Quick and Easy Foolproof Pizza Dough
This simple recipe for quick and easy homemade pizza dough is amazing! It comes together in minutes, rises quickly, and makes incredible homemade pizza!
I’m really, really, really (like, really) excited for this week.
We’re talking pizza. Homemade pizza.
Perfect homemade pizza.
Since we make homemade pizza every single week, I’ve known for a while it was high time to update my old homemade pizza posts.
The time is now!
Lucky you, happy me (happy because I have a crazy obsession of love for crossing things off my list).
Here’s the rundown – each day this week, I’m going to share with you every step and recipe you need to totally kill it in the kitchen with amazing homemade pizza.
The first step to perfect pizza is the dough!
So today, I’m giving you my favorite (like, I’ve been using it for 10 years) recipe for pizza dough when I haven’t planned ahead.
It comes together in just minutes, doesn’t need a long rising time and makes fabulous pizza.
See? Fabulous.
This quick and easy pizza dough is fantastic with part whole wheat flour or all white flour; it’s up to you.
And it doubles, triples and even quadruples beautifully (see the notes in the recipe) and rolls out like a dream.
Basically, it’s perfect.
If you are wondering how this is different than the fast and easy recipe I posted way back when, I’ve changed just a few minor things and updated the recipe with whole wheat flour info and details on making larger batches.
A few simple variations to make it even more foolproof.
Tomorrow I’ll be sharing my favorite 100% whole wheat overnight pizza dough (equally delicious, it just requires a bit of planning ahead) and later this week plan on lots of step-by-step pictures and tutorials for several ways to get that pizza rolled out and baked to glorious perfection.
Bring on Pizza Week, Baby!
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Quick and Easy Foolproof Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2-3 cups flour (see note)
Directions:
- In a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix the water, honey, oil, yeast and salt. Add the flour gradually until a soft dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The exact flour amount will vary so go by the touch and feel of the dough versus the exact cup measurements in the recipe. The dough should be soft and smooth (not leaving a residue on your fingers but not super stiff, either).
- Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes (more like 5-6 minutes if kneading by hand or if using whole wheat flour).
- Let the dough rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Shape the dough into pizza(s), spread with sauce and toppings, and bake at 475 or 500 degrees on a preheated pizza stone or on a lightly greased baking sheet for 8-10 minutes (for an in-depth look at baking methods, here is a great tutorial).
Notes:
I almost always use 1/2 or up to 3/4 whole wheat flour with good results – I let it knead for a few minutes longer. Also, this recipe doubles, triples and quadruples really well. If doubling, use double the amount for all the ingredients. For triple and quadruple batches, increase all the ingredients accordingly except the yeast – only use 2 tablespoons yeast for a tripled batch and 2 1/2 tablespoons yeast for a quadrupled batch. Keep an eye on the flour if increasing the recipe. You want a soft, smooth dough – not too sticky and definitely not overfloured.
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Recipe Source: slightly adapted and updated from a recipe I posted several years ago
I have tried lots of homemade pizza doughs and this one is my absolute favorite! Easy, quick and it was so soft and delicious! This is my go to recipe now! I deleted the others.!
This was the easiest and best recipe ever!!! I tried to leave 5 STARS!!! It is delicious and rose so beautifully!!! Will use this recipe all the time!!!
First time pizza dough maker, here! If you found this recipe, try it, you’ll like !! I made it in my Bella pizza maker (I took someone’s advise and sprinkled flour instead of oil in the appliance) and it came out perfect. Thank you for the post!
This is a great pizza dough and always really easy!
I like adding a scant tsp kosher salt + a healthy pinch of garlic powder (I don’t keep garlic salt on hand but Mel’s original recipe calls for it & previous commentors sang its praises) and about a tablespoon of dried Italian herbs (crushed in my mortar + pestle to release more flavor) to the kneading process and it makes things extra tasty 🙂
Also, for fellow Kitchen Aid mixer users, employ the paddle attachment for the mixing (until the dough comes together) and then the dough hook for the kneading portion. It will be much easier than trying to use the dough hook for the whole thing. 🙂
So, after many years of cooking, the perfect make at home pizza dough!!! THANK YOU MELS KITCHEN!!!! lotta years in pizza joints cooking, only thing could make this better is a little melted butter, say, 1/4 cup, adjust flour accordingly, ,,,wow!! its great
I’ve been making homemade pizza dough for 5+ years and your blog has been one of my go-to’s that entire time…so the burning question is why haven’t I tried this pizza dough before?! I made it last night and it’s life changing! I had homemade pizza, start to finish, in less than 1 hour!
So happy to hear that, Sam!
I make this every Friday that I’m home! I use it to make two thin crust pizzas. Sometimes I freeze the other half and it still tastes delicious! I just defrost and then let it rise on the counter for a few hours to warm up. I always use a pizza stone to cook. Thanks Mel!
Thank YOU, Jill!
I really appreciated how fast and easy this recipe made the dough-making process. I didn’t, however, care for the flavor of the dough, and neither did my family. I would leave out the honey and use about four times as much salt. The crust was mostly flavorless but the slightest bit sweet…not what we enjoy at all, though if that’s what you prefer for pizza dough/crust, knock yourself out! I will use this general recipe again with the instant yeast, etc.—so easy!—but will experiment with it in the future so it’s less sweet and has way more flavor.
This may be a ridiculous question but i have to all….do you cook the crust before loading it with toppings? Mine came out overcooked and then on the next try it was undercooked?
I don’t precook the crust…but a lot will depend on if you are baking on a preheated stone or on a sheet pan, things like that. What temperature are you using in the oven?
I saved this recipe to my “favorites” a long time ago and have been meaning to try it out for a while. I wanted a quick and easy dough for pizza but mostly for making homemade pepperoni rolls. ( I’m from WV and a pepperoni roll should be on our state flag!) I did the 50/50 with white and wheat flour and doubled the batch. It made 29 pepperoni rolls, stuffing each one with about 8 slices of pepperoni per roll. Baked them for 10 min at 450 and the juice from the pepperoni was smoking on the baking sheet, lol. I turned the heat down to 375 and baked another 5 min. They were great! I think next time I will try at 425 for 12 to 15 minutes because I really liked the crispy bottoms! I am gonna try it next as a pizza crust. This is a great recipe! and it really is quick and easy! Thank you!
