Hydration is the ratio of water to flour in a dough recipe, expressed as a baker's percentage. For example, if you use 1000g flour and 650g water, the hydration is 65%. Higher hydration (70%+) yields a more open crumb and lighter crust — ideal for styles like Sicilian and Detroit. Lower hydration (55–60%) produces a denser, crispier crust, common in cracker-style pizzas. Neapolitan pizza typically sits at 60–65% hydration.

The ideal dough ball weight depends on your pizza size and style. For a 12-inch Neapolitan pizza, target 250–280g per ball. For a 14-inch New York style, use 350–450g. For a thick Sicilian or Detroit pan pizza, 400–550g is common. Use our calculator above: enter your desired number of balls and weight per ball, and it will compute the exact flour, water, salt, and yeast needed.

Baker's percentage expresses every ingredient as a percentage of the total flour weight (flour = 100%). This makes recipes scalable and easy to compare. For example, 2% salt means 2g of salt for every 100g of flour. Professional bakers use this system to maintain consistency across batch sizes. Our calculator handles all baker's percentage math automatically.

Traditional Neapolitan pizza (VPN standards) uses hydration between 58% and 65%, with 60–62% being the sweet spot for most home bakers using a standard home oven at max temperature. Higher hydration (63–65%) works well in wood-fired ovens (450°C+). The flour type matters too — 00 flour absorbs water differently than all-purpose flour. Start at 62% and adjust based on your flour and oven.

For cold fermentation (fridge at 4–8°C / 39–46°F), use significantly less yeast because the slow fermentation develops flavor over time. A 24-hour cold ferment needs about 0.08–0.15% instant dry yeast. For 48–72 hours, use as little as 0.03–0.06%. Too much yeast with long fermentation can cause over-proofing and off-flavors. Let the dough come to room temperature for 1–2 hours before shaping.

Oil (typically olive oil) tenderizes the dough, adds flavor, and helps with browning. New York style often includes 2–3% oil for a pliable, easy-to-stretch dough. Sicilian and Detroit styles use 3–5% oil for a richer, softer crumb. Traditional Neapolitan uses 0% oil — only flour, water, salt, and yeast. Adjust oil based on the style you're making.

Yes! For sourdough pizza, set the yeast percentage to 0% and treat your sourdough starter as part of the flour and water. A typical sourdough pizza uses 10–20% starter (baker's percentage). The starter itself is usually 100% hydration (equal flour and water), so adjust the flour and water accordingly. Our calculator gives you the base flour and water weights — subtract the starter's flour/water contribution manually for precise results.