# Pizza Dough Hydration Calculator

> Calculate water, salt, yeast, and oil amounts for a target hydration percentage using baker's math

**Category:** Food
**Keywords:** pizza, dough, hydration, baker's math, baker's percentage, flour, water, yeast, salt, neapolitan, new york pizza, detroit pizza, bread, baking
**URL:** https://complete.tools/pizza-dough-hydration-calculator

## How Hydration Affects Pizza Dough

Hydration is the single most important variable in pizza dough. It controls texture, workability, oven spring, and the final crumb structure. Here is how different hydration ranges behave:

**50-58% (Low Hydration):** Very stiff, easy-to-shape dough. Produces a dense, cracker-like crust. Common in thin-crust crackers and some flatbreads. Rarely used for pizza.

**59-64% (Medium Hydration):** A manageable dough that holds its shape well. Ideal for New York-style pizza, which needs to be hand-tossed without tearing. Produces a chewy, foldable slice with a moderate crumb.

**65-70% (High Hydration):** The sweet spot for Neapolitan and many home-oven pizzas. The dough is softer, stickier, and produces an airy, charred crust with large bubbles. Neapolitan-style dough at 65% hydration is the gold standard for wood-fired ovens.

**71-80% (Very High Hydration):** Wet, slack dough that requires experienced handling. Used for focaccia, Detroit-style, Sicilian, and Roman al taglio. These doughs are typically panned rather than hand-shaped, producing an extremely open, airy crumb.

**81-90% (Ultra High Hydration):** Extremely wet and difficult to handle. Used by advanced bakers for experimental styles. Requires strong flour (high protein content like bread flour or Tipo 00) and extended fermentation to develop enough gluten structure.

## How to Use This Calculator

1. Select a pizza style preset (Neapolitan, New York, or Detroit/Sicilian) or leave it on Custom to set your own values
2. Enter your desired flour weight in grams — this is the base for all calculations
3. Set how many dough balls you want to divide the batch into
4. Adjust the hydration slider to control how wet or dry your dough will be
5. Fine-tune salt, oil, and sugar percentages to match your recipe
6. Choose your yeast type (Fresh, Active Dry, or Instant) and adjust the percentage if needed
7. Read the results — total dough weight, per-ball weight, and individual ingredient amounts are calculated instantly

## Pizza Style Guide

**Neapolitan (65% hydration, 2.5% salt, no sugar or oil):** The classic Italian style. Uses only flour, water, salt, and yeast. Designed for 900F wood-fired ovens that cook a pizza in 60-90 seconds. The high heat creates leopard-spotted charring and a soft, puffy cornicione (raised edge). Use Tipo 00 flour for best results.

**New York (63% hydration, 2% salt, 1% sugar, 2% oil):** A drier, more workable dough that can be hand-tossed and stretched thin. The small amount of sugar promotes browning in home ovens (which run cooler than wood-fired). Oil adds tenderness and helps the crust stay pliable when cold. Use high-gluten bread flour.

**Detroit / Sicilian (70% hydration, 2.5% salt, 2% sugar, 3% oil):** A wet, focaccia-like dough baked in an oiled pan. The high hydration and generous oil create a crispy, fried bottom crust with an airy interior. Traditionally topped with brick cheese spread to the edges and sauce ladled on top in racing stripes.

## Yeast Type Differences

The three common yeast types behave differently and require different amounts:

**Fresh Yeast (Cake Yeast):** The traditional choice for Neapolitan pizza. Has a mild flavor and reliable performance. Use approximately 1% of flour weight. Must be refrigerated and used within two weeks of purchase.

**Active Dry Yeast:** Granulated yeast that must be dissolved in warm water (100-110F) before use. Use approximately 0.4% of flour weight — roughly 40% of the fresh yeast amount. Available in most grocery stores with a long shelf life.

**Instant Yeast (Rapid Rise):** The most convenient option. Can be mixed directly into dry ingredients without dissolving first. Use approximately 0.3% of flour weight — roughly 30% of the fresh yeast amount. Works well for both quick rises and cold fermentation.

For cold fermentation (24-72 hours in the refrigerator), reduce yeast by 50-75% from these defaults to prevent over-proofing.

## FAQs

**Q:** What flour should I use for pizza dough?


**A:** For Neapolitan-style, use Italian Tipo 00 flour (like Caputo Pizzeria). For New York-style, use high-gluten bread flour with 12-14% protein content. All-purpose flour works in a pinch but produces a less chewy result. The protein content of your flour determines how much water it can absorb, so higher-protein flours can handle higher hydration levels.


**Q:** What does hydration percentage mean in pizza dough?


**A:** Hydration percentage is the ratio of water weight to flour weight expressed as a percentage. A 65% hydration dough with 500g of flour contains 325g of water (500 x 0.65). Higher hydration makes a wetter, stickier dough that produces a lighter, airier crust with more open crumb structure.


**Q:** How much dough do I need per pizza?


**A:** For a 10-12 inch Neapolitan-style pizza, aim for 250-280g per dough ball. For a 14-inch New York-style pizza, use 300-350g. For a Detroit-style pan pizza in a standard 10x14 pan, use 500-600g. This calculator divides the total dough weight evenly across your chosen number of balls.


**Q:** Can I cold ferment my pizza dough?


**A:** Yes, and it is highly recommended. Cold fermentation (24-72 hours in the refrigerator) develops more complex flavors and a better texture. When cold fermenting, reduce the yeast amount by half or more to prevent over-proofing. The dough will rise slowly in the cold, allowing enzymes to break down starches and develop deeper flavor.


**Q:** Why is my pizza dough too sticky to handle?


**A:** High-hydration doughs are naturally sticky. Use well-floured hands and work surfaces, or try the stretch-and-fold technique instead of traditional kneading. If the dough is unmanageable, reduce hydration by 2-3%. Also ensure you are using bread flour or Tipo 00 with adequate protein content, as low-protein flour cannot absorb as much water.

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*Generated from [complete.tools/pizza-dough-hydration-calculator](https://complete.tools/pizza-dough-hydration-calculator)*