Make the
perfect
pizza
…with the pizza dough calculator that gets it right every time — flour, water, salt, and yeast or sourdough, perfectly dialled in for your oven.
Hydration and dough-ball weight by style
| Style | Typical hydration | Dough ball | Leavening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neapolitan | 60% | 270 g | Yeast |
| New York | 65% | 300 g | Yeast |
| Roman | 75% | 220 g | Yeast |
| Sourdough | 60% | 270 g | Sourdough |
Which flour for which pizza
| Pizza | Best flour |
|---|---|
| Neapolitan (very hot oven) | Strong flour — Italian Type 00 (W300+) |
| New York / general | Strong bread flour (~13–14% protein) |
| Roman / high hydration | Strong bread flour (high gluten) |
| Sourdough pizza | Strong bread flour (high gluten) |
It's simpler than it looks: for every one of these you want a strong, high-gluten flour (a bread flour). Type 00 vs. Type 0 only changes how finely it's milled — gluten strength is what lets the dough stretch thin without tearing.
How the pizza dough calculator works
A pizza dough calculator converts baker's percentages into exact gram amounts: choose how many pizzas and a style, and it returns the precise flour, water, salt and yeast or sourdough — at any scale. For example, a 60% hydration dough means 600 g of water per 1000 g of flour.
This free pizza dough calculator turns a few simple choices — how many pizzas, which style, and yeast or sourdough — into a precise recipe. It works in baker's percentages, the system professional bakers use, so every recipe scales perfectly from a single pizza to hundreds.
What are baker's percentages?
In baker's math the flour is always 100%, and every other ingredient is expressed relative to it. A dough at 60% hydration simply means 60g of water for every 100g of flour. Salt is typically around 2%, and the leavening — yeast or sourdough starter — is a small fraction on top. Because everything is a ratio, doubling the pizzas doubles every ingredient exactly.
How hydration changes your dough
Hydration is the single biggest lever on texture. Lower hydration (around 60%) gives a dough that is easy to shape with a tender chew. Higher hydration (70–80%) produces a lighter, more open and crispy crumb, but the dough becomes stickier and harder to handle. Beginners do well to start around 60–65% and increase from there.
Yeast vs. sourdough
Yeast is fast, predictable and forgiving — ideal for a same-day or next-day pizza. Sourdough takes longer but rewards you with deeper flavour and a more digestible crust. My default for both is an overnight rise at room temperature; the fermentation timer has presets for 2, 8, 13 and 24 hours.
The three classic styles
- Neapolitan — soft, chewy and puffy with a charred leopard-spotted crust. Roughly 270g dough balls at about 60% hydration, baked very hot and fast.
- New York — sturdy, foldable slices with a little more weight and oil. Around 300g balls at about 65% hydration.
- Roman — thin and shatteringly crispy thanks to high hydration. Around 220g balls at about 75% hydration.
Pizza dough FAQ
What hydration should I use for Neapolitan, New York and Roman pizza?
As a starting point: Neapolitan around 60%, New York around 65%, and Roman around 75% hydration. Higher hydration gives a lighter, more open crumb but a stickier, harder-to-handle dough. This calculator pre-fills these values for each style.
How much yeast do I need for pizza dough?
Very little. A long, slow fermentation is what makes a great dough — you only need a tiny amount of yeast. The more yeast you use, the faster the whole process goes, so add a touch more if you're in a hurry and a little less if you have time. A sourdough starter works beautifully here too if you'd rather skip commercial yeast.
How much sourdough starter should I add?
Around 5% of the flour weight is a good default. Ideally use a stiff starter at about 60% hydration — it boosts yeast activity while keeping the dough less sour and fluffier.
How long should pizza dough ferment?
With my recipe, overnight: mix in the evening and let the dough rise at room temperature for 12 to 14 hours, until it has grown by about half. Then it goes into the fridge until 3 hours before baking. With much more yeast it goes faster, but overnight with a small amount of fresh yeast is what I recommend.
Can I cold-ferment pizza dough in the fridge?
You can, but it doesn't make the pizza better: in the fridge the fermentation simply runs slower. I use the fridge as a pause. Once the dough has grown by about half, it goes in and waits until 3 hours before baking. At around 4 °C (39 °F), after a while, nothing happens at all, so the same dough can also stay in longer. You don't need a separate 48-hour recipe.
What are baker's percentages?
Baker's percentages express every ingredient relative to the flour weight, which is always 100%. So 60% hydration means 60g of water per 100g of flour. This calculator works in baker's percentages so recipes scale perfectly to any number of pizzas.
How much should each pizza dough ball weigh?
Typical dough-ball weights are about 270g for Neapolitan, 300g for a New York slice pie, and 220g for Roman-style. Heavier balls give thicker, larger pizzas. You can set any weight using the Custom style.
How much salt goes into pizza dough?
About 2% of the flour weight is a reliable default — enough to season the dough and control fermentation without slowing it down too much.
What is the difference between Neapolitan, New York and Roman pizza dough?
Neapolitan is soft and chewy with a puffy charred crust, baked very hot and fast. New York is sturdier and foldable with slightly more weight and oil. Roman (al taglio / tonda) is thin and crispy thanks to its high hydration.
How do I scale a pizza dough recipe for many pizzas?
Set the number of pizzas and the calculator multiplies every ingredient automatically using baker's percentages. It works for anything from a single pizza to thousands, so it's handy for parties and catering.
Why won't my pizza dough stretch?
Usually the gluten is still tight or the dough is too cold. Let it rest covered for 15–30 minutes at room temperature so the gluten relaxes, then stretch again. Under-fermented or low-hydration dough also resists stretching — give it more time or a touch more water next time.
Why is my pizza dough too sticky?
Sticky dough usually means high hydration, under-development, or warm dough. Wet your hands instead of adding lots of flour, use stretch-and-folds to build strength, and chill the dough if it's warm. If you're new to high hydration, drop to around 60–62% until you're comfortable.
Why is my pizza dough too tough or dense?
Tough, dense dough is often under-fermented, under-hydrated, or shaped into too tight a ball. Let it rise until it has really grown by about half, nudge the hydration up a little, and handle it gently when shaping so you don't knock all the gas out.
How much dough do I need for a 10, 12 or 14 inch pizza?
As a rough guide: about 230g for a 10-inch, 280g for a 12-inch, and 380g for a 14-inch round. Thicker or pan styles need more. See the dough-per-pizza-size table for a full breakdown.
How much yeast should I use based on fermentation time?
The amount this calculator suggests, 0.05% dry yeast or 0.15% fresh yeast, is made for an overnight rise at about 22 °C (72 °F): 12 to 14 hours until the dough has grown by about half. A warmer kitchen needs a little less, a colder one more; below 20 °C (68 °F), use twice the yeast. More yeast makes it faster, but I recommend the overnight rise.
Is this pizza dough calculator free?
Yes, completely free. It runs entirely in your browser, needs no sign-up, and all of The Bread Code's recipes and tools are free to use.