in the dough remains after you remove your finger, the dough is ready (see photo below).
What type of stand mixer should I get?
I had a brief phase where I was very into baking. And during this time, kneading the dough and making cookie dough got a little too much so I decided to get a stand mixer. That being said, if you bake often, I think it is worth upgrading your electric mixer to a stand mixer. However, I don't believe that a stand mixer is a necessary item in the kitchen.
But if you thinking to get one and looking for a recommendation, I have Kitchenaid Classic Plus Stand Mixer and am very happy with the purchase. My runner up choices were:
But for this recipe, any stand mixer will work.
Helpful tips
- To make the "perfect" lukewarm water, I mix boiling water and cold filtered water in a ratio of 1:2. For example, to prepare 2 cups of lukewarm water, I mix ⅔ cup of boiling water in a 2 cup size measuring cup and fill the rest with cold water. I like to dissolve my sugar in boiling water first and add cold water.
- Make sure to use a hook attachment for making the pizza dough.
- When mixing the dry ingredients and wet ingredients, I like to start with 2 cups of dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Then add the yeast mixture. Once they are mixed, I gradually add the rest of the dry ingredients. When adding the flour, always start your stand mixer with the lowest setting. This will prevent your flour to go everywhere and create a big mess.
- Once the dough has formed in the stand mixer, grab a large size bowl and add some olive oil to the bottom. Transfer the dough into the bowl and coat it with olive oil by rolling the dough into the bowl. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel so the dough won't dry out while rising.
- If you want to add flavor to your dough, do so after the dough has risen. For example, if you want garlic flavor dough, brush the dough with garlic butter after the dough has risen. Adding garlic and other seasonings will slow down the rising time.
- If you are making the dough a day before, you can let the dough rise in the refrigerator overnight (this is referred to as cold-proving or cold rising).
How to store pizza dough
I like to keep my leftover pizza dough in a gallon-size, freezer-safe plastic bag. The dough will continue to rise even when you place them in the fridge. So I like to place my dough in a large-size bag to give it enough room to rise. Plus, the plastic bag will help prevent the dough from drying out.
- The fresh dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- The dough will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
If you freeze your dough, you can place the frozen dough in the fridge overnight to thaw or place them on a countertop until it thaws completely. Make sure your dough is covered completely so it won’t dry out.
Don't have a stand mixer? No worries!
If you don't have a stand mixer, that doesn't mean you can't make delicious pizza dough at home. Here is an easy pizza dough recipe without a stand mixer!
Looking for delicious pizza recipes?
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Easy stand mixer pizza dough
With simple pantry ingredients, you can now whip up a pizza dough in no time using your trusty stand mixer!
- Prep Time: 75 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: dough enough for 2 large pizza
- Category: Main course
- Method: Knead
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 4 and ½ cups packed all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a 2 cup size measuring cup, dissolve 1 tablespoon of sugar in ¾ cup of boiling water. Once the sugar is dissolved, add cold water to make up a total of 2 cups (this method will yield lukewarm water). Add the active dry yeast. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes until they are foamy and bloomed.
- While waiting for your yeast to bloom, mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl so the salt will be evenly distributed.
- Attach the dough hook to a stand mixer.
- In a stand mixer bowl, add about 2 to 3 cups of the flour mixture and pour in the yeast mixture. Mix at a low speed until they are well incorporated. The mixture will resemble a wet batter.
- Add the rest of the flour mixture (½ cup of the flour mixture at a time) and continue to knead the dough on a low-speed setting. Make sure to use the lowest setting each time you add the flour. If you were to use the higher speed setting, the flour will go everywhere and make a mess. You may have to scrape the side of the bowl a couple of times to get everything well mixed.
- When you no longer see the dry ingredients, increase the speed to medium and continue to knead the dough. It should pull away from the side of the bowl and leaves it clean and collect onto the hook.
- Once the dough is ready, grab a large bowl and add about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl and roll it around so the dough will be completely covered with oil. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rise until it doubles its size.
- When the dough has risen, shape it into a pizza form and enjoy.
Notes
- The original recipe was published on November 28, 2018.
- If you were to measure flour correctly, the recipe calls for 5 to 5 and ½ cups of all-purpose flour. However, I tend to pack my flour when measuring. And I find that 4 and ½ cups work perfectly for this recipe.
- To check to see whether your dough has risen enough, you should look for a couple of things. Your dough should double in size. And also, you should test it with your finger. When the dough seems to be double in size, gently push your index finger in the middle of the risen dough. If the indentation remains after removing your finger, your dough is ready.
- The dough will keep in the fridge for 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- If you don't have a stand mixer, check out my other pizza dough recipe (by hand, without a stand mixer).
Keywords: easy stand mixer pizza dough, stand mixer pizza dough, pizza dough
Barb
Do you have instructions for making it without a mixer?
George
Hi Barb,
I personally never made this dough without a stand mixer but I also can't see why you wouldn't be able to make this by hands. I would mix maybe about 2 cups of flour with the yeast bloomed water first. Then gradually add more flour and knead by hand. The only thing is it would take longer time than to use the stand mixer. The final dough should feel slightly sticky and don't forget to let it rise until it double the size. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!!
Melony Reid
Can you freeze the dough?
★★★★★
George
Hi Melony,
Yes, you can freeze the dough! I do it all the time.
Place dough in a freezer-safe bag, get as much air out as possible and store it in the freezer. It lasts about a couple of months in the freezer.
When you are ready to use it, just thaw it out and use it as it's fresh dough! Let me know if you have any other questions!
Kayla
Do you refrigerate or freeze AFTER the dough has risen or before?
Thanks !
George
Hi Kayla! You can do both! If you want to make your pizza the next day then you can leave it in the fridge before the dough has risen. It will still rise slowly and it should be ready by the next day. I personally like to freeze my dough after it has risen and keep them in freezer safe bag and keep in the freezer. Hope this helps!
Dee
Does the dough, need to rise first, before freezing it?
George
Hi Dee, yes I let the dough rise first then freeze it. If you are in a rush, you can let the dough rise in the refrigerator overnight. This will help the dough rise slowly in a colder environment. Then in the morning, you can transfer the dough into a freezer-safe bag and freeze it. I hope this helps!
Lisa
We love it ! I have a friend though that needs gluten free? Is it simple to change flour to gluten free for them?
★★★★★
George
Thank you so much, Lisa!! I have not had a chance to experiment with gluten free flour. But this one seems to have an excellent review: https://www.glutenfreepalate.com/gluten-free-pizza-9-ingredients/. Hope this helps! Once again, thank you so much for your review 😊🙏🏻
Heidi
I just made this dough and realized there is no baking directions?
George
Hi Heidi! Because the recipe is for making the dough itself, I didn’t include the cooking time but I realize that I should. I will include the baking direction shortly. Meanwhile, when I make my pizza using this recipe, I bake my pizza (after adding sauce and toppings) at 450 for 11 to 15 minutes. Hope this helps 😊
Nicole
About how long does it take for the dough to rise?
George
Hi Nicole, it depends on several factors such as the temperature of your place for the dough to rise. So instead of giving you a set time, I'd like to say until the dough double the size. It usually takes me about 45 minutes to an hour. You can also let it rise in the refrigerator overnight and use the dough next day. Hope this helps!
Carol Addison
This was my 1st time making pizza dough and I have to say it turned out amazing! I only have 1 pizza stone so I just used cookie sheets for the other 2 and they were just as good as the one with the stone. Definitely a saver!
★★★★★
George
Hi Carol! I'm so happy to hear that it turned out great! Yay!!! I really appreciate your review!