Learn how to make pizza at home! This is the only guide you’ll ever need for making homemade pizza in the oven. There are just a few secrets and tips for making pizza at home with store bought dough. This recipe is so simple you can make pizza at home without a pizza stone or a rolling pin. You don’t even need to make homemade pizza dough! All you need is ~20 minutes, a sheet pan, pre-made store bought dough, and a desire to eat delicious homemade pizza.
Table of Contents
With this step-by-step guide to making homemade pizza, you’ll learn:
- Where to buy fresh pizza dough pre-made
- How to store pizza dough so it’s ready for pizza night any day of the week
- Tips for getting pizza dough to rise
- Techniques for stretching store bought dough (once you learn my tips for how to stretch pizza dough for sheet pan pizza, you’ll be a pro)
- How to pre bake pizza crust before adding toppings
- Pizza toppings
- The best oven temperature for pizza made at home
At the end of this post is one of my favorite home pizza recipe ideas.
Ready for 10+ years worth of secrets and tips for making pizza at home with store bought dough?
First, you have to know how to get premade dough to rise… my method will help the ready made pizza dough double in size at room temperature.
Have frozen dough from the grocery store? Check out this tasty pizza with frozen premade pizza crust.
Shop at Whole Foods? Check out my BBQ chicken recipe on Whole Foods pizza dough.
How to get pizza dough to rise
Many people struggle with the very first step of making pizza at home with store bought dough. That’s because stretching store bought dough is difficult when it’s cold.
Pizza dough needs at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours to rise, outside of the fridge.
Here’s an easy trick to allow the dough plenty of time to rise. Set it near a window or wrap it in a kitchen towel and set it on the counter. If you’re short on time, use a kitchen towel straight out of the dryer – a little heat will help.
Here’s another trick. If you’re making pizza at home soon after buying ingredients at the store, let the pre-made dough sit by a sunny car window on the ride home. Growing up, that’s what my mom always did.
See tips on choosing the best store bought pizza crust for pizza night.
Once the pizza dough rises, it’s time to shape the dough.
How to shape pizza dough
Shaping rectangle pizza for a sheet pan is very, very easy once you get the hang of it.
Watch the video with the recipe at the bottom of this page for step by step instructions.
Or follow these step-by-step photo instructions to lean how to stretch pizza dough.
Step 1-2.
Lightly flour a large work space like a butcher block, cutting board, or clean counter.
Press both sides of the fresh dough against the lightly floured surface.
Step 3-4.
First, work the outside of the pizza dough by pinching it with your fingers to make the crust.
Next, working against a flat surface, move to the center of the dough and push the dough outward to make a larger base. As you expand the dough, pick up a light dusting of flour, which will help the size of the dough grow.
Step 5.
Once the dough has spread as far as possible against the cutting board, gently pick up the dough.
With your hands under the dough, use your knuckles to stretch the dough in vertical and horizontal motions.
Adding a little flour will help the dough expand.
Step 6-8.
Work the dough until it is expands enough to cover your sheet pan.
Go back and forth between pushing the dough and using your knuckles as needed.
Add light dustings of flour as needed to help the dough retain the progress you’ve made. Don’t worry about the dough being a perfect shape. All pizzas are beautiful.
At any time, patch holes as they appear by folding over the dough.
Step 9.
Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and a drizzle of olive oil.
Step 10.
Gently transfer the pizza dough to the baking sheet.
Push out the premade dough as far as it will go towards the edge of the baking sheet.
Shaping round pizza is similar, but you will begin by forming the dough into a perfectly round ball. Follow the instructions above, but instead of pulling the dough in vertical and horizontal motions, you’ll want to stretch the dough in a circular motion. It’s easy to make a classic round pizza with this ventilated pizza pan.
Don’t add toppings yet! First, par-bake the premade dough
It’s super important to pre bake the pizza crust once before adding pizza toppings.
Follow the recipe at the end of this post for details on how to to par-bake the pizza dough at 450 degrees in the middle rack of the oven.
After the dough bakes “naked”, add the toppings and bake the pizza
When making pizza at home, it’s crucial to using a really high temperature, once you add the toppings, to get restaurant quality pizza.