Made this last night, it was so easy. It is the best pizza crust I have ever made! Hubby thought it was great too!
Hey Mel, have you tried freezing this dough before? Just wondering if it has any affect on the rising or end result in general. This recipe is so awesome it would be great to prep a large batch and have it ready in the freezer.
I haven’t done that in a long time, but it works pretty well. It tastes slightly more yeast-flavored coming out of the freezer and you really need to make sure it thaws fully and comes to room temperature before using, but it should work out pretty well!
Made this recipe tonight for guests and it was a hit. I made it early in the morning and let it rise most of the day, but worked great when it was time to roll it out. I doubled the recipe and got 2 large pizzas and 4 small mini ones! thanks
I’ve made several pizza crusts and they NEVER puffed up like this before!!! I was so excited it was rising. I accidentally made my house super hot because I kept opening the oven to “check” on it. Came out great and my daughter wouldn’t stop eating it!!!!
Thanks a trillion!!!!
P.s.
This will be the only crust recipe I make now
Hi Mel,
Can you make this dough without a dough hook (mixing and kneading entirely by hand)?
Thanks so much, and I am so grateful for all of your wonderful recipes!!
Annie
Don’t worry about answering, Mel—the pizza turned out fantastic!! Couldn’t believe how quick and easy it was, and I loved that I could get ALL of the cleanup done during the baking time!!! Major bonus!! Also, thank you for the tip about turning a baking sheet upside down for a make-shift pizza stone! I never would have thought of that!!
I don’t know what I or my family would do without you! You are a lifesaver!
Xxooxx,
Annie
Thank you so much, Annie! So happy it worked out!
Yes, you can definitely make this dough by hand!
Need to make things as low-carb as possible….will Splenda work in lieu of Honey? If not, if Honey is reduced to 1/2 T, will the recipe be affected (other than reducing sweetness of the dough)?
The honey is not for sweetening the dough. It feeds the yeast. The yeast consumes it and produces carbon dioxide to give the dough that nice puffy rise. Too little honey (or other natural sweetener) and the dough won’t rise. Splenda doesn’t work for yeast recipes.
You’ll have to experiment – I haven’t tried either of those changes!
If it was good enough for Jennifer Garner….yummy for us too!
Congrats, BTW on the extra special exposure!
Thanks, Nancy!
I was really in a crunch one evening, and the Hubby wanted pizza for dinner. I don’t usually make pizza at home, but decided to give it a try. Of course, Pizza is a favorite around our house. Quickly I starting looking online and found this fantastic quick dough recipe and decided to give it a try. I love honey and whole wheat and what a difference it made in the taste. I can certainly say its one of the very best pizza dough recipes I’ve ever tried. And my Husband loves it!!! Thank You Mel.
Mel- thank you so much for this great recipe! I am only sorry it took me so long to find it. Came together so fast, and the result was a billowy, fluffy, chewy pizza dough. I used about two cups of unbleached bread dough and a little less than a cup of whole wheat flour- those were the only flours I had. I used agave instead of honey to make it vegan, and the flavor was perfect.
I used a pizza stoned and baked for 10 minutes at 475 F. Next time, I will either up the temp or cook for a little longer for a ever so slightly more crispy crust. Otherwise, super.
If I were to make individual size pizzas how many do you think it would make and should I use the same cooking time and temp?
I’m not sure – what size of pizza are you thinking for individual size? just a guess, but you might be able to get 4-5? I don’t know for sure, though. I’d use the same cooking temp but probably a few minutes less.
Oh, Mel! I made this recipe for dinner last night and my husband is still talking about how good it was! I think the crust recipe I have used for the last 8 years has finally been dethroned! It was seriously so good!! Can’t wait to make it again later this week!
Yay! Such awesome feedback!
Fastest, easiest, most delicious pizza dough ever! Following the recipe, I mixed all the ingredients in my food processor (used 1-1/2 cups of ’00’ flour & 1-1/2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour), baked it on a pizza stone in a preheated 500 degree oven & the result was the best pizza I’ve ever made! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
I have tried more crust recipes than I can count and FINALLY this is the one. Simple and quick and I like mixing in a bit of whole wheat flour. My husband (for 43 years) always eats right up to the edge of the sauce and leaves the crust on his plate and he has never liked my cheese sticks. Tonight he ate it all !! and said it was great!!! I don’t think he has just given up on me because I loved it too. My next biggest critics are the grandkids – can’t wait to try it with them.
Yay! Thanks, Ellen!
Hello. I have commented before. I normally make pizza pockets with this dough. But today, it was pizza for lunch. One of the kids said I should open a pizza shop. It’s great pizza-thanks to the dough
So there is no rise in this dough?
Rising isn’t necessary, but you can let it rise based on your own timing.
I made this last night for the first time. It was super easy and wonderful! I’ve tried different recipes over the years but none were as good or easy as yours! Easy to make, easy to handle dough, great tasting, husband approved! Thank you Mel for your great recipes! I’ve cooked for a long time and keep taking out my old favorite recipes for my new favorites; Mel’s!
Hi Mel — What do you mean by “if kneading by hand”? What is the other option? Thanks, Sarah
You can make it/knead it by hand or use a mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Thanks. So kneading really just means more mixing? I do have a bread hook on my Kitchen Maid. Does this mean in any bread recipe, in lieu of taking out of the bowl and “kneading” by hand, I can just mix more in the Kitchen Maid? Thanks again for your help.
Yeah, that’s a good question. Kneading is mixing once the dough has come together and forms a ball (so mixing to incorporate more flour wouldn’t technically be considered kneading). Does that help?
Yes, thank you! I made the overnight pizza dough last PM, and it was great. I couldn’t get it as thin as I wanted to, and I settled for a rectangle as opposed to a circle, but I’ll work on my technique, and the taste was fabulous.
It’s called “Kitchen Aid,” not Kitchen “Maid.”
Made this last night on a whim. Mel isn’t messin’ around. I didn’t try that hard, was sure I messed it up in the kneading process, but if I did you sure couldn’t tell. It was AMAZING. Just the right amount of sweet, salty, chewy, and crispy goodness you look for in a pizza crust. Ready to make it again tonight! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Excellent–just made them–pizza pocket/calzones style.
