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Pizza Dough Calculator

Flour, water, salt, yeast — scaled to any number of pizzas.

Great pizza dough is 90% formula and 10% technique. Baker's percentages — where every ingredient is expressed relative to flour weight — let you scale any recipe to any number of pizzas perfectly. This calculator eliminates the arithmetic and gives you exact gram weights for each ingredient.

Dough for 4 pizzas
1000 g total
Per ball
250 g
Hydration
60%
Style
Neapolitan

Bulk ferment 18-24h at room temp with tiny yeast. Ball, rest 4h, stretch by hand. 900°C wood oven or hottest electric.

IngredientAmountBaker's %
Flour (00 / bread)613 g100%
Water368 g60%
Salt17.2 g2.8%
Yeast (IDY)1.23 g0.2%

Baker's Percentages Explained

Baker's percentages don't add up to 100% — flour is always 100%, and every other ingredient is a percentage of the flour weight. A 60% hydration dough with 500g flour contains 300g water. This system makes scaling trivial and recipes portable regardless of batch size.

  • Flour = always 100% (the base)
  • Water = 60% of flour weight for Neapolitan; 63% for NY; 70% for pan
  • Salt = 2-3% of flour weight — critical for flavour and gluten structure
  • Yeast = 0.1-0.5% for slow fermentation; up to 1% for quick same-day dough
  • Oil = 0% Neapolitan (not traditional); 2% NY-style for added extensibility

The 3 Major Pizza Styles: What Makes Each Different

Hydration and fermentation time are the two knobs that separate the styles. Higher hydration = more open, airy crumb. Longer ferment = more flavour complexity.

  • Neapolitan (60%): lowest hydration, hand-stretched only, tiny yeast + 18-24h bulk ferment, cooked at 400°C+ in 60-90 seconds
  • New York (63%): slightly more hydration + small oil addition, par-baked low-and-slow, large hand-tossed pies, tangy cheese-pulls
  • Pan / Sicilian (70%): highest hydration, poured into oiled pan, thick focaccia-like crumb, baked at 230-250°C
  • Detroit: similar to Sicilian but baked in steel pans with cheese to the edge — creates a fried cheese crust

Fermentation: Cold vs Room Temperature

Fermentation builds flavour. Cold fermentation (refrigerator at 4°C) slows yeast dramatically, allowing longer fermentation without over-proofing — typically 24-72 hours. Room-temperature fermentation is faster (4-18 hours) but requires precision with yeast amounts.

  • Cold ferment (24-72h): more complex flavour, better leopard spotting in the oven
  • Room temp ferment (18-24h): traditional Neapolitan method with very little yeast
  • Same-day dough (4-6h): use more yeast (0.5-1%) and warmer water; less complex flavour
  • Overproofed dough: sticky, tears easily, no oven spring, dense crumb — reduce yeast or ferment cooler
  • Underproofed dough: dense, chewy, no bubbles — extend ferment by 25-50%

Flour Types and Why They Matter

Flour protein content determines gluten development, which determines dough extensibility (stretchability) and chew. Pizza dough needs moderate-to-high protein for proper structure.

  • Italian 00 flour: 11-12% protein, very fine grind, extensible dough — the Neapolitan standard
  • US bread flour: 12-14% protein, slightly chewier crust — excellent for NY style
  • All-purpose flour: 10-11% protein — usable but not ideal; lower structure
  • Caputo Pizzeria 00: the most widely used professional Neapolitan flour
  • Adding small amounts of semolina (5-10%) adds texture and prevents sticking

How to Use the Pizza Dough Calculator

Scale a perfect pizza dough recipe to any number of pies.

  1. 1
    Choose your style
    Select Neapolitan, New York, or Pan. Each preset sets the correct hydration and salt/yeast percentages for that style.
  2. 2
    Set the dough ball weight
    220-260g for 10-12" Neapolitan. 280-320g for 12-14" NY style. 400-500g for a 9×13 pan. Adjust to match your baking tin or preferred pizza size.
  3. 3
    Set the number of pizzas
    The calculator scales all ingredients linearly. The gram weights in the table are exact — weigh with a kitchen scale for consistent results.
  4. 4
    Mix, ferment, and bake
    Combine flour, water, salt, and yeast. Knead until smooth. Bulk ferment. Ball. Proof. Stretch and top. Follow the style-specific note for ferment time and baking temperature.

FAQ

What is baker's percentage?
A recipe format where flour = 100%, and every other ingredient is expressed as a percent of flour weight. A 60% hydration dough has 600 g water for every 1000 g flour.
Why does Neapolitan use so little yeast?
Because the bulk ferment is 18-24 hours. More yeast ferments faster but leaves a yeasty taste; tiny yeast + long time builds complex flavor.
What's the right hydration for beginners?
60-63% is the easy zone — shapes well, handles forgivingly. Go to 70%+ once you've developed the feel for sticky dough.
What flour should I use?
Italian 00 flour is the gold standard for Neapolitan — fine grind, lower protein, extensible. US bread flour works well too (higher protein = chewier crust). Avoid all-purpose for pizza — too low protein, too extensible.
Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant dry yeast?
Yes, but use 25% more (IDY is more concentrated). Dissolve ADY in warm water first before adding to flour. The quantities this calculator shows are for instant dry yeast (IDY).

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