Our Favorite Sheet Pan Pizza
American | Published Jan 20, 2023 | Updated Jan 27, 2023 | By Tawnie
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It’s always about the crust and if you’re a crust lover you’ll love my Sheet Pan Pizza.
Particularly if you love a thick, chewy, slightly crisp crust with the perfect golden crunch. I love pizza and with 30 billion pizza’s a year being eaten, there is going to be excitement in your house when you put this sheet pan pizza on your table.
And if you’re wanting to go all out and make it a pasta and pizza night, try my Sausage Pasta, Shrimp Scampi, or my Spaghetti Carbonara.
Table of contents

Growing up my family definitely helped with that billion mark. We dined at our favorite pizza & pasta restaurant on just about a weekly basis. We also had our favorite pizza place we went to after sports games, too. Now that I am married, my husband and I still go every Friday night to the same original family owned pizza and pasta restaurant I went to growing up.
All of that to say, I have done my fair share of contributing to that 30 billion number! And now, with my Sheet Pan Pizza, we just might be eating pizza twice a week!
This recipe takes a little bit of time, since the crust is made from scratch, so you might want to make this Sheet Pan Pizza on a Saturday or Sunday when you have a little more time in the kitchen.
After the third time the dough rests, top it with just the right amount of pizza sauce and then pile on a combo of provolone, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, load up your favorite toppings, and pop the sheet pan in the oven. In just twenty-five minutes you will have the most golden brown, masterfully crafted pie to serve up to your family and friends!

Reasons Why You Will Love My Sheet Pan Pizza
- All you need is a sheet pan, no pizza stone needed.
- This Sheet Pan Pizza bakes right in the oven, so no fancy pizza makers necessary.
- It’s versatile! This is a meal that caters to every taste, from meat lover to vegetarian, so feel free be creative with your toppings.
- Sheet Pan Pizza is perfect for movie night with the family or feeding a hungry group of teenagers. It is the perfect meal for a crowd!
- What’s not to love about PIZZA?! 😍
Ingredient Notes

- Bread flour: I love using bread flour when making homemade pizza dough because I find it creates a thick, soft, fluffy pizza dough but with crispy edges. It helps made each bite of this pizza chewy on the inside but with the perfect crisp crust on the outside. You can use all purpose flour if you don’t have any bread flour, just note you’ll have a thinner crust that what you see in the photos here.
- Active dry yeast: I have not tested this recipe with fast acting yeast or instant yeast. The warm water you’ll add will activate the yeast.
- Cheese: I love using a combination of mozzarella, provolone and Parmesan cheese to top on my cheese pizza. Feel free to use whatever cheese(s) you love best and don’t be shy on how much you add.
- Pizza sauce: use your favorite jarred pizza sauce or better yet if you have a favorite homemade sauce go ahead and use that! Rao’s has a great sauce we use and love.
- Corn meal: Using cornmeal on the bottom of your pizza dough is a love it or hate it thing. I love it. You just need a little to help the pizza not stick to the bottom of the pan. However, you can always just use the olive oil on the pan and it won’t stick.
- Toppings: I kept this recipe simple and just used cheese and fresh basil. Add all of your favorite pizza toppings you like, have fun with it!

Step by Step Directions
- Make the pizza dough (more detailed instructions on this below)
- Stretch the dough out on your sheet pan all the way to the edges.
- Poke holes in the pizza dough (this is referred to as “docking”)
- Spread the sauce on top, followed by the seasonings and cheese.
- Bake ~20-25 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh basil, black pepper, red pepper chili flakes, Parmesan, etc.


Tips and Variations
- Before brushing on the sauce, brush the crust with olive oil. The olive oil seals the dough so that it prevents excess moisture from seeping into the crust. Plus the olive oil gives the crust additional flavor.
- To prevent uneven rising, and over rising of the crust, poke holes in the crust with a fork. This is called docking. The reason you “dock the dough” is to prevent air bubbles from developing during the baking process.
- To give your pizza dough extra flavor and that extra crunch we love, simply dust the sheet pan lightly with corn meal. Corse or medium grind cornmeal is fine.
- Shred cheese from a cheese block as opposed to using the pre-shredded stuff. Grating the cheese yourself will ensure the cheese melts better and will give you those cheese pulls we all know and love!