After par-baking the pizza dough, add the toppings and finish baking pizza in the oven at 500 degrees until the cheese melts. This final bake will take about 7-10 minutes.
Where to buy premade store bought pizza dough
Buy fresh premade pizza dough at a local bakery, Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.
Trader Joe’s also has a garlic & herb pizza dough that’s quite tasty. See my post on Trader Joe’s Pizza Dough Tips.
How to store pizza dough in the fridge or freezer
If you don’t plan to use store bought pizza dough for a few days or weeks, keep it fresh in the fridge or freezer.
In the fridge, premade pizza dough will stay fresh for a few days.
In the freezer, pizza dough can last a couple of months. When you’re ready to defrost pizza dough, move it to the fridge overnight. Then take it out in the morning to expand in time for dinner.
My freezer is always stocked with pizza dough and frozen cheese. And my pantry is always stocked with pizza seasoning and pizza sauce. And, thanks to my husband, my fridge is always stocked with craft beer to go with the pizza.
Pizza topping ideas
Sauce – Classic red pizza sauce, BBQ sauce, Alfredo sauce, or a simple garlic and olive oil for a white pizza, as used in this pear and goat cheese pizza.
Cheese – Traditional mozzarella is a popular melting cheese, as is fontina and cheddar. If you’re looking for a cheese with bold flavor, try bleu cheese, smoked gouda or goat cheese sprinkled on top of a melting cheese.
Meats, fruit and veggies – If you’re looking for something outside of traditional toppings (pepperoni, ham, sous vide chicken, sausage, sous vide bacon,), get creative with seasonal fruits and vegetables.
For fruits, try roasted cherry tomatoes, pineapple, pears, cherries, and apples.
For vegetables, try butternut squash, zucchini and caramelized red onions. And don’t forget about fresh herbs for pizza! Add delicate herbs like basil after the pizza is done baking in the oven.
Check out other great Spring recipes here!
The good ol’ beer & pizza pairing
Not a pizza ingredient, per se…. but beer can be a great addition to pizza, even if you’re no longer in college. Looking for a beer + pizza pairing?
My friend Sarah, another Portland blogger at Twenty Something and Tipsy has milkshake IPAs to share with you… She made her version of this homemade pizza recipe with store bought dough from Trader Joe’s.
Her premade grocery store pizza is topped with sauteed mushrooms and vegan sausage. Sarah likes to dip her pizza in ranch dressing. 
My own big fat pizza fail…
I’ve been making pizza at home in the oven or on the grill for over a decade. (whenever I say something has lasted a decade I feel suuuuuuper old!) One time a grill accidentally caught on fire, but that was a manageable fail. My brother saved the day with a fire extinguisher and now we have an almost-caught-the-house-on-fire story to laugh about.
Another time, I left store bought pizza dough outside on a deck table to rise. Can you blame me? It sounded like a great idea to have the dough rise in the sun, mother nature’s original dough heater.
Well, this turned out to be a horrible idea due to a hungry critter. When I glanced out the window to check the progress of my dough, I found a squirrel eating the dough through the bag.
Long story short, don’t get rabies when making pizza at home with store bought dough. Let it rise inside.
I’m so excited to spread the word about this easy to make at home pizza recipe! I’ve made so many friends with readers who have successfully made this pizza, I hope you’re next on the list!
Tasty tips + notes for making homemade pizza
- Avoid the struggle of stretching pizza dough by letting it rise in advance.
- Never add toppings to raw pizza dough.
- Cook the pizza twice. First, cook the premade dough “naked” without any toppings. On the second trip to the oven, add all the ingredients and cook the pizza until the cheese melts and the crust is golden brown.
- Brush olive oil around the perimeter of the dough to create a golden crust.
- Season the crust. Sprinkle the crust with parmesan and a light sprinkle of salt.
- Add any fresh herbs, like basil, after the pizza is done baking (so the herbs don’t wilt)
- Pizza is great for game day served with sous vide chicken wings with bleu cheese dressing
One of my favorite pizzas is BBQ chicken pizza. Learn how to make chicken breast in under 20 minutes so you can add it to pizza, too.
