ClutchCalcs

Baking

Pizza Dough Calculator

Making pizza for a Saturday night and need to figure out how much dough to mix? Pizza recipes scale by baker's percentages — the same system used for bread but tuned to specific pizza styles. NY thin (65% hydration), Neapolitan (60%), Sicilian (75%), Detroit deep dish (72%), thick crust (55%). This calculator takes your number of pies, target diameter, style, and thickness factor (oz of dough per square inch of pizza) and returns exact flour, water, salt, and yeast in grams. Plus a per-ball weight so you can portion the dough accurately before the second rise.

Pizza style cheat sheet

  • Neapolitan (60% hydration, TF 0.085): the original wood-fired Italian style. Thin center, puffy bordered crust ("cornicione"), char spots from 900°F oven. 60-90 second bakes.
  • NY thin (65% hydration, TF 0.085-0.095): US convention from Naples emigrants. Larger 18" pies, thinner crust, foldable slices. 600-700°F oven, 5-8 min bake.
  • Sicilian / Focaccia (75%, TF 0.13): thick rectangular pan pizza. Lots of olive oil in the pan for crispy bottom. Long fermented dough produces open crumb.
  • Detroit deep dish (72%, TF 0.13): thick rectangular crust baked in a steel pan, with caramelized cheese edges ("frico") and sauce on top after baking.
  • Thick crust / pan pizza (55%, TF 0.13): Pizza Hut style, dense doughy crust.
  • Cracker thin (50-55%, TF 0.075): very thin, crispy, almost like a cracker.

The math behind the dough

Dough ball weight = pizza area × thickness factor (in oz of dough per sq inch). Pizza area = π × (d/2)².

Worked example: 4 × 12" Neapolitan pies at TF 0.085. Area = π × 36 = 113 sq in. Dough ball = 113 × 0.085 × 28.35 g/oz = 272 g per ball. Total dough = 1,088 g. At 60% hydration + 3% salt + 0.3% yeast: flour = 1,088 / 1.633 = 666 g; water = 400 g; salt = 20 g; yeast = 2 g.

How to use this calculator

  1. # of pizzas: total pies you want to make.
  2. Diameter: target pizza size in inches.
  3. Style: pick the closest match — hydration and salt/yeast percentages preload.
  4. Thickness factor: 0.085 for thin/standard, 0.13 for thick/pan, 0.075 for cracker.
  5. Output: per-ball weight, total flour/water/salt/yeast in grams.
  6. Mix and rest: standard recipe is mix-and-knead, bulk rise 1-2 hours, portion balls, cold ferment 24-72 hours in fridge for best flavor.

Common scenarios

4 NY-style 14" pies for a family pizza night. 4 × 154 sq in × 0.09 × 28.35 = 1,572 g total dough. At 65% hydration: 956 g flour, 621 g water, 24 g salt, 5 g yeast. Mix, cold ferment 48 hours.

2 Detroit deep dish in 10x14" pans, TF 0.13. Area = 140 sq in per pan. Dough = 140 × 0.13 × 28.35 = 516 g per pan. Total 1,032 g. At 72% hydration: 600 g flour, 432 g water, 12 g salt, 6 g yeast.

6 personal-size 10" Neapolitan pies for a dinner party. 6 × 78.5 sq in × 0.085 × 28.35 = 1,135 g total. At 60% hydration: 695 g flour, 417 g water, 21 g salt, 2 g yeast. Mix the night before for next-day pizza.

FAQ

What's hydration? +
Water expressed as a percentage of flour weight. 60% = 600g water per 1000g flour. Higher hydration produces more open crumb (bigger holes) and crispier crust at higher oven temps. Lower hydration is easier to handle and produces a denser, chewier crust.
What's thickness factor (TF)? +
Ounces of dough per square inch of finished pizza. Industry convention used by pizzeria operations. Lower TF = thinner pizza (less dough stretched over same area). NY-style: 0.085-0.095. Cracker thin: 0.07. Thick pan / Detroit: 0.13. Once you know the TF you like, you can calculate dough for any pizza size.
What flour should I use? +
Neapolitan: 00 flour (Caputo, Polselli, San Felice) for the right texture under high heat. NY style: bread flour or 00 — high protein for chewiness. Sicilian / pan: bread flour. AP flour works for any style but produces softer crust. Don't use cake or pastry flour — not enough gluten.
Should I cold ferment? +
For best flavor: yes. 24-72 hours in the fridge develops complex sourdough-like flavors and improves dough texture. Same-day pizza works (mix, rise 2-3 hr, shape, bake) but lacks depth. Pizzerias typically cold-ferment 48+ hours.
Why does my crust come out tough? +
Three usual causes: (1) over-kneaded — develop just enough gluten, then stop. (2) Too much flour added during stretching — use a damp cloth and minimal bench flour. (3) Oven not hot enough — home ovens at 500°F bake slower, producing tougher crust than 700-900°F professional ovens. Use a pizza steel preheated 45+ min to get closer to authentic temps.
How long should the dough balls rest after portioning? +
Minimum 2-4 hours at room temp before stretching, or 24-72 hours in the fridge then 1-2 hr room temp warmup before stretching. Stretching cold dough cracks and tears; warm dough stretches easily.
What temperature should I bake at home? +
Crank the oven to its maximum (typically 500-550°F) with a pizza steel or stone preheated 45-60 min on the top rack. Use broiler for the last 30-60 seconds to char the cornicione. Aim for 5-7 minute bakes for NY/Neapolitan style.
What's the difference between fresh yeast, dry yeast, and instant yeast? +
Fresh yeast (cake yeast): traditional, refrigerated, 3x volume vs dry. Dry yeast (Red Star ADY): rehydrate in warm water before mixing, 1:1 with instant by weight but slower start. Instant yeast (SAF, Fleischmann's RapidRise): add directly to flour, fastest. The calculator's yeast percentage works for any — just adjust based on which type you're using.