I like it–kids will try in a minute—I make a dough that requires overnight (18 hours to rest). It is good, but takes far too long.
This was great. These are going in school lunches Monday!! I am a father in the kitchen–getting better day by day….
You are amazing, Jim!
This is my go to recipe for pizza night. I add some extra seasonings to the dough and add our favorite toppings and my kids gobble it up! Thank you for sharing your recipes with us!
This is the quickest pizza crust recipe I’ve ever tried, and it’s delicious. A touch sweet and got nice and crispy on my pizza stone. Made 2 Med/Large pizzas with a thin crust. Thanks for sharing your recipe!! 🙂
Excellent crust. I have used this for Chicago style pizza as well with good results.
I have tried for years to make pizza and failed. With this recipe, success!
I thought this was very good crust, just curious how you put it on a pan & how thick. I double the batch & used two cookie sheets. On both sheets it didn’t quite cover all of it, but maybe I should have spread it out more. When I baked it, it was defiantly puffier crust, I think I’m used to more thin crust. Also the outside was getting crispy while the middle crust was still pretty soft. Taste wise was good!!
Works perfectly tastes great will be my go to pizza doaugh recipe!
do you ever use regular active yeast or always the instant? It’ll be my first time attempting to make the dough. I rarely do much cooking however, the reviews are so great I wanted to give it a go.
I always use instant yeast, but you can use active dry yeast (just proof it in water and a pinch of sugar until it is bubbly and foaming before using – no need to proof instant yeast).
Great recipe. Thank you.
Sounds great! Will use this week! Thank you!
OMG!!! Awesome recipe. Easy and fast. Made this recipe for family game night. It’s a winner.
I’ve made this for years now and it’s incredibly simple, delicious and impressive when I’ve made it for others! It’s crispy, just the right amount of airy, and all around great. Add some dried basil for a unique look/slight flavor, or some butter or oil on the edges to help it brown a little. I never leave reviews but this one deserves it for sure.
Tried this a week ago and it was the best crust I have ever made. So soft and pliable! Making again tonight for calzones. Thanks for the recipe, it will be the only one I need from now on.
This is the perfect pizza dough. Finally.
I made my first ever homemade pizza dough last week and unthinkingly used a recipe from another site. It called for bread flour and an hour’s rising time and still I soldiered on. Oh Mel, it was horrible. Well, it tasted fine but the dough was SO thick and just impossible to work with. It wouldn’t stretch without shrinking back. After fighting with it for awhile, I finally gave up and just baked this extra thick crust pizza. The next day I kept thinking “there’s gotta be a better way” and I thought “you dummy…check Mel’s Kitchen Cafe” so I did. I made this pizza dough recipe yesterday after church and we were eating pizza an hour or so later. It was a quick and easy dough to mix up, fantastic to work with and the finished product tasted delicious. Thank you!!!
Oh, the pain of using a recipe that is awful! I’m so sorry. But I’m glad you were able to find this one that worked better! Plus, your comment made me smile. Thank you!
So nice to try a blog recipe that actually works!! This is my new go to dough. I think it’d make a great garlic bread or cinnamon dessert pizza.
Mel- this is my FAVORITE dough recipe ever…. but can you also make it a DAY ahead of time? I’m bringing it to my sister’s Halloween party tomorrow to have all the kids make their own pizzas… but I’d rather make the dough a day early. Will that be okay? In the fridge overnight? Or on the counter?
Hey Jennifer – yes, you can definitely make this ahead of time, but when I do that (refrigerate overnight), I cut the yeast down by about 1/4 so it doesn’t overrise and get too yeasty-tasting, if that makes sense. Just take it out of the refrigerator a couple hours before making pizza so the dough isn’t cold.
This is THE best pizza dough recipe I have ever made. Full Stop! It turns our perfectly every single time, can be easily doubled and the dough is light, slightly sweet and delicious!!
This is awesome! Tastes great, quick and easy!
I finally made this for the first time last week and it was AWESOME. I made a few changes:
* Substituted maple syrup for the honey since that’s what I keep on hand for sweetener.
* Quartered the ingredients (yes, divided by 4) because it’s just for me as an occasional treat (don’t want leftovers), and I prefer my crust very thin.
* Used my 10 inch cast iron griddle, preheated in a 450 degree oven (I was afraid to go higher since I was already over the 420 degree limit on my parchment paper), and cooked it for about 10 minutes. It probably could’ve used a minute or two more, but it was still above and beyond all of the other crust recipes that I’ve tried over the decades.
Just, wow… Thank you!
I’ve been looking at making homemade frozen pizzas. Have you frozen this dough before using, and if so, would you par-bake it first?
I’ve only ever frozen it in a big mass – not already rolled out for pizza. But you could – if so, yes, I’d recommend parbaking.
AWESOME PIZZA!! So easy and the tips section is so helpful. Paired with my mom’s homemade pizza sauce. WINNER WINNER!
This is easy and perfect. Fantastic pizza dough that is now the only pizza dough we make.
I made this pizza and it was the best crust I’ve made in a long time! The taste and texture were perfect. 🙂
I made this pizza dough for my family and everyone loved it. The dough was thick, fluffy, and delicious, and baked very evenly. I am not a talented baker and really appreciated the foolproof and easy recipe and the short rising time!
I am looking for something different to sell at farmers markets and thought I might try pizza crusts. Would it work to sell the baked crusts and put into zip lock bags? I would appreciate your comments. Thank you. I adore your site Mel ! It is the greatest.
That’s a great question, Deb – to be honest, I’m really not sure! I have a feeling with homemade pizza, the baked crusts might get stale pretty quickly. Clever idea, though!
Hi. Was ready to try this, but it does not state HOW much it makes. For example, one 12″ pizza. I am unsure how much to make for my family….
The yield is above the recipe title. It makes one large (12-14 inches) or two medium pizzas.
Can you give me the temp for warm? About 112 to 115?
Yep, right around there. I usually use about 110 degrees.
I love that this is quick to make and uses easy ingredients. It tasted great too!
Super delicious! I don’t have a stand mixer yet so I’ve been searching for pizza dough recipes I can make by hand- this one is the best! Thank you!
Great recipe! Thank you!