The Perfect Pizza Setup
Want to make restaurant style pizza at home? I’ve got you covered! Here are some of my top tips, tricks, secret ingredients and tools for a pizza night everyone will look forward to, again and again.
- NEVER do this… Contrary to what most people believe, when baking pizza on a sheet pan, never add toppings to raw pizza dough. Instead, follow my recipe for making homemade pizza with ready made dough, which will teach you how to par bake pizza dough first.
- Get help from secret ingredients…
– This dough seasoning is the secret to real Italian-tasting homemade pizza dough.
– Add pizza seasoning to store bought pizza sauce. This makes the pizza taste really fresh! - Herbs are for after… In my weekly pizza making practice, I’ve found that fresh herbs, like basil, need to be added to pizza after the pizza is done baking (so the herbs don’t wilt).
- Buy fresh dough and get amazing results. Yup, fresh dough from grocery stores is one of my favorite short-cuts. Learn how to use fresh Trader Joe’s pizza dough and Whole Foods pizza dough with my tutorials.
- Frozen pizza can taste amazing, too!! Learn how to spruce it up with this recipe for pizza using frozen crust.
- Slice pizza pies like a chef with just a few swipes, using big ol’ pizza cutters.
- Want to grill pizza? Here are some pizza grilling tools to check out.
- Do you really need to cook pizza on the rack? Nope! I basically never do. Here are tools you see me using in my tutorials on cooking pizza in the oven…
– Bake pizza on a rimmed baking pan set to get a beautiful golden brown crust.
– Love crispy crust? Let the air flow with this dishwasher safe pizza pan.
– Get personal – let your fam / friends top their own pies with this set of personal pizza pans.
More pizza recipes from Sip Bite Go
- Chicken spinach pizza with bacon
- Ravioli pizza on flatbread
- Pear and goat cheese pizza
- See tips for stretching pizza dough by hand
- Learn how to make frozen premade pizza crust taste better
- Homemade Pizza Dough
More Italian recipes people love…
- Cheesy Italian Stuffed Peppers
- Crispy Italian Chicken Breast with Tomato Sauce
- How to make pizza at home with store bought dough
- Baked chicken parmesan with vodka sauce
- Best Caprese Salad Recipe
- Croutons On The Stove
- 50+ gourmet grilled cheese ideas
Let me know when you make your tasty homemade pizza. Be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe. It means so much to hear from Sip Bite Go readers and I love seeing photos of your food! Don’t forget to tag me @sipbitego on Instagram so I can see how the recipe turned out.
Subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel for my best recipes.
Making pizza at home with store bought dough (Sip Bite Go)
Ingredients
- 1 bag pizza dough ( I use pre-made dough)
- 16 oz pizza sauce
- 2 tsp dried herbs pizza / pasta blend or oregano / parsley
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp parmesan cheese optional, for the crust
- 1 pinch Salt
- 8 oz shredded mozzarella or fontina or cheddar
- ⅔ cup toppings ham, chicken, pineapple, onions, etc.
- 2 tbsp basil chopped
Instructions
- Let dough rise. Keeping the store bought dough in the bag, set it out on a counter for 30 minutes up a few hours. When you’re ready to make the pizza, preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Stretch the dough. Place raw pre-made dough dough on top of flour, coating each side. Begin stretching the dough by pinching the outside in a circular motion to spread it out. Then you can alternate between pinching the dough with your fingers, pressing it out on your work surface, and using your knuckles to pull the dough from underneath in an outward motion. Usually a few motions work best! When it’s large enough, transfer it to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and a light drizzle of olive oil.
- Bake the naked pizza dough in the oven at 450 for 7 minutes. During this time, prep toppings.
- Once dough is cooks for 7 minutes, take it out and preheat the oven to 500. Brush olive oil around the perimeter of the dough to create a golden crust. Add the sauce, any dried herbs, cheese and other toppings. Sprinkle the crust with parmesan and a light sprinkle of salt. Add pizza sauce, dried herbs, cheese and other toppings.
