Practical Pizza Dough Knowledge

What does hydration mean?

Hydration is the amount of water relative to the amount of flour, expressed as a percentage (baker's percentage). 65% hydration means 650 g of water for 1000 g of flour. The higher the hydration, the softer and stickier the dough — but also the airier and more open the crumb after baking.

Low hydration (55–62%) gives a firmer, easy-to-shape dough — ideal for beginners and thin, crispy bases. High hydration (70%+) needs more experience to handle, but produces the large, irregular air bubbles typical of modern Neapolitan pizza.

Which flour works best for what?

What matters most is the protein content of the flour — it determines how much gluten forms during kneading and how much water the dough can bind without turning mushy.

• Under 10 g/100g: weak flour, suited to low hydration (up to about 62%), e.g. thin bases.
• 10–12.5 g/100g: all-purpose flour or Italian "00" flour, versatile, 60–70% hydration.
• 12.5 g/100g and above: strong flour (often marketed as "Manitoba" or bread flour), holds up at 70–85% hydration.

When flour and hydration don't match, the dough either becomes too sticky and shapeless (too much water for the flour) or unnecessarily firm and dry (too little water for a strong flour). The calculator above automatically flags these cases.

How does salt work in the dough?

Salt does three jobs: it seasons, it tightens the gluten network (making the dough more elastic and less prone to tearing), and it slightly slows down yeast activity — which helps make long fermentations more controllable. Typical amounts range from 1.8% to 3% of the flour weight, depending on the pizza style.

Salt and yeast shouldn't meet directly while mixing the dough (e.g. don't dump both undiluted into the water and let them sit for a long time), since a high local salt concentration can weaken the yeast. During normal kneading, though, this isn't an issue.

How does yeast work — and how much do you need?

Yeast converts sugars in the flour into carbon dioxide and flavour compounds — the CO₂ leavens the dough, while the byproducts add flavour. How much yeast you need mostly depends on temperature and time: more time or cold means less yeast, while a short warm rise means more yeast.

The three common yeast types differ a lot in the amount needed: fresh yeast needs roughly three times the weight of instant yeast, and active dry yeast about 1.25 times as much. The calculator accounts for this automatically based on the yeast type you select.

Room temperature vs. cold fermentation

With a room-temperature rise, the dough ferments entirely at room temperature, usually for 2–12 hours. It's quick and simple, but gives a fairly neutral flavour.

With cold fermentation (a fridge retard), the dough rests — often after a short initial time at room temperature — for 24 to 72 hours in the fridge. Fermentation runs much more slowly, which develops more flavour and a lighter, easier-to-digest crumb. The dough needs to come back to room temperature before baking, otherwise it's hard to shape and won't rise properly in the oven.

Baking tips

• Preheat the oven for at least 30–45 minutes at its highest setting — including a baking steel or pizza stone if you have one.
• Shape the dough ball just before topping it, so the CO₂ bubbles don't escape too early.
• Top sparingly: too many or too wet toppings prevent a crispy base.
• At very high oven temperatures (wood-fired ovens, home pizza ovens), 60–90 seconds of bake time is often enough.
• In a home oven: use the broiler/grill function or the highest top-and-bottom heat setting, and bake the pizza near the top of the oven.

Common mistakes

• Eyeballing salt or yeast instead of weighing it: use a kitchen scale rather than spoons or cups — baking is chemistry, not guesswork.
• Hydration too high for the flour used: results in a dough that won't hold its shape and collapses.
• Cold dough straight into the oven: let the dough come up to temperature for at least 1–2 hours before baking.
• Too short or too long a rise: underfermented dough is dense and heavy, while overfermented dough collapses when shaped and tastes slightly sour.
• Oven not preheated hot enough: results in a pale, chewy base instead of a crispy one.