Pizza Dough Calculator
Calculate exact pizza dough ingredients for any style, Neapolitan, New York, Detroit, Sicilian, thin & crispy, and sourdough. Uses baker's percentages for perfect results every time.
A 12-inch pizza needs 250g of dough for Neapolitan, 300g for New York, and 400g for Detroit. Use baker's percentages, flour is 100%, and every other ingredient is a percentage of the flour weight. Typical hydration is 60-70%.
Pick a style and pan size below, we'll calculate exact grams, cups, and teaspoons for you.
Pizza Dough Calculator
Classic thin, soft, charred crust. 900°F wood-fired or as hot as your oven goes.
Default: 250g for Neapolitan at 12″ (30cm), Medium
Your Recipe, 4 × Neapolitan Pizzas
| Ingredient | Grams | Volume | Baker's % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flour | 595g | 5 cups | 100% |
| Water | 387g | 387ml | 65% |
| Salt | 16.7g | 2.8 tsp | 2.8% |
| Instant yeast | 1.2g | 0.4 tsp | 0.2% |
Total Dough
1000g
Per Pizza
250g
Hydration
65%
Pizzas
4
Neapolitan, How to Make It
Fermentation
24-72 hours cold ferment (fridge)
Oven Temperature
450-500°C / 850-930°F (wood-fired) or max home oven
Use 00 flour (Caputo Pizzeria). Minimal handling, stretch by hand, never roll. 60-90 second bake. The long cold ferment is what gives Neapolitan its flavour.
Pizza Style Comparison
| Style | Hydration | Ball (12″) | Ferment | Oven |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neapolitan Selected | 65% | 250g | 24-72 hours cold ferment (fridge) | 450-500°C / 850-930°F (wood-fired) or max home oven |
| New York Style | 63% | 300g | 24 hours cold ferment or 4-6 hours room temp | 260-290°C / 500-550°F |
| Detroit Style | 70% | 400g | 24 hours cold ferment in the oiled pan | 230-260°C / 450-500°F in a blue steel pan |
| Sicilian / Grandma | 68% | 450g | 24-48 hours cold ferment | 230-260°C / 450-500°F |
| Thin & Crispy | 55% | 200g | 1-2 hours room temp (quick dough) | 230-260°C / 450-500°F |
| Sourdough Pizza | 68% | 280g | 8-12 hours room temp or 24-48 hours fridge | 260-290°C / 500-550°F |
Frequently Asked Questions
▶How much dough do I need per pizza?
It depends on the style and size. For a 12″ Neapolitan: 250g. For a 12″ New York: 300g. For a 12″ Detroit: 400g. Our calculator adjusts automatically based on your chosen style and size. As a rough rule: a 12″ pizza needs 250-350g of dough.
▶What is baker's percentage?
Baker's percentage expresses every ingredient as a percentage of the flour weight. Flour is always 100%. If a recipe is '65% hydration', that means 65g of water per 100g of flour. This makes scaling dead simple, double the flour, double everything else.
▶Can I make pizza dough ahead of time?
Yes, and you should! Cold-fermented dough (24-72 hours in the fridge) develops far better flavour than same-day dough. Make it the day before, ball it up, put it in oiled containers in the fridge. Take it out 1-2 hours before baking.
▶What temperature should my oven be?
As hot as it goes. Most home ovens max out at 250-290°C (500-550°F). Use a pizza steel or stone preheated for 45-60 minutes. The hotter the oven, the better the crust, you're aiming for a 5-8 minute bake at home, or 60-90 seconds in a dedicated pizza oven.
▶Why is my dough too sticky?
High-hydration doughs (65%+) are naturally sticky. Don't add extra flour, that ruins the texture. Instead: oil your hands, use bench scrapers, and handle the dough confidently. Sticky dough = airy crust. The stickiness reduces after cold fermentation.
▶Do I need a pizza stone or steel?
A pizza steel is the single best upgrade for home pizza. It stores more heat than stone and transfers it faster, giving you a crispier base. Preheat it for 45-60 minutes at max oven temp. A stone is the second-best option. An inverted baking sheet works in a pinch.
▶What's the difference between instant and active dry yeast?
Instant yeast can be mixed directly into flour. Active dry yeast should be dissolved in warm water first (proof it for 5-10 minutes). The amounts are the same. For cold ferments, either works, the long rise time compensates for any activation delay.
▶Can I freeze pizza dough?
Yes. After the initial rise, ball the dough, wrap tightly in cling film, then freeze. It keeps 2-3 months. To use: thaw in the fridge overnight, then bring to room temp 1-2 hours before shaping. The texture is slightly different from fresh but still very good.
▶Why does my pizza have a soggy centre?
Common causes: too many wet toppings (pat mozzarella dry!), oven not hot enough, pizza steel/stone not preheated long enough, or dough too thick in the centre. Stretch the centre thinner than the edges, gravity during baking will even it out.
▶Is my data saved anywhere?
No. Everything runs in your browser. No data is sent to any server or stored anywhere.
