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Pizza Dough Calculator

Calculate perfect pizza dough for any style

Neapolitan Pizza Dough

4 x 12" pizzas | 115g per ball | 65% hydration

00 flour

274g

2 cups

Water

178g

0.7 cups

Salt

7g

Instant Yeast

1.6g

Fermentation

Time: 2-4 hours

Location: Room temp

Baking

Temp: 900°F+

Time: 60-90 sec

Surface: Pizza stone/steel

Pizza Dough Tips

  • Let dough rest at room temp 1 hour before shaping if cold fermented
  • Preheat pizza stone/steel for at least 45 minutes
  • Stretch dough gently - never use a rolling pin for Neapolitan
  • Use semolina or cornmeal on peel to prevent sticking
  • Longer fermentation = better flavor and easier digestion

Pizza Dough Styles Explained

Pizza dough varies dramatically between regional styles, each developed over decades to suit local ingredients, ovens, and eating preferences. The calculator supports six authentic styles, each with precisely calibrated ingredient ratios based on baker's percentages. Understanding these differences helps you choose the right style for your equipment and taste preferences.

Neapolitan is the original Italian pizza dough — a minimalist recipe using only 00 flour, water, salt, and a tiny amount of yeast. At 60% hydration, it produces a soft, pliable dough that bakes in 60-90 seconds at 900°F+. The result is a thin center with a puffy, charred cornicione (crust edge). Neapolitan dough contains no oil or sugar, relying entirely on the flour's quality and the fermentation for flavor.

New York style dough uses bread flour, slightly more yeast, and adds a small amount of oil and sugar. At 65% hydration, it produces a foldable, chewy crust with a crisp bottom. The sugar promotes browning at the lower oven temperatures available in home ovens (500-550°F). New York dough is designed to be stretched thin and baked on a pizza stone or steel.

Sicilian and Detroit styles use higher hydration (70%) and more oil, creating a thick, focaccia-like crust that is baked in oiled sheet pans. Chicago deep dish uses the lowest hydration (55%) for a dense, biscuit-like crust that supports heavy layers of cheese and sauce. Roman al taglio uses the highest hydration (80%) for an airy, crispy sheet pizza baked in rectangular pans.

Baker's Percentages for Pizza

Baker's percentages express every ingredient as a percentage of the flour weight, making it easy to scale recipes and understand the dough composition at a glance.

StyleHydrationSalt%Yeast%Oil%Sugar%
Neapolitan60%2.5%0.2%0%0%
New York65%2%0.5%2%1%
Sicilian70%2%0.5%4%1%
Detroit70%2%0.5%3%1%
Chicago55%2%0.5%4%1%
Roman80%2.5%0.3%3%0%

Baker's Percentage Formula

Ingredient Weight = Flour Weight × Ingredient Percentage / 100

Where:

  • Flour Weight= Base flour weight in grams (all other ingredients are calculated from this)
  • Ingredient Percentage= Baker's percentage for the specific ingredient
  • Ingredient Weight= Calculated weight in grams for the ingredient

Fermentation Methods

The fermentation method profoundly affects flavor development, dough texture, and convenience:

  • Same Day (2-4 hours): Uses 3× the standard yeast amount. Fast but produces less complex flavor. Good for weeknight pizzas when time is limited.
  • Overnight (12-18 hours): Standard yeast amount. The dough ferments at room temperature overnight, developing better flavor with minimal effort. Mix in the evening, shape in the morning.
  • Cold Ferment (24-72 hours): Uses half the standard yeast. The dough rests in the refrigerator, developing complex, tangy flavors through slow fermentation. The cold also relaxes the gluten, making the dough easier to stretch.
  • Poolish Method (12-16 hrs poolish + 4 hrs dough): Uses 30% of the standard yeast. A pre-ferment (poolish) is made the night before, then mixed into the final dough the next day. Produces the most complex, nuanced flavors.

How to Use This Calculator

Calculate precise pizza dough for any style in five steps:

  1. Set pizza count and size: Enter the number of pizzas and the diameter in inches.
  2. Choose pizza style: Select from Neapolitan, New York, Sicilian, Detroit, Chicago, or Roman al taglio.
  3. Adjust hydration: Override the default hydration if desired, or leave at the style's recommended level.
  4. Select fermentation method: Choose same day, overnight, cold ferment, or poolish.
  5. Review results: View exact weights for flour, water, salt, yeast, oil, and sugar in grams and cups, along with ball weight, total dough weight, fermentation instructions, and baking parameters.

Baking Parameters by Style

Each pizza style has specific baking requirements that determine the final texture and flavor:

StyleOven TempBake TimeSurface
Neapolitan900°F+60-90 secPizza stone/steel
New York500-550°F8-12 minPizza stone/steel
Sicilian475-500°F20-25 minOiled sheet pan
Detroit500-550°F12-15 minDetroit steel pan
Chicago425°F25-35 minDeep dish pan
Roman500-550°F15-20 minOiled sheet pan

Worked Examples

Neapolitan Pizza Dough

Problem:

Calculate dough for 4 Neapolitan 12-inch pizzas with overnight fermentation.

