How it works: Total dough = balls × ball weight × (1 + loss). Total flour = total dough ÷ (1 + hydration + salt + oil + sugar + yeast), with every percentage of flour written as a decimal; each ingredient = its percentage × total flour. With a starter, its flour and water count toward the totals so hydration stays true, and the flour and water to add are reduced to match. Oil is not counted as water. Yeast types convert at fresh 1 : active dry 0.4 : instant 1/3; about 3.1 g of dry yeast per teaspoon.

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Start with the pizzas, not the flour

Pizza dough is easiest to plan from the finished result: how many pizzas, and how big each dough ball should be. This calculator takes those two numbers, applies a formula in baker’s percentages, and tells you how much flour, water, salt and yeast or starter to weigh out. It handles commercial yeast and sourdough, and it can add a little extra dough so every ball reaches full weight after some sticks to the bowl.

It suits anyone making pizza at home, from a single Friday night pie to a dozen balls for a party. The Style presets fill in typical Neapolitan and New York values as a starting point.

Step by step

Choose a Style. Neapolitan fills in a 250 g ball at 62% hydration with 2.8% salt; New York uses a 300 g ball at 63% with a little oil and sugar. Change any of those values and the style switches to Custom.
Set Number of dough balls and Dough ball weight.
Adjust Hydration, Salt, Oil and Sugar. All are percentages of flour.
Pick your Leavening. For yeast, enter Yeast as a percentage of flour. For Sourdough starter, enter Starter and Starter hydration instead.
Set Extra for dough loss. 2% covers what clings to the bowl and your hands.

The results list each ingredient, the Total dough, the weight Per ball, including extra and, for dry yeast, Yeast in teaspoons.

Worked example: six pizzas for the weekend

Six balls at 260 g, 63% hydration, 2.8% salt, instant yeast at 0.2% and 2% extra. Changing the ball weight and hydration from the Neapolitan preset sets the style to Custom. The calculator gives:

Flour: 959 g
Water: 604 g
Salt: 27 g
Instant yeast: 1.92 g
Total dough: 1,591 g
Per ball, including extra: 265 g
Yeast in teaspoons: 0.62 tsp

The total is 6 × 260 × 1.02 = 1,591 g. Salt and yeast are fractions of the flour, so flour × (1 + 0.63 + 0.028 + 0.002) must equal that total, which gives 959 g of flour. Divide the dough into six balls of about 265 g; after the scraps are lost you still have six full 260 g pizzas.

For a sourdough version, set Leavening to Sourdough starter with Starter at 12% and 100% starter hydration. The lines change to Flour to add: 902 g, Water to add: 547 g, Starter: 115 g and Salt: 27 g, with total flour including the starter at 960 g. The starter’s own flour and water are subtracted so hydration stays at a true 63%.

How much yeast?

Yeast percentage depends on how long and how cold the dough ferments. A dough that rises for a few hours at room temperature needs noticeably more yeast than one that spends two days in the fridge. The less yeast you use, the more time the dough has to build flavour and extensibility. Treat any single figure as a starting point, keep notes, and adjust by small amounts.

If you are switching yeast types, change Leavening and the calculator converts the percentage for you: 0.3% instant becomes 0.9% fresh. For converting a recipe that is written in packets or cubes, the yeast converter goes into more detail.

Tips for better dough

Weigh the yeast on a scale that reads to 0.1 g, or better 0.01 g. At these small amounts, a pinch too much makes a real difference.
Hydration and oven go together. Wetter doughs suit very hot pizza ovens; home ovens often do better around 60 to 65%.
Oil and sugar help in a home oven. They encourage browning at lower temperatures, which is part of why New York style uses them.
Don’t skip the extra. Without it, the last ball always comes out a little light.
Ball the dough evenly. A kitchen scale makes dividing quick and consistent.

The percentages behind the formula are explained in the baker’s percentage calculator. For a sourdough pizza, the starter feeding calculator makes sure you have enough ripe starter ready.

Pizza dough questions

What does hydration mean for pizza?

It is the weight of water as a percentage of flour. At 63%, 1,000 g of flour takes 630 g of water. Higher hydration gives a lighter, more open crust but a stickier dough to stretch.

Why is salt higher than in bread?

Pizza formulas often run between 2.5 and 3% salt, partly for flavour and partly because salt strengthens gluten in a dough that is stretched thin. Bread tends to sit nearer 2%.

Can I use bread flour instead of pizza flour?

Yes. Bread flour works well, especially in home ovens. Italian 00 flour is milled finer and shines in very hot ovens but is not essential.

Does the extra for dough loss change the percentages?

No. It only increases the batch size, so each ingredient grows by the same proportion.

How long should pizza dough ferment?

Anywhere from a few hours at room temperature to three days in the fridge. Longer, colder fermentation with less yeast gives more flavour, but any timing you choose is a guide that depends on your kitchen and your flour.