Hey Mel,
I am a deep dish fiend and this particular recipe was absolutely perfection!!! I was out of honey so I used Agave which worked as well as the honey (although I generally use honey, but sometimes ya gotta make do) It was so nice to find a perfect dough that doesn’t take hours to prep!! YOUR A MAGICIAN!!
Any chance this can be made and frozen for later?
Yes, it’s been a while, but I’ve frozen this before and then thawed to use. It has a slightly yeastier smell and flavor but was delicious.
Do you by chance have the nutritional information for this pizza dough? such as calories and carbs? Thanks
I don’t; sorry!
When cooking the dough ahead of time, how long should I cook it without the toppings? And how long should it be cooked once the toppings are on it? Thank you!!
You can cook it without toppings for 4-5 minutes and then add toppings and bake until everything is golden and bubbly (this is assuming you are baking on a pizza stone in a 475 or 500 degree oven).
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This really was amazing, thank you so much. Have tried so many pizza doughs in the past, but this was the quickest to come together and the easiest to work with. Tasted good too! Will definitely be making again. We used a rolling pin and got two large pizzas.
Thanks so much for your advice on baking pizza on a pizza stone. Pizza night has gone from great to amazing. I use your overnight dough recipe, but this time tried the quick and easy foolproof dough. What went wrong? Used approx. half white flour and half whole wheat, with the final result being a crust that was tough and leathery.
Any chance the dough was overfloured, Karen?
Just saw this and I’m going to give making homemade pizza a “try” again. Question: The last couple times I tried to make pizza dough, t was so elastic that I couldn’t get it to stretch out…and STAY stretched out! It would constrict back too small. What am I doing wrong?
Hey Laura – sounds like the gluten needs time to relax. When this happens to me, I stretch it out as far as it will go and then let it rest 15 minutes. That usually does the trick.
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Thanks. My toddler just asked for pizza, and this recipe literarly saved me. Added some fresh herbs to the dough, so goooood.
My son and I make this dough every Thursday for pizza night. It comes together so quickly, we get the other ingredients ready while it rests. In our house we make several small pizzas so everyone can pick their own toppings. This dough shapes easily, which is a huge plus for smaller helping hands. The dough holds up to a simple cheese pizza or heavier toppings (leftover grilled steak with caramelized onions). Thanks Mel.
the search is over! This is the best pizza dough ever! It super quick perfect for those I WANT PIZZA NOW moments. This will be my go to dough from now on…I used more than 3 cups flour and made a 16 inch pizza. So perfect! Thank you so much!
Oh my goodness. I live in central India and I made this in a completely different weather at different kitchen temperature and humidity, and I promise that this is the absolute best pizza dough I’ve ever tried.
And it’s very versatile, some doughs are meant to be made thin crust, some work better as thick crusts, not this one, you can do anything you want with it. Really felt like a kitchen rockstar today.
Thanks Mel!
Thank you so much! This turned out perfectly. Two medium, thin, crispy pizzas. I’ve been looking for a quick pizza dough and I’m so often disappointed when they say “let rise for an hour”. I’m never that organised. This recipe is a life saver. And I used about 3/4 whole wheat.
The crust came out great! I topped with carmelized onions and crumbled sausage.
Saturday morning came across your pizza recipe, I have sun dried tomatoes
Going to give it a go now
Thanks
Mel, this dough recipe has made homemade weeknight pizza super doable! I use King Arthur Bread Flour and it’s amazing. I make our pizza “Sicilian style,” and it’s really easy for those without a pizza stone.,
Hi Mel,
I’d love to try this recipe but am wondering what I can substitute the honey for? Would sugar work? I don’t use honey often so I never have it in the house. Thanks so much your picture looks delicious!
Yes, sugar should work just fine!
This is amazing!! Thanks so much for sharing. My kids loved this and it was SUPER easy and quick just like post said. We will definitely be checking out all your other recipes.
Thanks again!
I still love this recipe and make all the time. I have been reading about 00 flour and wanted to try it with this recipe. Have you ever used it? The dough was light and airy, yet crispy and just delicious. Just wondering if you’ve ever experimented with 00 flour.
I’ve never used 00 flour because it isn’t easy for me to find locally (well, let’s be honest, I haven’t tried that hard to find it) but my friend who is famous for her homemade pizza uses 00 and honestly, it’s the most amazing pizza ever.
I absolutely LOVE this dough recipe and have used it multiple times with great success. Thank you! It is so quick and easy, cooks well and tastes great.
I am planning a pizza evening with friends next weekend and I have 14 guests in total. We roll our dough really thin so each batch makes 2 large pizzas, so I am going to be doing 7 batches. My question is, could I prepare this dough in the morning if it is only going to be used late that afternoon? I am worried it rises too much. Can it be kept in the fridge to prevent rising?
Hi Keran – yes, this dough could definitely be made in advance. Just pop it in the fridge but make sure to take it out in time for it to come to room temperature so the dough isn’t cold (usually a couple hours).
Can you make cinnamon rolls from this pizza dough?
Can you make cinnamon rolls from this dough?
I’ve never tried that but you could certainly experiment, Betsy.
Perfection! Made it tonight! Came together beautifully- and resulted in a killer pizza! Thanks!
Just tried this recipe and it was quick, easy, and amazing tasting. Great for a work night. Thank you!!! I kept it basic with just red sauce and cheese, and it tasted like an awesome NYC pizza.
Brilliant, i think i will try again tomorrow with less yeast, it became large on the bench in 10 minutes, threw it in the fridge and it just kept getting bigger and bigger, funny but messy, tasted excellent
What kind of oil do you use? Vegetable or Olive?
Usually olive oil.
Mel, Do you think this recipe could be mixed in the food processor !
Sure, especially if you’ve mixed doughs in there before and it has a dough hook blade.
Can you use active dry yeast?
Sure – just proof it in a bit of water and sugar until it is foamy and bubbling.
I make this pizza dough almost every week and we love it. I wanted to do a pizza party for my son and use this dough. I’m wondering if I can make the dough in advance and how long it would stay good in the fridge? Would I refrigerate at the very end of all the steps or before the 10 minutes rise?
Sure, I think that could work. I’d refrigerate just after mixing (no rising). I have a recipe on here for overnight pizza dough that might work better and it’s equally delish.