Understanding Baker's Percentages
Every professional pizza recipe uses baker's percentages, a system where every ingredient is expressed as a percentage of the flour weight. Flour is always 100%. If a recipe has 65% hydration, that means 65g of water per 100g of flour.
This system makes it trivially easy to scale recipes up or down. Want to make 10 pizzas instead of 4? Just multiply the flour weight, everything else follows automatically. Our calculator does this for you.
| Ingredient | Neapolitan | New York | Detroit | Thin & Crispy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flour | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Water | 65% | 63% | 70% | 55% |
| Salt | 2.8% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Oil | 0% | 2% | 4% | 3% |
| Sugar | 0% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Yeast | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 1% |
Pizza Dough Hydration Guide
Hydration is the single most important variable in pizza dough. It determines the texture, workability, and final result.
Low Hydration (50-58%)
Texture: Stiff, easy to handle, rolls thin
Best for: Thin & crispy, cracker-style
Crumb: Tight, minimal air pockets
Beginner-friendly: Yes, very easy to work with
Medium Hydration (60-66%)
Texture: Balanced, slightly sticky, stretches well
Best for: New York, Neapolitan, all-purpose
Crumb: Moderate air pockets, good chew
Beginner-friendly: Yes with some practice
High Hydration (67-75%)
Texture: Very sticky, needs careful handling
Best for: Detroit, Sicilian, focaccia-style
Crumb: Open, airy, large bubbles
Beginner-friendly: Challenging, wet dough technique needed
Very High Hydration (76%+)
Texture: Almost batter-like, pours more than stretches
Best for: Roman al taglio, ciabatta-crust pizza
Crumb: Extremely open, cloud-like
Beginner-friendly: No, advanced technique required
Which Flour for Which Pizza?
| Flour Type | Protein | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caputo 00 (Pizzeria) | 12.5% | Neapolitan | The gold standard. Fine grind, designed for high heat. |
| Bread flour | 12-14% | New York, Detroit | More gluten = more chew. King Arthur is excellent. |
| All-purpose flour | 10-12% | Thin & crispy, weeknight | Works fine for casual pizza. Less chew than bread flour. |
| Whole wheat (50/50 blend) | 13-14% | Rustic, nutty flavour | Mix 50/50 with AP or bread flour. 100% WW is too dense. |
| Semolina | 12-13% | Dusting, peel release | Sprinkle on peel/parchment. Prevents sticking better than flour. |
Fermentation: The Secret to Great Pizza
Fermentation is what separates mediocre pizza from exceptional pizza. The longer the ferment, the more complex the flavour, the better the texture, and the easier the dough is to digest.
1-2 hours (room temp)
Yeast: 1% · Flavour: Mild, bready
Best for: Quick weeknight pizza when you're in a hurry
4-6 hours (room temp)
Yeast: 0.5% · Flavour: Good, slightly tangy
Best for: Same-day pizza with decent flavour development
24 hours (fridge)
Yeast: 0.3% · Flavour: Very good, complex
Best for: Plan-ahead pizza, the sweet spot for most home bakers
48-72 hours (fridge)
Yeast: 0.1-0.2% · Flavour: Excellent, deep, complex
Best for: Neapolitan and NY-style, worth the wait
5-7 days (fridge)
Yeast: 0.05% · Flavour: Exceptional, sourdough-like
Best for: Pizza obsessives only, diminishing returns after 72h
10 Tips for Better Pizza Dough
1. Weigh everything
Use a kitchen scale. Cup measurements vary by 20-30%, that's the difference between great and bad dough.
2. Use cold water for long ferments
Cold water slows yeast activity, giving you more time and better flavour development in the fridge.
3. Autolyse first
Mix flour + water, let sit 20-30 minutes, then add salt and yeast. Builds gluten with less kneading.
4. Don't over-knead
Pizza dough needs less kneading than bread. 5-8 minutes by hand is enough. The long ferment finishes the job.
5. Oil your container
Place dough balls in lightly oiled containers with lids. This prevents drying and makes them easy to remove.
6. Bring to room temp before shaping
Take dough out of the fridge 1-2 hours before baking. Cold dough tears; room-temp dough stretches.
7. Stretch, don't roll
For Neapolitan/NY: stretch by hand using gravity. For thin/crispy: rolling pin is fine.
8. Get a pizza steel or stone
A preheated steel at 260°C transforms home oven pizza. Steel transfers heat faster than stone.
9. Less is more with toppings
Overloaded pizza steams instead of crisping. 2-3 toppings max. Apply sauce thinly.
10. Track your experiments
Write down hydration, ferment time, and oven temp. Small changes make big differences, you need notes.
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How to use this tool
Pick a pizza style, Neapolitan, New York, Detroit, Sicilian, thin, or sourdough
Set the number of pizzas and pan size
Copy the recipe with exact grams, cups, and volume measurements
Common uses
- Calculating exact dough for a pizza night with friends
- Scaling recipes up for a party without guesswork
- Learning baker's percentages for better dough control
- Converting between pan sizes and dough ball weights
- Comparing hydration levels across pizza styles
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Results are for general informational purposes only and should be checked before use. They are not professional advice. See our Disclaimer and Terms of Service.