Pizza Dough Calculator
| Ingredient | Amount (grams) |
|---|
It’s important to note that these are approximate measurements, and you may need to make small adjustments to the dough depending on the humidity and temperature in your kitchen. Also, as you scale up or down the dough size, it also affects the fermentation time and the dough handling during shaping and rolling. So consider adjusting the fermentation time and temperature accordingly.
The hydration level of a dough is a measure of the ratio of water to flour in the dough. It’s typically expressed as a percentage, with higher percentages indicating a wetter dough and lower percentages indicating a drier dough. The hydration level can have a big impact on the texture, flavor, and overall quality of the finished pizza.
A general rule of thumb for pizza dough is to aim for a hydration level of around 60-65%. This will result in a dough that is easy to work with, holds its shape well, and has a nice chew. However, depending on the type of pizza you’re making, you may want to adjust the hydration level slightly. For example, a Neapolitan-style pizza typically has a higher hydration level (around 70-75%), while a New York-style pizza has a lower hydration level (around 55-60%).
Here’s a formula for calculating the ingredients for a specific number of doughs with a desired hydration level:
- (Flour weight) = (Number of doughs) x (Desired total weight of dough) / (1 + (Hydration level as a decimal))
- (Water weight) = (Flour weight) x (Hydration level as a decimal)
- (Salt weight) = (Flour weight) x (0.02)
- (Yeast weight) = (Flour weight) x (0.01)
For example, if you want to make 3 doughs, each weighing 500 grams with a hydration level of 65%, you would need:
- (Flour weight) = 3 x 500 / (1 + 0.65) = 1470 grams
- (Water weight) = 1470 x 0.65 = 955 grams
- (Salt weight) = 1470 x 0.02 = 29.4 grams
- (Yeast weight) = 1470 x 0.01 = 14.7 grams
and add the rest, like sugar, oil, etc.
It’s important to note that these are approximate measurements, and you may need to make small adjustments to the dough depending on the humidity and temperature in your kitchen. Also, as you scale up or down the dough size, it also affects the fermentation time and the dough handling during shaping and rolling. So consider adjusting the fermentation time and temperature accordingly.
Here’s a basic recipe for one dough that you can scale up or down as needed:
- 3 1/2 cups (450g) all-purpose flour
- 1 envelope (7g) instant dry yeast
- 2 tsp (10g) sugar
- 2 tsp (12g) salt
- 1 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water
- 2 tbsp (30ml) olive oil
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl or measuring cup, combine the warm water and olive oil. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
- After it’s risen, you can punch down the dough and shape it into a ball. Allow it to rest for a few minutes before rolling it out and adding your toppings.
If you want to make multiple doughs, simply multiply the ingredient quantities by the number of doughs you want to make. Keep in mind that you might need to adjust the rising time depending on how warm or cold your kitchen is.
Tim Anderson
Tim Anderson is the founder of pizzapeopleaz® and has been in the pizza industry since 1998. Since then, his mission has been to make a pizza lover’s guy into a personal pizzaiolo. And each year, he continues to help more people with Pizza chemistry, pizza Crust, pizza oven, and oven troubleshooting.