Neapolitan Pizza Dough Calculator
Use this Neapolitan pizza dough calculator to scale a true Naples-style dough to any number of balls. Set how many pizzas you want, the ball weight, and the hydration, and it returns the exact grams of flour, water, salt and yeast using baker's percentages — the way pizzaioli actually work.
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Calculate your Neapolitan dough
Enter values above and press Calculate to see your result.
Formula used
Neapolitan dough is built from baker's percentages, where every ingredient is a percentage of the flour weight (flour = 100%):
Total dough = balls × ball weightFlour = Total ÷ (1 + water% + salt% + yeast%)Water = Flour × hydration%
Salt and yeast are then taken as their percentages of that flour weight. Classic Neapolitan dough uses only flour, water, salt and yeast — no oil or sugar.
Worked examples
Four pizzas. 4 balls × 250 g at 62% hydration needs about 607 g flour, 376 g water, 17 g salt and 1.2 g yeast.
A single test pizza. 1 ball × 260 g at 60% gives roughly 159 g flour and 95 g water.
Party batch. 12 balls × 250 g scales the same percentages to about 1.8 kg of flour.
How to use this calculator
- Enter how many dough balls (pizzas) you want.
- Set the ball weight — 250–280 g suits a standard Neapolitan pie.
- Choose a hydration; 60–62% is a reliable starting point.
- Adjust salt and yeast percentages only if your recipe differs.
- Press Calculate for the gram weights, then mix, ferment and stretch by hand.
Typical Neapolitan baker's percentages
A guide to the ranges used for Naples-style dough.
| Ingredient | Baker's % | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Flour (Type 00) | 100% | High-protein 00 flour for high-heat ovens |
| Water | 58–65% | Lower for beginners, higher for experienced hands |
| Salt | 2.5–3% | Fine sea salt |
| Yeast (instant) | 0.1–0.3% | Less for longer, cooler fermentation |
For fresh yeast, use roughly 3× the instant amount; for sourdough, replace yeast with ~15–20% active starter and adjust water.
Who should use this calculator
Home pizza makers and anyone with a hot pizza oven (wood-fired, gas, or a countertop oven that reaches 400–500 °C). Baker's percentages let you scale the same recipe from one pizza to dozens without re-learning the ratios.
What each input means
- Dough balls — one per pizza.
- Ball weight — controls pizza size; 250 g ≈ a 10–11 inch base.
- Hydration — water relative to flour; higher means a wetter, airier, harder-to-handle dough.
- Salt / yeast — fine-tune fermentation and flavour.
How to read your result
The breakdown lists every ingredient in grams, plus the total dough weight as a check. Weigh flour and water precisely; small salt and yeast amounts are best measured on a 0.1 g scale. Mix, knead, then bulk- and ball-ferment before stretching.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Too much yeast. Neapolitan dough relies on slow fermentation; high yeast gives a bready, flavourless crust.
- Adding oil or sugar. True Neapolitan dough has neither.
- Skipping the scale. Volume measures wreck the ratios — always weigh.
- Rushing fermentation. Give the dough 8–24 hours for flavour and digestibility.
Limitations of this calculator
This gives ingredient weights from your percentages. It does not set fermentation time or temperature, which depend on your yeast amount and kitchen climate. Flour absorption varies by brand, so adjust water slightly if the dough feels too wet or dry.
Frequently asked questions
What hydration should Neapolitan dough be?
About 58–65%. Beginners do well at 60%; more experienced bakers push toward 65% for a lighter, more open crumb.
How much does a Neapolitan dough ball weigh?
Typically 250–280 g for a 10–12 inch pizza. The AVPN standard is 180–250 g.
Can I use all-purpose flour?
You can, but Type 00 with good protein handles the very high heat of Neapolitan baking better and gives the classic leopard-spotted char.
How long should the dough ferment?
Anywhere from 8 to 24 hours depending on yeast and temperature. Lower yeast plus a long, cool rise develops the best flavour.
Do I need a pizza oven?
For authentic results, a very hot oven (430 °C+) helps. In a home oven, use a steel or stone preheated as hot as it goes and a slightly higher hydration.