- Bake the pizza at 500 for 7-10 minutes, removing when the cheese has melted. Sprinkle chopped basil and allow the pizza to cool a few minutes before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
- Avoid the struggle of stretching pizza dough by letting it rise in advance.
- Never add toppings to raw pizza dough.
- Cook the pizza twice. First, cook the premade dough “naked” without any toppings. On the second trip to the oven, add all the ingredients and cook the pizza until the cheese melts and the crust is golden brown.
- Brush olive oil around the perimeter of the dough to create a golden crust.
- Season the crust. Sprinkle the crust with parmesan and a light sprinkle of salt.
- This dough seasoning is the secret to real Italian-tasting homemade pizza dough.
- Add pizza seasoning to store bought pizza sauce. This makes the pizza taste really fresh!
- Add any fresh herbs, like basil, after the pizza is done baking (so the herbs don’t wilt)Pizza professionals cut their pizza with just a few swipes, using big ol’ pizza cutters.
- Bake pizza on a rimmed baking sheet so the edges turn a beautiful golden brown. This baking pan set will enable you to make multiple pizzas at once.
I’ve been wanting to do this for the longest time. The Italian supermarket near my house has the best pizza dough and I usually just make a quick focaccia bread with it. I once had tried it by just pushing the dough to the edges – clearly that didn’t work and so many ended up in the garbage. Thank you for this video it was a home run!!!!
Hi Brittany,
I’m so happy you successfully made pizza at home with store bought dough! Focaccia is a great option, too. Did you see my recipe for using Trader Joe’s everything bagel seasoning on focaccia? It’s to die for.
There’s a new tasty pizza recipe to check out on Sip Bite Go – chicken spinach pizza with bacon here: https://sipbitego.com/chicken-spinach-pizza
Have a wonderful and delicious day,
Jenna
Hi Jenna, I made the Trader Joes garlic and herb crust and topped it with caramelized onions, garlic, mushrooms, artichokes, asparagus, and finally chicken. No tomato sauce, just a bit of EVOO. Then, topped it with grated Fontina cheese. The 2-step method worked perfectly, and it was super crispy on outside but chewy on the inside. LOVED IT! THANKS FOR THE TIPS!!!!
Fantastic!
It’s my 40th b-day, and I made this for my husband and mother and it came out so perfect, I was totally the SUPERSTAR today! I followed your recipe and video EXACTLY, but with different toppings; pepperoni, black olives, tomatoes, and jalapenos on half. 😉
The crust was PERFECT. Thank you so much. I will save a TON of money, because the pizza delivery place here is super expensive, like 60 bucks for 2 medium za. Also, I used Safeway brand dough, and Safeway brand sauce. Because we’re Safeway managers so that’s our brand. 😉
This was a great recipe! Thanks for the help!
I am SO THANKFUL to find this article, you have no idea!! I’ve tried 2 other times to cook pizza at home & both times it was terrible! No flavor at all! 😣 This was literally the last time I was going to attempt it. And thank the pizza gods that I did because it was even better than any pizza ever! I’m saving this article & will reference it every time I plan to make pizza 😉 🍕😋❤️ thanks again!!
I put mushrooms, pepperoni, and red peppers with basic sauce from the pantry and mozzarella. The dough was easier to spread with new tips so I will make this again.
Thanks so much! That worked perfectly. I had divided a bag of dough and made two pizzas a month ago, leaving one parbaked and naked to put in the freezer. Brought it out while I chopped the toppings. Oiled it, put on sauce and toppings, and it baked up crisp and light. I was really surprised that it held up so well in the freezer. Great recipe!
Amazing! May you have many delicious pizza nights to come…
Hi..I froze a par baked pizza dough… What’s the best way to use it now? Do I let it thaw before topping or top it Frozen?
Hey Kimberley,
Glad I caught your comment so timely, as sometimes they get buried – hopefully the dough is still not prepared when you’re reading this.
For a sure bet, I’d let the par baked pizza dough thaw for ~20 minutes on the counter, then follow the rest of the recipe to a T.
Otherwise, I’d suggest adding on ~2-3 minutes to the cook time, but I say that *with a grain of salt* because personally, I like the cheese before it starts to brown. I like it bubbling when I pull it out of the oven. But, if it was me, adding on a couple minutes would probably work just fine.
