How the pizza dough calculator works
Pizza makers write their recipes in baker's percentages. Flour is always 100%, and every other ingredient is a percentage of the flour weight. That makes a dough recipe independent of its size: the same percentages give you two dough balls or twenty. You choose how many balls you need and how heavy each one should be, the calculator works backwards to the flour, then multiplies out the water, salt, yeast, oil and sugar.
Example: 4 balls of 250 g make 1,000 g of dough. At 62% hydration, 2.8% salt and 0.2% instant yeast, the percentages add up to 165%. Flour is 1,000 ÷ 1.65 = about 606 g, water 606 × 0.62 = about 376 g, salt about 17 g and yeast about 1.2 g.
What hydration does
Hydration is the water as a percentage of the flour. It changes how the dough handles and how the crust bakes. A lower hydration, around 55 to 60%, is firm and easy to stretch thin, good for crisp thin crust. Around 60 to 65% is the classic range for Neapolitan and New York pizza: soft, extensible, with a light rim. At 70% and above the dough gets slack and sticky, but it bakes up open and airy, which suits pan pizza that rises in its tin. Different flours absorb different amounts of water, so treat the numbers as a starting point and adjust in steps of 2 points.
Pizza styles at a glance
| Style | Ball weight | Hydration | Salt | Oil / sugar | Flour | Bake |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neapolitan | 250 g | 60 to 62% | 2.8% | none | Tipo 00 | Pizza oven, very hot, 60 to 90 s |
| New York | 280 g | 63 to 65% | 2 to 2.5% | 2% / 1% | Bread flour | Home oven at 500 to 550°F on a steel or stone |
| Thin crust | 200 g | 55 to 60% | 2 to 2.5% | 2% / 0% | All-purpose or bread flour | Home oven at about 500°F |
| Pan / Detroit | 400 g | 70 to 75% | 2 to 2.5% | 1% / 0% | Bread flour | Oiled pan, about 500°F, 12 to 15 min |
Yeast and fermentation time
The longer and colder the dough rests, the less yeast it needs. A cold rise in the fridge slows the yeast down while flavor keeps developing, which is why many pizzerias let their dough rest one to three days. The calculator suggests these approximate starting points for instant yeast, as a percentage of the flour:
- Same day, 6 to 8 hours at room temperature: about 0.3 to 0.5%.
- 24 hours in the fridge: about 0.2 to 0.4%.
- 48 to 72 hours in the fridge: about 0.1 to 0.3%.
A warm kitchen speeds everything up and a cold one slows it down, so watch the dough more than the clock: it is ready when it has grown noticeably and feels airy. For active dry yeast use about 1.25 times the instant amount, for fresh yeast about 3 times. Tiny amounts are hard to measure with a kitchen scale, so a jeweler's scale with 0.01 g steps helps, or use the teaspoon figure as a rough guide.
Salt, oil and sugar
Salt seasons the crust and tightens the gluten. Neapolitan dough usually uses around 2.8%, most other styles 2 to 2.5%. Oil makes the dough softer and easier to stretch, and sugar helps the crust brown in a home oven that cannot reach pizza oven temperatures. That is why New York style dough often has a little of both, while Neapolitan dough, baked in a very hot oven, has neither.
How to use the pizza dough calculator
- 1Pick a pizza style to fill in typical ball weight, hydration and salt, then adjust them if you like.
- 2Enter how many dough balls you need, then choose the yeast type and how long the dough will ferment.
- 3Weigh the flour, water, salt and yeast shown, follow the schedule and copy the recipe for later.
Frequently asked questions
What is a baker's percentage?
It is a way of writing a recipe where flour is always 100% and every other ingredient is a percentage of the flour weight. 62% hydration means 62 g of water for every 100 g of flour. The format makes it easy to scale a dough to any size and to compare recipes at a glance.
What hydration should I use for pizza dough?
For a first try, 60 to 62% for Neapolitan, 63 to 65% for New York style and 70 to 75% for pan pizza are good starting points. Higher hydration gives an airier, more open crumb but a stickier dough. If your flour feels too wet or too stiff, move 2 percentage points at a time.
How do I swap instant yeast for active dry or fresh yeast?
As a rule of thumb, use about 1.25 times the weight of instant yeast when you switch to active dry yeast, and about 3 times the weight for fresh yeast. The calculator does this for you when you pick the yeast type. Dissolve active dry yeast in some of the water first.
How much dough do I need per pizza?
Around 250 g makes a classic Neapolitan pizza of about 11 to 12 inches, and 200 g a thin one of similar size. New York style is often a little heavier per inch. Pan pizza needs more dough for the same area because it is thicker. Edit the ball weight to match your oven, pan or peel.
Why is my pizza dough so sticky?
Usually the hydration is high for the flour you use, or the dough has not been kneaded long enough to build gluten. Wet your hands instead of adding lots of flour, give it a few rests and folds, or lower the hydration by 2 to 3 points next time. Weak all-purpose flour absorbs less water than bread flour or 00 pizza flour.