Good pizza starts with the dough, not the toppings — and you don’t need a stand mixer or a wood-fired oven to get there. This recipe is built for a standard home oven with minimal equipment: a bowl, a spoon, and enough patience to let the dough rise properly.

The real trick behind this dough is time. A long rise at room temperature gives the yeast a chance to fully develop the flavor of the flour, so there’s no need to lean on extra sugar or flavorings to make up for it. Roll the base thin and preheat the oven as hot as it will go, and the crust comes out with those telltale puffed, blistered edges while the center stays sturdy enough to hold the toppings.

This dough freezes well. After the first rise, divide it into portions, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and it’s ready to shape again — handy for anyone who wants pizza more than once a week without making dough from scratch every time.

When shaping, go easy on the flour on the work surface — too much of it dries out the dough and leaves the crust denser after baking. If the dough sticks, a light coating of olive oil on your hands and the counter works better than more flour.

Keep toppings on the lighter side: too much sauce or cheese can weigh the base down and leave the middle undercooked. Baking on a preheated sheet pan or pizza stone, heated along with the oven, also helps the bottom crust cook through faster and more evenly.