I made this last night with all white flour and it was so good! I make your overnight whole wheat dough most weeks – which is delicious and wholesome. But, this was a treat! The only way I can describe it is pillowy softness. It’s not even 7 AM here in California and I have al eady snuck downstairs to eat leftovers. Yum!
Mel I love this dough and sauce recipe! I’ve totally ditched my other pizza recipe. But I need some help. It’s normally perfect, but The last two times I’ve made this, the crust has been doughy in the middle! The bottom gets crispy, as do the outside edges, but right underneath the sauce and cheese, the crust is not cooking 🙁 I’ve tried cooking longer, but no luck. It did happen with a different oven than what I had been using, but it was just replaced with a brand new one and the same thing happened tonight. I’m preheating my baking stones at 500 degrees as directed. Nothing else besides the oven has changed in how I’m doing things. I want my perfect pizza back! 🙂
Ashley – Mel is out of town and away from the internet for the weekend, but she will help you with your pizza conundrum when she gets back. How thick are you rolling your dough? You might try rolling it thinner to see if that helps it cook evenly. You could also try par-baking your crust for a few minutes before you add your toppings. If you try it again before you hear back from Mel I hope it turns out perfect!
Mel!! Thank you for teaching me how to properly prep and use my pizza stone. That one little tip made all the difference. I’ve been making pizza on Friday nights for a decade at least. My husband always said he liked my homemade pizza but I always found it so frustrating because I would get such mixed results. Your recipes are fabulous and I love having perfect pizza every time! I love your blog. It’s my go-to when I’m looking for something tasty and not too complicated.
Hi Mel,
Everytime I’ve tried to make pizza dough, it has failed for one reason or another. I don’t think I’m “kneading” like it says in the recipe. This may be a real dumb question, but please take it with a grain of salt (pun intended), from a chap who is a total novice at home cooking. What do you mean by “kneading” the dough?
Kneading the dough is basically turning it over and over on itself to develop the gluten. You can knead by hand (using the bottom palm of your hands to push into the dough as it turns over and over) or you can knead in an electric mixer. Does that help?
Great you can also consider cornmeal on bottom of crust before final bake
Hi Mel! I’m a huge fan!!! I go to your site weekly!
I made this pizza last week and the dough seemed way too thick after baking (nothing like your beautiful pictures). I rolled it out very thin, to the point where it was almost transparent. Do you have any idea what could have gone wrong?
Also, do you have any idea how much mozzarella you use? I used (fresh) approximately 8oz and your sauce recipe, and just peperoni. All my proportions seemed wrong :l
Thanks in advance!
Hi Alexa – you might try cutting down the yeast a bit if you don’t want it to puff as high in the oven. I really don’t measure the mozzarella. I mostly use the part-skim (not fresh) mozzarella and use a handful or two for each pizza.
I love, love ,love this recipe! it’s the only pizza dough recipe i’ll use ever again, thanks for sharing
Thanks for a great recipe! I’ve been looking for pizza dough for ever…finally my search is over! This was so fast & easy. I had to cook mine for 20 min., but I like pizza with some bite to it. Will be making this again and again.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! It has become my favorite crust recipe to go to. It comes together quickly and rises so nicely. Love the taste of honey in the dough. We top with homemade pizza sauce from our garden tomatoes and other yummy things for Saturday night suppers.
I just made this dough tonight, trying to be more healthy . Will try the whole wheat flour next time! My family raved over it. Always skeptical on sauces but found an organic one that turned out pretty good. Made one cheese/pepperoni and one supreme! Had no issues whatsoever. I kneaded it by hand and just added a little bit more flour if it stuck to my hands. Thank you!
Could you please tell me if you always use whole wheat flour in recipe?
Does it work with just all purpose flour or do you have to use wheat flour with it . What does the wheat flour do to the dough?
Yes, I almost always use whole wheat flour but all-purpose works good, too. I usually add whole wheat flour for added nutrition.
Have you ever made this recipe in bulk and frozen the dough?
Hi Aubrey – I have frozen this pizza dough quite a few times. It freezes ok but doesn’t quite compare to the fresh version (because of the amount of yeast, the frozen dough that’s been thawed has an overly yeasty flavor to me).
Hi Mel! I have two questions for you. Can we pre-bake this dough a bit before adding the toppings ? I’ve seen some people do this so wanted to try. Also, every time I try making bread/pizza, the end result, although ok reeks and tastes of BEER ! I know it’s probably the yeast doing what’s supposed to do but is it normal ? Is every homemade dough this smelly ? Help !!!
Hey Ana – yes, this pizza dough can definitely be pre baked. A lot of the yeasty smell comes from the amount of yeast called for in recipes and can be stronger if dough is left to rise for a long time (for instance, the yeast smell in the pizza dough recipe I have that rests overnight is stronger than in, say, this one). Each homemade dough will differ depending on the ingredients and method.
What oil do you recommend using for this recipe?
I usually use olive oil or canola oil.
Thank you much, Mel!! I stumbled upon your site via google & am in love. Beautiful pictures & fun writing is always a plus in my book.
I made this crust this weekend & the pizza came out tasty, but I had a few issues. 1. I forgot the oil to the dough (hangs head in shame), 2. Picked up highly active yeast instead of instant & proofed the ENTIRE package (don’t ask because sometimes Google isn’t a girl’s bestie) & added it to my mixer before adding the rest of the ingredients.
My crust was nice & soft outside of the edges, but the edges were too hard. Did the yeast do this? I’m in GA & used only 2 cups of flour because it looked sticky & stuck to my hands w/ a little residue. I know your recipe says “no residue on your fingers”, but I though if I added more flour my dough wouldn’t come out right. Please help if you can? Thanks for posting yummy deliciousness!
The dough I made was stretchy & not rollable. I guess from too little flour? Thanks again!!!!
Hi Tamika – sometimes the dough can shrink back and not stretch out if the gluten needs to relax a bit. A simple solution for this is to let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes before rolling out again. If it was overly sticky, you might try a bit more flour.
Thank you so much!
I tried it twice since you responded and my dough came out yummy and perfect. Thanks for your time & help!!
Also, if I roll this out thinly (we like thin crusts), how many inch will your original recipe yield? 🙂 Will it make 2 12-inch pizzas?
