How to use the pizza dough calculator
- Choose how many pizzas you want.
- Enter the dough ball weight, or choose pizza size and a style to have the weight worked out from the diameter.
- Set the baker’s percentages: hydration, salt, yeast, and optional oil and sugar.
- Weigh the ingredients in grams. Add 1–3% extra if you lose dough to the bowl.
The baker’s percentage formula
Total % = 100 (flour) + Water % + Salt % + Yeast % + Oil % + Sugar % Flour = Total dough weight ÷ (Total % ÷ 100) Ingredient = Flour × Ingredient % ÷ 100 Dough ball (by size) = π × (Diameter ÷ 2)² × Thickness factor
Worked example
Four 250 g Neapolitan dough balls (1,000 g) at 65% hydration, 2.8% salt and 0.3% instant yeast:
- Total % = 100 + 65 + 2.8 + 0.3 = 168.1%
- Flour = 1,000 ÷ 1.681 = 595 g
- Water = 595 × 0.65 = 387 g; salt = 16.7 g; instant yeast = 1.8 g
Typical formulas by style
| Style | Hydration | Salt | Oil | Sugar | Ball weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neapolitan (10–12 in) | 58–65% | 2.5–3% | 0% | 0% | 230–280 g |
| New York (14–16 in) | 60–65% | 2–2.5% | 1–3% | 1–2% | 340–500 g |
| Thin crust / bar pie | 50–58% | 2% | 2–4% | 0–1% | 180–250 g |
| Detroit / pan (10 × 14 in) | 68–75% | 2–2.5% | 2–3% | 0–1% | 450–550 g |
| Sicilian / sheet pan | 65–75% | 2–2.5% | 2–4% | 0–2% | 700–900 g |
Yeast and rise time
The amount of yeast controls how fast the dough rises, not how much it finally rises. Long, cold fermentation in the fridge (24–72 hours) develops more flavour and a crisper, more blistered crust, so many pizzaiolos use very little yeast. As a guide for instant dry yeast at about 70 °F (21 °C): 1% for a 2–4 hour rise, 0.4% for an overnight rise at room temperature, and 0.1–0.2% for a 2–3 day cold rise. In a warm kitchen, use less.
Step-by-step method
- Dissolve the salt in most of the water (cool water for long rises).
- Add about a third of the flour and the yeast, mix, then add the rest of the flour gradually.
- Mix or knead until smooth — 8–10 minutes by hand, 5–7 minutes in a stand mixer. Add the oil near the end.
- Let it rest 1–2 hours, then divide into balls by weight and place them in a lightly oiled container.
- Cold-ferment in the fridge, then take the balls out 2–4 hours before baking to come to room temperature.
- Bake as hot as your oven goes on a preheated stone or steel: 500–550 °F (260–290 °C) at home, 800–900 °F (430–480 °C) in a pizza oven.