Why is pizza dough measured in baker’s percentages?

Because flour is the anchor at 100%, the same formula scales from one pie to a full sheet pan without re-deriving anything. Changing the count or diameter only changes total dough weight; the ratios of water, salt, and yeast to flour stay fixed.

What hydration is best for home-oven pizza?

Around 58–66%. Home ovens rarely exceed 550°F, and doughs in that band stretch by hand, crisp on the bottom, and stay tender inside. Go higher only for pan styles like Detroit, where the pan supports a wetter dough.

How do I swap instant, active dry, and fresh yeast?

Multiply instant dry yeast by 1.25 for active dry and by 3 for fresh cake yeast. At 0.4% instant on 344 g of flour, that is 1.4 g instant, 1.7 g active dry, or 4.1 g fresh.

How much dough do standard pizza sizes need?

At the New York factor of 2.55 g/in²: a 10-inch pie takes about 200 g, a 12-inch 288 g, a 14-inch 392 g, and a 16-inch 512 g. Neapolitan runs lighter at 2.21 g/in² and Detroit pan much heavier at 3.69.

Why cold-ferment pizza dough?

A day or two in the refrigerator at around 38°F slows the yeast while enzymes break starch into sugars and proteins into flavor compounds. The result is better browning and a complex taste that a same-day dough cannot match.

Which flour should I use?

A high-protein bread flour — 12–14% protein — gives the gluten to hold a hand-stretched crust. All-purpose works for thin styles; Italian 00 flour shines in very hot ovens but can turn limp at home-oven temperatures.

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Sizing by thickness factor

Dough weight is not guesswork — it is area times a thickness factor. A 12-inch pizza has π × 6² = 113.1 square inches, so at the New York factor of 2.55 g/in² each ball weighs about 288 g. Thin tavern crusts use 1.84 g/in², Neapolitan 2.21, and Detroit-style pans a hefty 3.69 because the dough must fill the pan’s height.

Splitting the ball with baker’s math

Every ingredient is a percentage of flour weight: water 65%, salt 2.2%, instant dry yeast 0.4% for the default New York style. The percentages sum to 167.6%, so flour = total dough ÷ 1.676, and each ingredient follows from the flour. Scale from two pizzas to ten and the ratios never move.

Hydration bands

Below 58% the dough is stiff and rolls thin for cracker crusts. 58–66% is the home-oven sweet spot — easy to stretch, crisp underneath, tender inside. From 67–74% the dough gets sticky with an open, airy crumb suited to pan pies, and above that you are in focaccia territory where the dough never touches a peel.

Worked example

Two 12-inch New York pies at 65% hydration.
Area: π × 6² = 113.1 in² × 2.55 = 288 g per ball.
Batch: 288 × 2 = 576 g ÷ 1.676 = 344 g flour.
Water 223 g, salt 7.6 g, yeast 1.4 g — mix, ball, cold-ferment 24 h.

How to use it

Set how many pizzas you are making.
Enter the diameter in inches and pick the crust style — the thickness factor sets the dough ball.
Adjust hydration, salt, and yeast percentages if your recipe calls for it.
Weigh the flour, water, salt, and yeast exactly as the rows show.