Hi Mel! Thanks for this recipe. I will try this very soon! 🙂 Quick question though, can I use 1 tablespoon sugar instead of honey? Thanks! 🙂
Yes, you can use sugar in place of honey. And as for the thin crust – you’ll really have to experiment and see. It’s hard to know exactly how thin you’ll be rolling it – I feel like I roll them pretty thin for the yield in the posted recipe but I suppose if you roll them really, really thin, you might be able to get two 12-inch pizzas. Good luck!
great quick recipe. Has become my go to on a weekly basis. Quick question on freezing – should I let it rise first then freeze? Or can I freeze once the dough comes together?
You can freeze the dough right after it’s mixed all the way.
This worked like a charm! My husband & I are incredibly happy with it.
Btw 1tbl is equal to 1 package of yeast I figured out 🙂
Thanks a million!!!
This is a FANTASTIC recipe! Tastes great and so quick for a -didn’t plan ahead, the kid just asked for pizza kind of night.
We can no longer do take out pizza; my son has become very sensitive to MSG. (Migraines-sick)
Hard on a preteen who LOVES pizza.
This recipe is a huge win! Love your pizza sauce recipe too. Thanks again, Mel!
Tried this last night for dinner. So fast and easy. My family loved it!
This is an awesome recipe!!! So easy and had pizza made in 35 minutes!! This is a keeper!!
I made this last night. It was my first time making homemade pizza, and only my second time using yeast. It came out great, even with the slight setbacks I had! My husband was extremely impressed and we both agree that this will be made again. We kept munching on the leftovers, even once they were cold. 🙂
I only had dry active yeast, so I activated it first with the warm water and honey. Everything else was exactly as written. I found it took about 2 1/2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour. Next time I’ll try using some whole wheat.
Sadly, I tried your method for pre-heating a pan in the oven in place of a stone, and it didn’t work out. 🙁 My pan apparently cannot handle that high heat and it started to smoke. I think the non-stick coating was burning. So, I ended up just using a smaller pizza pan at 450F, greased, and with the pizza going directly in the oven without preheating the pan. It still crisped up and browned the bottom, so no real problem in the end.
Thanks so much for this recipe! I’ll be using it to teach my husband how to make dough, too, since he’s slowly learning to cook. 🙂
I stumbled upon this site looking for a quick pizza dough recipe as I was in a hurry. Oh my goodness! This is the best crust I have EVER made! I made the outer crust extra thick and we dipped it in extra pizza sauce. Forget the toppings, I would rather just have the crust and sauce.
i’d like to make this around noon, however won’t be actually making the pizza’s until maybe 6 hours later. What is the best way to “store” the dough, and do I do anything different once it’s time to use it?
Thanks so much and LOVE your blog!!!
Hi Theresa – I’d refrigerate the dough, covered. It will rise in the fridge so make sure the container has room for that. If you can, take it out about an hour or so before using.
I am awful with any recipe with yeast. I was really nervous trying this, even though it says foolproof. I was so pleased with our pizzas. I will not buy pre-made crust again!!
Tried your recipe tonight because I need a quick and easy pizza dough. I used Robin Hood nutriblend flour with omega 3 and fibre for healthier pizza with great success! I topped with hand grated mozzarella, tomato sauce, thawed cooked spinach, sautéed red bell peppers, zucchini and caramelized onion – pizza is soooooo good!!! Thank you for the recipe!
I will be hosting a birthday party and there will be 10 thirteen year old girls making their own individual pizzas. Do you think that I need to double or triple the original recipe? How many people does your original recipe generally feed?
Also, I am planning to use Red Star Active Dry Yeast, because I happen to have a lot of it (I buy it a 2-pound package at Costco). Thanks!
Hi Helen – sounds like a fun party! If using the active dry yeast (you probably already know this), just make sure to proof it in a bit of water until it is bubbly before using in the recipe. I tripled this batch a few weekends ago and it easily fed 10 of us. I don’t think a double batch would be enough but I think a triple batch would be great (as long as each girl isn’t making a mammoth sized pizza). 🙂
GREAT RECIPE! Proofed the yeast out of habit, and baked on parchment on a preheated pizza stone at 450- wasn’t sure how our old oven would do with 500. Topped with a little tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and pepperoni- soooo good! I did get a little bit of a greasy bottom on my pizza- no doubt bc of the parchment paper, but do you have any suggestions to prevent the greasiness? I hate cornmeal, but I guess if that’s the only option, I’ll live with it. Thanks for the awesome and fast recipe!
Hi Haley – did you remove the pizza from the parchment paper immediately after baking? I’ve never had the greasy issue you’ve described and I use parchment almost every time. I wonder if it might be moisture from when the hot pizza sits after coming out of the oven?
Mel, I love this recipe and have made it lots. This weekend I divided the dough into a mini muffin pan, baked for 15 minutes and when they came out I brushed with melted butter, sprinkled with garlic salt and parsley. Little yummy garlic nuggets! Thanks so much for the recipe (all of your recipes)!
I’ve never made my own pizza dough before thinking it would be so difficult (what if I can’t get the texture right, what if I over-work the dough). This was awesome! I went slow adding the flour and eventually got the texture just right. It came out fabulous on the grill. We made a pepperoni pizza and a buffalo chicken pizza and they were a big hit – with both my 18-month-old son and 18-year-old step-son. I love being able to please everyone with a single meal!
I have made this dough many times and it is always fabulous. My kids love homemade pizza better than any pizza shop. Tonight I topped it with your Alfredo sauce and some left over rotisserie chicken and mozzarella. OH. MY. WORD. Deliciousness! Thanks for being my go-to every night of the week!
I could kick myself for messing up a “foolproof” recipe! After 10 minutes in the oven, the outside was beautiful, but there was still raw dough in the center. I baked it on a cookie sheet, but didn’t preheat it first, because I didn’t read the tutorial until after. Is the 8-10 minute time estimate with a preheated cookie sheet? I think that’s where I may have gone wrong…
Pam – It definitely helps to preheat the cookie sheet (or baking stone) – I think that could help fix the raw dough in the center. Was it rolled pretty thick? If so, you also may need to add a few minutes to the baking time. I roll mine fairly thin.
