Pizza Dough Calculator
Scale pizza dough ingredients — flour, water, salt, and yeast — for any number and size of pizzas using baker's percentages. Use it when meal-prepping for a crowd or dialing in your home dough recipe consistently.
About this calculator
Pizza dough recipes are built on baker's percentages, where every ingredient is expressed as a proportion of total flour weight. The base dough weight is determined by: doughWeight = numberOfPizzas × pizzaSize (in grams per ball). From that total dough weight, flour is calculated first, then water = flour × hydration, salt = flour × saltPercent / 100, and yeast is typically 0.2–0.5% of flour weight. Hydration — the water-to-flour ratio — is the most important variable: Neapolitan style runs 60–65%, New York style 58–62%, and high-hydration focaccia can reach 80%+. Higher hydration produces an open, airy crumb but requires more developed gluten through longer fermentation or stretch-and-fold techniques.
How to use
You want 3 pizzas at a dough ball size of 250 g each, 62% hydration, and 2% salt. Step 1 — total dough weight: 3 × 250 = 750 g. Step 2 — flour: 750 / (1 + 0.62 + 0.02) ≈ 750 / 1.64 ≈ 457 g. Step 3 — water: 457 × 0.62 ≈ 284 g. Step 4 — salt: 457 × 0.02 ≈ 9 g. Step 5 — instant yeast (0.3%): 457 × 0.003 ≈ 1.4 g. Combine, knead, and cold-ferment 24–72 hours for best flavor.
Frequently asked questions
What hydration percentage should I use for homemade Neapolitan pizza dough?
Traditional Neapolitan dough (as specified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) uses 55–65% hydration. A 62–63% hydration is a practical sweet spot for home bakers: the dough is extensible and forms an airy cornicione without being too sticky to handle. Higher hydration above 65% gives even more open crumb but demands well-developed gluten and is harder to stretch without tearing. If you are new to pizza dough, start at 60% and increase by 2% increments as your technique improves.
How does dough ball size affect the thickness and size of a finished pizza?
Dough ball weight directly controls how thick or thin your pizza will be for a given diameter. A 250 g ball stretched to a 12-inch round yields a medium-thickness Neapolitan crust; the same 250 g stretched to 14 inches produces a noticeably thinner base. New York-style 14-inch pies typically use 280–320 g balls, while a 10-inch personal pizza needs around 180–200 g. Use this calculator to scale balls to your target diameter and preferred thickness, then adjust after your first bake.
Why is cold fermentation recommended for pizza dough and how long should it last?
Cold fermentation (refrigerating dough at 38–40 °F) slows yeast activity so that enzymatic breakdown of starches and proteins can develop complex flavors over 24–72 hours. The result is a crust with better color, more nuanced taste, and improved extensibility compared to a same-day dough. Shorter cold ferments of 24 hours are noticeable improvements over no fermentation; 48–72 hours is widely considered the sweet spot. Beyond 4–5 days the dough can become overly acidic and slack, so plan your bake timing accordingly.