neapolitan pizza calculator

How this Neapolitan pizza calculator works

This tool uses baker's percentages, the standard method bakers use to scale dough. In baker's math, flour is always 100%, and every other ingredient is a percentage of flour weight. That means you can make one pizza or one hundred pizzas and keep the dough behavior consistent.

For Neapolitan-style pizza dough, many home and professional bakers start around these ranges:

• Hydration: 58% to 68%
• Salt: 2.5% to 3.0%
• Yeast: tiny amounts for long ferments, larger amounts for same-day dough
• Oil/Sugar: usually omitted in traditional dough

Formula used in the calculator

First, the calculator finds your target total dough mass:

Total Dough = Number of Balls × Ball Weight

Then it solves for flour:

Flour = Total Dough ÷ (1 + Hydration + Salt + Yeast)

All percentages are converted to decimals before calculating (for example, 62% hydration becomes 0.62).

Once flour is known, water, salt, and yeast are straightforward:

• Water = Flour × Hydration
• Salt = Flour × Salt %
• Yeast = Flour × Yeast %

Choosing the right settings

1) Dough ball weight

For a typical 11-12 inch (28-30 cm) Neapolitan pizza, many bakers use 240-280 g dough balls. If you're doing smaller personal pies, try 220 g. For slightly larger pies, try 260-280 g.

2) Hydration

Start with 60-63% if you are new. Lower hydration feels firmer and easier to shape. Higher hydration can create more open crumb and softer texture, but requires better handling technique and flour strength.

3) Salt percentage

Salt is flavor plus dough control. Around 2.7-2.9% is a common sweet spot for balanced taste and fermentation control.

4) Yeast percentage

Yeast amount depends on fermentation length and temperature. Colder, longer fermentation needs less yeast. Warmer, shorter fermentation needs more. If you are not sure, keep the default very low value and ferment longer in cool conditions.

Example: classic home batch

Suppose you want 4 pizzas at 250 g each with 62% hydration, 2.8% salt, and 0.08% yeast. Total dough target is 1000 g. The calculator gives you exact ingredient weights so you can mix confidently without manual math.

Practical mixing and fermentation tips

• Mix until no dry flour remains, then rest dough 15-20 minutes before final kneading.
• Knead until smooth and elastic, but avoid overheating dough.
• Bulk ferment briefly, then divide into dough balls.
• Cold ferment (fridge) for flavor and extensibility when possible.
• Bring dough balls to room temperature before stretching.
• Bake hot and fast on stone or steel for best leopard spotting and oven spring.

FAQ

Can I use this as a sourdough pizza calculator?

Yes, but you would need to account for the flour and water inside your starter. This version is focused on yeast-based Neapolitan dough.

Why are my yeast grams so tiny?

That's normal for long fermentation doughs, especially with instant dry yeast. A precision scale (0.01 g resolution) is helpful for accurate measurements.

Can I change flour type?

Absolutely. This calculator handles ratio math only. Your flour choice (00, bread flour, blend) affects absorption and handling, so adjust hydration as needed.