Cheers,
Jenna
Hi,
I bought the pre made dough from Publix. It’s already rounded but folded twice. To get ready to pre bake it do I let it sit out in its box or unfold it onto the pan to sit out?
Hi!
Great tips! Can you share some instructions for cooking it on a gas grill?
Thanks!
Hey Beth – Yes – soon! A recipe is coming up very soon for cooking pizza on a gas grill. Follow me on instagram @sipbitego where I’ll share it once it’s up.
Pizza is my favorite thing to cook with the kids. It is one food that their “help” can actually be help. You can’t really screw up putting toppings on, and they love to customize their own little pizzas.
Hi! Thanks for all the dough tips. I’m still having a persistent issue with my store bought pizza dough: it always comes out extremely hard on the bottom. It’s not burnt, it’s not crispy, its just hard, like really hard to chew through, almost like the really thick and hard edges and corners of a brownie. Any advice or tips?
Hi Kala – YES I have a tip if pizza dough comes out hard… check how much you are “working it” before hand. I’ve noticed this issue from time to time. It will be more likely to happen if you add too much olive oil or too much flour to to the dough by accident when you’re working it or moving it to the olive oil baking sheet.
this is a great baking site. I just bought premade dough for the first time to attempt making pizza. I wish I read this before I took the dough out of fridge at 2pm expecting to make pizza for 5pm. No dough rising. Went to bed and got up to see the bag busting out of it’s seams, I am going to attempt to make it this morning. I love how you write like you are talking to an old friend and telling little stories, it’s so different from other recipe sites and I really like that! I would like to join you site.
Hi Cathy!
Yea – mine often look like they will explode out of the bag because I’ll leave the pizza dough on the counter all day. It just bakes better when it is nice and fluffy. Hope your pizza turned out delicious.
Cheers,
Jenna
I have a turbo chef pizza oven to use next time I make your pizza (which everyone was over the moon pleased with) – counter top and you can adjust the upper and lower of the oven to 842 degrees – each with its own adjustment. If I was using pre-made pizza dough crust – frozen – how can I get it to taste better?
I am so glad I came across your site with the hint to prebake. My pizza came out perfect tonight! I live in a small town with two pizza shops, neither of which the hubby likes. He went to our favorite grocery in the city the other day without me, that always sells pizza. Came out with a bag of dough, 2 jars of their sauce, 2 lbs of mozzarella and 2 lbs of pepperoni. Guess we will be making another trip for more dough!
Melissa – so glad you were able to make your own pizza at home with dough from the grocery store. What a bummer you don’t like the pizza recipes in your town – sometimes if one ingredient is “off” – even the pizza sauce – that can ruin it for me, too. That’s why making it at home is such an advantage. Cheers!
Jenna,
Thank you for this recipe! It came out excellent! Nice crisp outside and soft inside. The two-step baking process is probably key. I also made my own pizza sauce and topped the cheese with chopped Roma tomatoes and pepperoni. The crust was so delicious, too! I’ve tried from scratch dough recipes that didn’t come out as good as this. With all of your helpful tips, this is the way to go! I’ll surely make this again!
Jean – I’m so happy your homemade pizza turned out amazing! Love your topping choices as well. I share recipes daily on @sipbitego on Instagram – I post there a bit faster than on the site so come find me to see more pizza recipes.
I did not know that pizza dough needs at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours to rise, outside of the fridge. My wife and I would like to learn how to make pizza so that we can customize our own. It might beag a good idea to look for a place where they serve good pizza and get tips from there.
I never leave reviews on recipes I’ve tried UNLESS they are the best. This pizza lived up to its name ! I raised the dough for 3 hours covered…then started the stretching process. Still had to struggle a little but with patience I got it perfect in the sheet pan. Best tip ever to par bake the crust, it was crispy on the bottom and had a crunchy back crust too. Thanks for the recipe!
Divide the dough in half. One pound of dough makes 2 (10-inch) pizzas. Divide the dough in half and cover one half with an upside-down bowl or a clean kitchen towel while you prepare the first pizza.