How do I make homemade pizza dough?
Pizza dough is actually really simple to make and only requires 4 ingredients. All you need is some time, about 3 1/2 hours for this dough to come together.
- Measure out all of your ingredients so everything is ready to go.
- Combine the bread flour, salt and yeast together.
- Add the warm water and mix until combined.
- Lightly dust a work surface and transfer the dough to the surface.
- Use a bench scraper to form dough together, knead for 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. (Pro tip: pop it in the oven, with the oven off, but with the light on to give the dough just a little bit of heat).
- After 30 minutes, give the dough some more love and knead dough again for 2 minutes. Place it back in bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let proof for 2 hours, it will just about double in size after this point and be looking really good!
- Now you can stretch the dough out on baking sheet that’s greased with olive oil and a sprinkle of cornmeal. Press the dough all the way to the corners and let rest on the baking sheet for 1-2 more hours.
- The dough might be springing back at you because the gluten is still pretty strong, and that’s ok. After it rests for this last hour, you’ll be able to stretch it all the way to the sides of the sheet pan. Letting it rest allows the gluten to relax and proof one last time.

FAQ
Yes you can. Although, you will not get the same flavor and texture with a store bought dough, but it will save you time! I would use 2 lbs. of dough for a thicker crust. You most likely will need the dough to let rest on the counter for an hour. When you stretch it on the sheet pan, and the dough bounces back, it means it needs more time to rest. If you use a store bought dough, let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Yes you do. It will prevent the dough from sticking to the sheet pan. Just a little olive oil and cornmeal does the trick!
As long as you wrap it tightly, and seal it in an air time container you can freeze the cooked and cooled pizza for 1 to 2 months.
Reheat in an oven at 375°F, or in a toaster oven.
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Our Favorite Sheet Pan Pizza
Ingredients
For the homemade pizza dough
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 Tbsp. fine sea salt
- 1 tsp. active dry yeast
- 1 3/4 cup warm water (105°F)
For the pizza
- olive oil for the crust and the pan
- 1 Tbsp. cornmeal
- 14 oz. jar store bought pizza sauce
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 cup provolone cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded, plus more for serving
- Toppings: use your favorites! Pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, garlic, tomatoes, prosciutto, bell peppers, jalapenos, etc.
Instructions
- Make the crust first: Combine the bread flour, salt and yeast together in a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Add the warm water (105°F) and mix until combined, the dough will be shaggy. Lightly dust a clean work surface and transfer the dough to the surface.
- Use a bench scraper to form dough together, kneading for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. (Pro tip: pop it in the oven, with the oven off, but with the light on to give the dough just a little bit of heat).
- After 30 minutes, give the dough some more love and knead the dough again for 2 minutes. Place it back in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let proof for 2 hours. It will just about double in size after this point and be looking really good!
- Grab a baking sheet and brush with a light coating of olive oil and a sprinkle of cornmeal. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and begin to flatten and stretch the dough to the sides of the sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 1 more hour. The dough might be springing back at you because the gluten is still pretty strong, and that's ok. After it rests for this last hour, you'll be able to stretch it all the way to the sides of the sheet pan. Letting it rest allows the gluten to relax and proof one last time.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- When ready to make pizza, press the dough to the corners of the pan and pinch the edges of the dough to form a crust. Poke holes all around the pizza dough with a fork. Spread the pizza sauce on top, sprinkle with oregano and garlic powder. Then, top with cheeses. Brush the crust with olive oil.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan half way through baking.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for a couple minutes before slicing. Add fresh basil, more Parmesan cheese, chili flakes, etc. and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Store bought pizza dough: I haven’t tested this with a store bought dough, but it can be done. I would use 2 lbs. of dough for a thicker crust. You most likely will need the dough to let rest on the counter for an hour, or whatever the package directs you to do. When you stretch it on the sheet pan, and the dough bounces back, it means it needs more time to rest. If you use a store bought dough, let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
- Shred cheeses from a cheese block as opposed to using the pre-shredded stuff. Grating the cheese yourself will ensure the cheese melts better and will give you those cheese pulls we all know and love!
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Dough recipe is from my friend Andris over at The Baking Steel.
Nutrition
Hi, I’m Tawnie!
Welcome to my tiny “korner” on the Internet! I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who loves cookies as much as kale. (OK, maybe I like cookies a little bit more but shh, don’t tell anyone). I am so glad you’re here! Follow along for hassle free, realistic and approachable recipes.
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