Solution Steps:

  1. 1Ball weight: 12² × 0.1 × 0.8 (thin) = 115g per ball
  2. 2Total dough: 115 × 4 = 460g
  3. 3Total percentage: 100 + 60 + 2.5 + 0.2 = 162.7%
  4. 4Flour: 460 / 162.7 × 100 = 283g
  5. 5Water: 283 × 0.60 = 170g
  6. 6Salt: 283 × 0.025 = 7g
  7. 7Yeast: 283 × 0.002 = 0.6g

Result:

283g 00 flour, 170g water, 7g salt, 0.6g yeast. Ferment overnight 12-18 hours at room temp.

New York Style Dough

Problem:

Calculate dough for 6 New York 14-inch pizzas with cold fermentation.

Solution Steps:

  1. 1Ball weight: 14² × 0.1 × 1.0 (medium) = 196g per ball
  2. 2Total dough: 196 × 6 = 1176g
  3. 3Total percentage: 100 + 65 + 2 + 0.5×0.5 + 2 + 1 = 170.5%
  4. 4Flour: 1176 / 170.5 × 100 = 690g
  5. 5Water: 690 × 0.65 = 449g
  6. 6Salt: 690 × 0.02 = 14g
  7. 7Yeast: 690 × 0.0025 = 1.7g
  8. 8Oil: 690 × 0.02 = 14g
  9. 9Sugar: 690 × 0.01 = 7g

Result:

690g bread flour, 449g water, 14g salt, 1.7g yeast, 14g oil, 7g sugar. Cold ferment 24-72 hours.

Chicago Deep Dish

Problem:

Calculate dough for 2 Chicago deep dish 12-inch pizzas.

Solution Steps:

  1. 1Ball weight: 12² × 0.1 × 1.6 (deep) = 192g per ball
  2. 2Total dough: 192 × 2 = 384g
  3. 3Total percentage: 100 + 55 + 2 + 0.5 + 4 + 1 = 162.5%
  4. 4Flour: 384 / 162.5 × 100 = 236g
  5. 5Water: 236 × 0.55 = 130g
  6. 6Salt: 236 × 0.02 = 5g
  7. 7Oil: 236 × 0.04 = 9g
  8. 8Sugar: 236 × 0.01 = 2g

Result:

236g flour, 130g water, 5g salt, 1.2g yeast, 9g oil, 2g sugar. Bake at 425°F for 25-35 min.

Tips & Best Practices

  • ✓Let dough rest at room temperature 1 hour before shaping if cold fermented.
  • ✓Preheat pizza stone/steel for at least 45 minutes at maximum oven temperature.
  • ✓Stretch dough gently by hand — never use a rolling pin for Neapolitan style.
  • ✓Use semolina or cornmeal on the peel to prevent sticking.
  • ✓Longer fermentation equals better flavor and easier digestion.
  • ✓For Neapolitan, use 00 flour; for NY style, use bread flour.

Related Calculators

Pizza Calculator

Calculate pizza dough and servings

Bread Hydration Calculator

Calculate dough hydration percentages

Baker's Percentage Calculator

Convert recipes to baker's percentages

Sourdough Starter Calculator

Maintain sourdough starter

Frequently Asked Questions

Italian 00 flour (farina tipo 00) is the traditional choice for Neapolitan pizza. It has a fine grind and moderate protein content (11-12.5%) that produces a tender, chewy crust with characteristic leopard-spot charring. Caputo brand is the most widely recommended. If 00 flour is unavailable, a blend of bread flour and all-purpose flour can approximate the result.
No, different styles require fundamentally different hydration levels, ingredient ratios, and fermentation approaches. Neapolitan dough has no oil or sugar and uses minimal yeast, while New York dough includes both. Chicago deep dish has 55% hydration while Roman al taglio has 80%. Using the wrong dough for a style will produce poor results — use the calculator to match the recipe to your chosen style.
For the best flavor, cold ferment for 24-72 hours. The slow fermentation develops complex, tangy flavors that same-day dough cannot achieve. For convenience, overnight fermentation at room temperature (12-18 hours) produces good results with minimal planning. Same-day fermentation (2-4 hours) works in a pinch but produces less flavorful dough.
The most common cause is dead or expired yeast. Test your yeast by dissolving it in warm water (100-110°F) with a pinch of sugar — it should foam within 5-10 minutes. Other causes include water that is too hot (killing the yeast), too little sugar for the yeast to feed on, or a room temperature that is too cold. Ensure your kitchen is at least 70°F for room temperature fermentation.
A poolish is a pre-ferment made from equal parts flour and water with a tiny amount of yeast, fermented for 12-16 hours before being incorporated into the final dough. It develops complex, nutty flavors and improves the dough's extensibility and keeping quality. The poolish method produces the most flavorful pizza dough but requires planning 16-20 hours ahead.

Sources & References

Last updated: 2026-06-06

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Editorial Note

MyCalcBuddy Editorial Team

This page is maintained as an educational calculator reference.

Source

Formula Source: Standard Mathematical References

by Various

UpdatedLast reviewed: May 2026
CheckedFormula checks are based on standard references and internal QA review.

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