Hi Mel! I just wanted to let you know I tried this recipe again last night, made sure to roll it thinner, and it turned out wonderful!! I also turned my oven down to 450 and baked a few minutes longer, since i couldnt quite nail the transfer to the preheated cookie sheet and ended up baking it on a non preheated one. Thanks for your help! This is definitely my new go to pizza dough recipe!
So happy to hear the update, Pam, thanks!
I’ve been making homemade pizza for years. I have used this crust recipe a handful of times now on the grill and it works great! Love the flavor and it gets nice and crisp. And SO easy!. Thanks Mel!
I’m going to have to try this. It looks great! Thanks!
Hi Mel, do you think I could make the dough in the morning, then put it in the refrigerator and take it out a little while before I bake it?
Brenna – Yes, that should work great! I’d take it out an hour or two before you want to roll it into pizzas.
Thank you!
Hi Mel-
I just made pizza crust in my Kitchen Aid and with all this bread making you have gotten me into 🙂 I am noticing that my Kitchen Aid is not quite strong enough. It sometimes overheats. I was wondering what kind of Bosch you have since I don’t know anyone around me who has one! Thanks for all of your crust baking tips. It makes for a great pizza in your home oven!
Can this be made with active dry yeast instead of instant?
Allie – it can be made with active dry – just proof the yeast in the warm water/honey and let it bubble and foam before adding the rest of the ingredients.
I made this today and the dough came together really quickly. I was so happy because I was pressed for time. The yeast I had on hand was a jar of bread machine yeast….and I mixed it with a spoon and my hands. I will be making pizza more often now.
Hi there people!
Just a quick tip for anyone making the quick pizza dough… I always use whole wheat flower, and i knead the dough with a mixer, until it becomes airy and lets loose on the sides of the bowl.
I then cover it and let it rest/rise for about +/- 40 minutes……. lightly flower (as much as needed) inside the bowl until it becomes workable, remove it from the bowl knead it some more, and make your pizza base ready for use.
NOTE!!! The dough is light and fluffy, so put some flowered parchment (baking) paper underneath before topping it, so you can transfer it to the oven safely! I just pull the paper after 5 minutes in the oven…. Those with a pizza paddle have their own methods i guess….
I have an electric oven and i bake it, in the preheated oven for about 18 minutes, i just cover the baking sheet with some aluminum, …….. The result is just fantastic!!!
Thanks again for all your great recipes!
God bless!
This pizza is amazing! It is soft and fluffy and your homemade sauce is delicious!:) thanks for another life changing recipe!:)) your website is now bookmarked as my main go to in the kitchen:))
So tonight I’m making this for the third time since you posted the recipe. Not sure if that’s good or bad but we LOVE it!! 🙂 Tonight I upped the whole wheat flour to a full cup – hope I don’t regret it!
Made pizza tonight using your fabulous recipes for the crust and sauce. The pizza turned out so well. All your tips really helped! My tummy is really smiling. Thank you, Mel for all you do!
So, I read the note above the recipe about the 1/2 to 2/3 cup of whole wheat flour – then, I got confused after reading the whole recipe. If you are using whole wheat flour, do you use 1/2 -2/3 cup instead of 2-3 cups? I never realized there was such a difference in the amounts of flour with all purpose vs. whole wheat…
amanda – The recipe note is talking about proportions of whole wheat flour not cups. So the 1/2 to 2/3 in the note means you can use 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 white flour. The cup amount in the recipe should still be 2-3 cups. I hope that makes sense!
Hi Mel,
I love your quick pizza dough!
I made it tonight & used it for breadsticks which I brushed with some garlic salt butter. So yum!
One question: can the dough recipe be doubled, tripled, quadrupled and so on?
LOVE your website & think you are so gifted with food & an awesome mom!
Lots of aloha from Hawaii,
Cathy
Cathy – Thank you for the sweet comment. And yes, this dough can be doubled and tripled.
Thank you for posting weeks pizza posts! I made the pizza dough tonight ( first time ever using yeast!!). It was great! A bit thick so I will try a few more times. Than I used your tips for the pizza stone! Excellent help! You rock, Mel!!!
Mel, I tried it again. I split the dough in two and made the crust thinner. It worked perfectly. I guess my crust was just too thick! I use a bread machine to make my dough and it works great.
I tried this recipe tonight instead of my usual pizza crust recipe because it only took 10 minutes to rise. It is now my new pizza crust recipe. My family loved it!!!
Do you think this would work well in a bread machine, provided all ingredients were added in the proper order? My kitchen is so drafty I can NEVER make yeast recipes without using my bread machine or else nothing rises!
I am making pizza tonight, Thank you for sharing.
I would be up to trying a new recipe with all your great pizza tips! Bring on the Hawaiian:)
Help! I’ve made this dough two or three times and every time I’ve had raw dough on the inside with a nice burnt crust on the bottom! Yuck. What and I doing wrong? I use a cookie sheet upside down in a 475 oven. I cook for 8-10 minutes. I use parchment paper. Thanks!
Laura – How thick do you think you are rolling your crust? Also, each oven can be quite variable in temperature so your oven may cook hot in which case, I’d recommend cutting the temperature down to 450 and see how it goes. Good luck!
I made this the on Monday night and it was great. I have to say I feel like this is my first successful pizza dough I have made. I’m not organized enough (well, usually) to do the night before thing so this is perfect for me. When my husband heard I was making homemade pizza at 4:30 he just looked at me and said “Oh”. I knew he wasn’t very excited because he knows that it usually doesn’t turn out so great and starting at 4:30 would mean eating at 8. Not what a hungry guy looks forward to. But this was a success and very tasty. The dough was so easy to work with. We have a family of 6 so I doubled the recipe to make 2 doughs and my Kitchenaid handled it just fine. The only thing I noticed is that the dough does rise very quickly. I made one pizza with plain cheese for the kids first and while it was cooking the second dough rose so much that it made a much bigger pizza than would fit on my pizza stone. So for anyone feeding a crowd and wants to double the recipe my suggestion is to plan on making a second pizza bigger because you will have more dough to work with. Or you can let it rise in the bowl covered in your warm kitchen (the other pizza cooking will warm things up in there) for 25 min and you will end up with 2 more doughs so you can make 3 pizzas total. Thanks for the recipe Mel, I’ll be using it again this Friday night!
So glad it worked out well for you, Terra Laurie! Thanks for checking in (and for the tips!).
