Perfect Pizza Calculator

A pizza dough calculator uses baker's percentages to compute exact ingredient weights — flour, water, salt, and yeast — based on your desired number of pizzas and dough ball size. It removes guesswork so every batch is consistent, whether you're making two pizzas or twenty. See also our Egg Boiling Calculator.

Hydration is the ratio of water to flour by weight. A 65% hydration dough contains 65g of water per 100g of flour. Lower hydration (55–62%) produces a stiffer, easier-to-handle dough ideal for New York-style. Higher hydration (65–75%) gives an open, airy crumb typical of Neapolitan pizza but requires more skill to shape.

The amount of yeast depends on the type and your fermentation plan. For a 24-hour cold ferment, you typically need only 0.1–0.3% fresh yeast or 0.05–0.1% active dry yeast relative to flour weight. This calculator adjusts the yeast amount automatically based on your selected yeast type and fermentation method.

The hotter the oven, the better — especially for Neapolitan pizza. Wood-fired and dedicated pizza ovens reach 450–500°C, baking a pizza in 60–90 seconds. A home oven at 250–260°C will take 6–10 minutes. This calculator estimates bake time based on the temperature you enter and the pizza style you choose. You might also find our Steak Cook Time Calculator useful.

Cold fermentation means letting your dough rise slowly in the refrigerator (3–5°C) for 24–72 hours instead of at room temperature. The slow process develops more complex flavours and improves the dough's texture and extensibility. Most professional pizzerias use cold fermentation for this reason.

Fresh yeast is the most active and must be refrigerated; it's used by weight at roughly 3× the amount of active dry yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in warm water before use. Instant yeast can be mixed directly into flour and acts faster. For a given recipe, you generally substitute 1g instant yeast for 1.25g active dry or 3g fresh yeast.

For a standard 28–30cm (11–12 inch) Neapolitan pizza, a dough ball of 250–280g is typical. New York-style 12-inch pies are often 200–250g. Larger or thicker pizzas like Roman al taglio or Chicago deep dish may use 350–500g of dough. Adjust the dough ball weight in this calculator to match your preferred pizza size.

Absolutely. Most traditional Neapolitan pizza makers mix and knead by hand. After combining your ingredients according to the calculated amounts, knead for 10–15 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Lower-hydration doughs (below 65%) are easier to handle by hand than high-hydration versions.