Four ingredients, one clear ratio
A pizza dough consists of four ingredients: flour, water, salt and yeast. The craft lies in the ratio, the choice of flour and the fermentation. Once you understand these three dimensions, you can scale any dough cleanly – whether for three home pizzas or 60 pizzas for a family party.
In bakeries we work with baker's percentages: the flour weight is always 100 %, every other ingredient is expressed as a percent of that. The ratio stays constant regardless of absolute amount.
| Ingredient | Baker's percent (classic Neapolitan pizza) |
|---|---|
| Flour Tipo 00 | 100 % |
| Water | 60 to 65 % (hydration) |
| Salt | 2.5 to 3 % |
| Yeast (fresh, long ferment) | 0.1 to 0.3 % |
| Yeast (fresh, short ferment) | 1 to 2 % |
| Olive oil (optional, Roman style) | 0 to 3 % |
Flour: Tipo 00, W value and gluten
Tipo 00 refers to the fineness of the Italian milling; it says nothing about protein content. For a good pizza the W value (a measure of baking strength) is decisive. It describes water absorption and tolerance to long rising times.
| W value | Protein | Recommended rise | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 180 to 220 | 9 to 10.5 % | 2 to 6 h | Rolls, quick doughs |
| 250 to 290 | 11 to 12 % | 8 to 24 h | Classic medium pizza |
| 300 to 340 | 12.5 to 14 % | 24 to 48 h | Long Neapolitan pizza |
| over 350 | over 14 % | 48 to 72 h | Pro doughs, very long ferment |
In Germany the W value is rarely on the bag. Rule of thumb: Tipo 00 from Caputo, Petra or Manitoba is designed for longer ferments. Without Italian specialty flour, German wheat flour type 550 (plus patience) also gets you far.
Hydration: water content in percent
Hydration determines the crumb structure:
| Hydration | Property | Suitability |
|---|---|---|
| 55 % | Very firm, easy to shape | Beginner dough |
| 60 % | Well-handled, even crumb | Classic home pizza |
| 65 % | Open, airy | Neapolitan, long ferment |
| 70 % | Very open, sticky | Experienced hands, pizza in pala |
| 75 % | Extreme hydration | Roman pizza in teglia |
Higher hydration demands more kneading time and experience but produces an airier pizza with a fuller cornicione (crust rim). Beginners do best at 60 to 62 %.
Salt: flavour and fermentation brake
Salt has two functions: it seasons and it slows yeast activity. Too little salt (below 2 %) leads to bland flavour and excessive ferment. Too much salt (over 3.5 %) kills yeast or slows it so much that the dough does not rise.
| Salt share | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1.5 % | Very mild, can taste flat |
| 2.0 to 2.5 % | Classic German |
| 2.8 to 3.0 % | Authentic Neapolitan |
| over 3.5 % | Strongly brakes ferment |
In practice salt and yeast are added separately – not directly on top of each other, because salt weakens yeast cells. First mix flour, water and yeast, then add salt.
Yeast: long vs. short ferment
The amount of yeast depends on fermentation time and temperature. An important rule: the longer the dough sits, the less yeast it needs.
| Ferment | Temperature | Fresh yeast (% of flour) | Dry yeast (1/3 of that) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick (2–4 h) | 22 to 26 °C | 2 to 3 % | 0.7 to 1 % |
| Medium (8 h) | 18 to 22 °C | 0.5 to 1 % | 0.15 to 0.33 % |
| Long (24 h) | 16 to 18 °C | 0.2 to 0.4 % | 0.07 to 0.13 % |
| Cold ferment (24 to 72 h) | 4 to 6 °C | 0.1 to 0.2 % | 0.03 to 0.07 % |
With 500 g of flour and 48 hours of cold ferment in the fridge, the yeast quantity is roughly 0.5 to 1 g of fresh yeast – a tiny piece that a normal kitchen scale can barely register. In practice, dissolve 5 g of yeast in 50 g of water and measure 5 to 10 g of that solution.
Long cold ferment: why it pays off
A 24- to 48-hour cold ferment in the fridge fundamentally changes the dough:
- Flavour: aroma develops through enzymatic breakdown of long carbohydrate chains.
- Digestibility: long ferment breaks down phytic acid and makes the dough lighter to digest.
- Structure: the gluten network becomes stable and elastic, the pizza holds its topping.
- Crumb: open and airy with even bubbles.
Workflow for a typical 24-hour ferment:
- Knead flour, water and yeast (10 minutes)
- Add salt, knead another 5–8 minutes
- Rest 30 minutes (autolysis phase)
- Divide into balls, brush with oil, put in airtight container
- 24 hours at 4–6 °C in the fridge
- Take out 2 hours before baking
- Let come to room temperature
- Shape gently (do not roll out!), top, bake
Sample amounts for various numbers of pizzas
At 250 g of dough per pizza (classic Neapolitan) with 65 % hydration, 2.5 % salt, 0.2 % fresh yeast:
| Pizzas | Flour | Water | Salt | Fresh yeast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 150g | 98g | 3.8 g | 0.3 g |
| 3 | 450g | 293g | 11.3 g | 0.9 g |
| 6 | 900g | 585g | 22.5 g | 1.8 g |
| 12 | 1,800 g | 1,170 g | 45.0 g | 3.6 g |
| 30 | 4,500 g | 2,925 g | 112.5 g | 9.0 g |
| 60 | 9,000 g | 5,850 g | 225.0 g | 18.0 g |
The pizza dough calculator handles this scaling and lets you set both pizza count and hydration, salt and yeast percentages.
Baking: high temperature, short time
A real Neapolitan pizza bakes at roughly 430–480 °C in 60 to 90 seconds – a regular home oven cannot do this. With a baking stone or pizza steel at maximum oven temperature (usually 250–280 °C) and grill on full power, you reach 5–7 minutes baking time. The result is not authentically Neapolitan, but very close.
Three tips for the home oven:
- Pre-heat the stone on the middle rack for at least 30 minutes.
- Grill function on in the last 1–2 minutes so the topping browns on top.
- Light topping. Too much tomato sauce, too much cheese, too many toppings give a soggy pizza.
Common errors
- Flour without baking strength: standard wheat flour without baking strength does not tolerate 24-hour ferment.
- Yeast directly on salt: brakes the ferment immediately. Dissolve yeast in water first.
- Too little salt: pizza tastes flat, dough over-rises.
- Kneading too briefly: gluten network is not built, the pizza tears when shaped.
- Rolling out pizza with a rolling pin: pushes the gas bubbles out, the pizza turns thin and brittle instead of airy.
- Oven not hot enough: too low a temperature gives a leathery, dry base.
Conclusion
A good pizza dough follows clear ratios: 100 % flour, 60–65 % water, 2–3 % salt, 0.1–1 % yeast (depending on ferment). When the baker's percentages are right, the dough scales arbitrarily – from a family evening to a large event. The pizza dough calculator handles the maths so that you can focus on flour, kneading and heat.
Sources
- Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana – Disciplinare di production della Vera Pizza Napoletana – pizzanapoletana.org
- Manuele Vezzoli, "La Pizza Napoletana" – standard work on classical pizza technique
- BLE – Federal Office for Agriculture and Food, baking properties of wheat flours – ble.de