Wow such a helpful post!thanks!
I love love the original version of this crust. I totally will have to compare the two. I usually make it into a bbq chicken pizza and bread sticks and my family totally melts in excitement.
Thanks for the stellar recipes and feel free to share a recipe for your version of BBQ chicken. The one I use is delish but everything I have made from you has been outstanding. I am very excited about your killer giveaway as well! Have a fun week Mel!
I’ve been making this recipe for years now ever since I saw you’re original post! Thank you! Thank you! It’s the best and I’m excited for the rest of pizza week:-)
Holy cow, Mel! Have I ever said (about a million times???) that you are AWESOME!!! Thanks a ton! I can’t wait to try it!
Yeah for pizza week! I’m so excited! This pizza crust looks perfect, Mel. I’m really looking forward to your posts about the perfect pizza!
What kind of white flour? All purpose or bread flour.
Dave – I use unbleached all-purpose flour.
I love your quick and easy pizza dough. It’s been my “go to” for probably over a year now. I was curious as to why you omitted the garlic salt. I loved the little added flavor. Was it just personal preference?
I agree! I love her original recipe with the garlic salt– added a HUGE kick of flavor to it! Only realized the difference when I was looking to see if she used whole wheat flour in any pizza doughs!
Hey Katie and Jen – sorry I never responded to your original question, Katie…I didn’t see it or notice it until Jen just left her comment. I mostly omitted the garlic salt because I never ever keep it on hand anymore. If I want a garlic salt punch, I use coarse, kosher salt and garlic powder. However, I’m glad you both love the original recipe and I’ll add in the notes the option to add that garlic salt if you want it. 🙂
Mel – THIS recipe is the my go-to pizza recipe of yours I’ve been using for a few years now. For me – it works great because for some reason I never “plan ahead” for the overnight recipe. (Maybe one day I’ll try!) I am SUPER excited for this week of recipes/tips!
Ok…so I interpret “didn’t plan ahead” as last minute 🙂
Oh Mel, you had me at last minute pizza dough 🙂
Thank you again and again!
So pumped! Love this week already. And this is going on the menu this week. The weekly menus are so helpful even though weekly posted recipes require they be adjusted 🙂 and you are simply the best! Thank you for the excellent way you do your work!
Was making your slow rise pizza dough and pizza sauce recipe every Friday night for the past few months until I got sick and pregnant. My family and friends all LOVE it! Not a lot of cooking going on here right now, but I will put this week’s posts in my back pocket for healthier days!
Wow, this is great. My husband has been buying store bought pizza crust at WF and they are just not that great to me. I think I may need to try this right away. When my husband asks where I got a recipe from I always say my friend Mel:) He knows right away what I am talking about. I have loved your site for years and so thankful for all the helpful tips you have. You are so good about responding. Do not know how you do it with all you have going on and the little ones around you. Looking forward to pizza week!!! Wish my 7 year old liked pizza more. She will only eat her pizza with sauce on it. Maybe if I get her to help though she would like it better.
Thank you Heather – you are so sweet! I wish I could respond more to comments (I’m good about responding to questions but I would love to say thank you to everyone that tries a recipe – I just run out of time!). Hope you love the pizza if you try it!
I have a house guest who is GF. Do you have a GF dough recipe? Thanks –
Auntiepatch – I don’t have a gluten-free crust but my friend Nicole does here:
http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/gf-pizza-dough/
I have a pizza recipe I love but we will definitely be trying this. Interested to see what it is like with honey as the sweetener and not sugar like mine. Do you plan to talk about grilled pizza?! It’s a life changing experience and I’d love to hear your take on it!
Hi Bethany – I did a post on grilled pizza a year or so ago:
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/grilled-pizza-how-to/
But I’ll be talking about it again this week, too.
Will you have a day dedicated to topping ideas? I get in a rut sometimes…
Mary Karlee – yes! That’s one of my biggest hangups about homemade pizza is the toppings!
So excited for this week! We make homemade pizza about once a week too. Thanks Mel!
Your pizza is the absolute best!
YUM! Love pizza so definitely want to try this out as the recipe doesn’t look too hard! Once I get the hang of it I want to try out sourdough pizza!
http://addalittle.wordpress.com
I’ve been making your pizza every Friday night for years! My family loves it and if it’s possible for it to get any better, bring it on!
Thanks, Mel!
We love pizza!! We make it once a week! Love love love your dough that has a bit of garlic in it. Whenever my hubby starts making grunting sounds while he’s eating (with “ash this is awesome” attached) I know I’ve scored again with another MKC recipe. When someone asks “where did you get this recipe?” I say Mels kitchen of course! I have to agree with what’s been said. You are my go to for recipes. Thanks!!!
Nice article. But, it managed to confuse the blazes out of me. The subject on my email was Slow Cooker Chicken Philly Sandwiches. I opened the email, and found an entirely different article. And then I remembered you did the sandwiches a different day.
Hi Joan – I agree – I was confused too! Seems as though the email accidentally tagged the wrong subject line. Sorry about that!
Anxiously awaiting all the Pizza recipes . I have been on a search for the perfect pizza dough recipe for years . Trying everything from beer in the dough to Jim Lahey’s 18 hr no knead. Still searching . I am beginning to think I am doing it wrong. But I never give up . I have learned so much from you over the past 2 months (heard about you at The Kitchn) and continue to tell my family about your site . You are my Go To Site for any recipe . Thanks so much .
Thanks, Jan! I’ll be posting an overnight pizza dough tomorrow that might be the trick for you on your search. Hope so!
How can this be frozen for future use?
Hi Deb – it sure can! I’ll be doing a tip on freezing pizza dough later this week, but basically, I grease the inside of a freezer ziploc bag with nonstick cooking spray and put a ball of pizza dough inside, seal the bag and freeze. I take it out the night before using and put it in the fridge and then take it out of the fridge an hour or so before wanting to make pizza the next day (or you can leave it on the counter for 6-8 hours until it has thawed completely).
it don’t have to
Mmm, that pepperoni pizza looks awesome! Now I’m excited for your blog posts this week too. 🙂
lol 😛
I think I love you! I was literally walking to the kitchen to see if I had yeast. Then I thought, let me see if Mel has a good pizza dough recipe. Your site always has exactly what I need. Thank you!