Pizza Dough Calculator

About This Tool

The Pizza Dough Calculator generates precise ingredient amounts for homemade pizza dough based on the number of pizzas you want to make, the size of each pizza, and your preferred dough style. It uses baker's percentages, the professional standard for expressing dough formulas, to ensure consistent results every time. Whether you are making a single pie for dinner or prepping a batch for a pizza party, this tool scales perfectly.

What Are Baker's Percentages?

Baker's percentages express every ingredient as a percentage of the total flour weight. Flour is always 100%. If a recipe calls for 63% hydration, that means 63 grams of water for every 100 grams of flour. This system makes it easy to scale recipes up or down and to compare formulas across different traditions. Professional bakers worldwide use this system, and once you understand it, you can read any pizza dough recipe at a glance and know exactly what to expect.

New York Style Dough

New York style pizza dough uses a moderate hydration of about 63%, which produces a dough that is easy to stretch by hand and yields a crisp yet foldable crust. The addition of olive oil (about 3%) and a small amount of sugar (1%) contributes to browning and tenderness. New York dough benefits enormously from a cold ferment of 24 to 48 hours in the refrigerator. This slow fermentation develops complex flavor, improves texture, and makes the dough easier to shape. Use bread flour or high-gluten flour with 12-14% protein content for the best results.

Neapolitan Style Dough

Neapolitan dough is the simplest of all pizza doughs, containing just flour, water, salt, and a tiny amount of yeast. No oil, no sugar. The hydration sits around 60%, producing a smooth, elastic dough that puffs up beautifully in a very hot oven (800-900 degrees Fahrenheit in a traditional wood-fired oven). The low yeast percentage (0.2%) means the dough needs a longer fermentation time to develop properly, typically 8 to 24 hours at room temperature or 48 to 72 hours in the refrigerator. Use Italian 00 flour (Caputo Tipo 00 is the gold standard) for authentic results. The fine grind and moderate protein content of 00 flour produce the characteristic soft, slightly chewy interior.

Detroit Style Dough

Detroit style pizza is baked in a well-oiled rectangular steel pan, producing a thick, airy crust with crispy, caramelized cheese edges called frico. The dough uses a higher hydration of about 70%, which creates an open, airy crumb structure similar to focaccia. More yeast (0.7%) and a shorter fermentation time work well for this style, though a cold ferment still improves flavor. The olive oil in the recipe (4%) contributes to the crispy bottom and golden color. Use bread flour for the best structure. After mixing, let the dough rise in the oiled pan, pressing it out gently as it relaxes, then top with cheese spread to the edges followed by sauce in racing stripes.

Dough Ball Sizing

The weight of each dough ball determines the thickness and diameter of your finished pizza. This calculator uses standard dough ball weights: 200g for a 10-inch pizza, 280g for 12-inch, 370g for 14-inch, and 480g for a 16-inch pie. These weights produce a medium-thickness crust suitable for each style. If you prefer a thinner crust, reduce the ball weight by 10-15%. For a thicker, breadier crust, increase it by the same amount. After dividing and shaping into balls, let them proof for at least 30 minutes at room temperature before stretching.