Pizza Dough Calculator
Calculate flour, water, yeast, salt, and oil for any number of pizzas using baker's percentages.
This tool is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional financial, medical, legal, or engineering advice. See Terms of Service.
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This calculator uses baker's percentages to scale your pizza dough to any batch size. Enter your number of pizzas and target dough ball weight, then adjust the hydration and ingredient percentages to match your preferred style. Here is how to get the best results:
- Set your pizza count and ball weight. The default 250g ball makes a 10-12 inch Neapolitan-style pizza. Increase to 280-300g for a thicker, New York-style crust or reduce to 200g for thin Roman-style pies.
- Adjust hydration. The default 62% is a good starting point for home ovens. Higher hydration (65-70%) creates a more open, airy crumb but is stickier to work with. Lower hydration (58-60%) is easier to stretch and works well for thin crust.
- Check salt and yeast. The 2% salt default is standard for flavor. Instant yeast at 0.5% is correct for a same-day room-temperature rise. For a cold ferment (24-72 hours in the fridge), reduce yeast to 0.1-0.2%.
- Read your breakdown. All ingredient weights appear below the result. Weigh each ingredient on a kitchen scale for accuracy, then combine flour, yeast, salt (mix dry ingredients first), followed by water and oil.
Results update instantly as you type. Use Share to send the recipe to a friend or Copy to paste it into a notes app.
About the Pizza Dough Calculator
Baker's percentages express every ingredient as a percentage of the total flour weight. This means flour is always 100% and all other ingredients are calculated relative to it. For example, 62% hydration means you use 62g of water for every 100g of flour. This system makes it easy to scale any recipe up or down while keeping the same ratios.
The formula this calculator uses: Flour = Total dough weight / (1 + hydration% + salt% + yeast% + oil%) where all percentages are in decimal form. Water, salt, yeast, and oil are then each calculated as their respective percentage of the flour weight. This ensures the final combined weight exactly matches your target dough weight per ball times the number of pizzas.
For reference, the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) specifies 55.6-62.5% hydration, 2-3% salt, and 0.1-0.3% fresh yeast (about 0.05% instant). The defaults in this calculator are a practical starting point for home bakers using a standard oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best hydration for pizza dough?
For most home bakers, 60-65% hydration is the practical sweet spot. Lower hydration (58-62%) is easier to stretch and handles better in home ovens. Higher hydration (65-75%) creates a more open crumb and charred bubbles typical of wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, but requires experience with wet dough. Start at 62% and increase by 2% each time until you find your preferred texture.
How much does a pizza dough ball weigh?
A 200g dough ball makes a thin 10-inch pizza. A 250g ball makes a standard 11-12 inch Neapolitan pizza. A 280-300g ball makes a 12-14 inch New York-style pizza with a thicker edge. For a 16-inch pan pizza, use 350-400g. Weigh your dough on a kitchen scale rather than eyeballing it for consistent results.
Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast?
Yes. Active dry yeast and instant yeast are interchangeable with a small adjustment: use 25% more active dry yeast than the instant yeast amount shown. So if the calculator shows 2g instant yeast, use 2.5g active dry yeast. Active dry yeast also needs to be proofed in warm water (105-115°F) for 5-10 minutes before adding to flour, while instant yeast can be added directly to dry ingredients.
Why weigh pizza dough ingredients instead of using cups?
A cup of flour can weigh anywhere from 120g to 160g depending on how it is scooped and how humid the environment is. This 30% variation leads to dramatically different dough textures. Weighing on a kitchen scale is the only way to achieve consistent results. A basic digital kitchen scale costs under $15 and is the single most impactful tool upgrade for home baking of any kind.