Ingredients
What goes into each dough in the calculator and how to choose it. The calculator gives every amount by weight, so the type of each ingredient matters more than the brand.
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Flour
Flour decides how much water a dough can hold, how strong and stretchy it is, and how fast it browns. The calculator adjusts the water for each type you pick.
- What to look for
- 00 flour. Very finely milled Italian flour, the standard for Neapolitan, Poolish and Biga. Read the bag: some 00 flours are made for 800°F+ pizza ovens and others for home ovens.
- High-gluten flour. About 14% protein. It gives New York pizza its strong, chewy crust.
- Bread flour. A little less protein than high-gluten. A good all-round flour for Sicilian and focaccia, and a fine stand-in for high-gluten.
- All-purpose flour. Softer and easy to find. The calculator uses it for New Haven and blends it with 00 for Quick & Easy.
- Malted or not. Many American flours have a little malted barley added, which helps browning in a home oven. In a pizza oven above 750°F, unmalted flour is safer because malted flour can scorch.
- Checking protein. US bags list grams of protein per serving. Divide protein by the serving size: 4 g per 30 g serving is about 13%.
Matters most for: every style
Yeast
The calculator works with all three common types of yeast and converts the amount for you.
- What to look for
- Instant dry yeast. The calculator's default. It goes straight into the water with no proofing.
- Active dry yeast. The calculator uses 1.25 times the instant amount and has you dissolve it in warm water first.
- Fresh (cake) yeast. Three times the instant amount, crumbled into the water. It only keeps a couple of weeks in the fridge.
- Storage. Once opened, keep dry yeast airtight in the fridge or freezer. If you bake often, a large vacuum-packed bag costs far less per gram than packets.
Matters most for: every style
Salt
Salt adds flavor, tightens the dough and slows the yeast a little. Weigh it: crystals vary so much in size that a teaspoon of one salt can weigh nearly twice as much as another.
- What to look for
- Kosher salt. The calculator's default. Diamond Crystal and Morton weigh very differently by the spoon, so the calculator shows a spoon amount for each.
- Fine sea salt or table salt. Both dissolve quickly and work the same by weight.
Matters most for: every style
Olive oil and sugar
Neither goes in a traditional Neapolitan dough, but both help in a cooler oven. The Guide at the bottom of the calculator explains when to use them.
- What to look for
- Extra virgin olive oil for the dough, for oiling pans and for drizzling on focaccia.
- Plain granulated sugar. At 1–2% of the flour it helps the crust brown below about 650°F without tasting sweet.
Matters most for: New York · Sicilian · Focaccia · home-oven bakes
Tomatoes
Not part of the dough, but they make or break the pizza. Most pizzerias use canned tomatoes, which are picked ripe and packed at their best.
- What to look for
- Whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand or blended briefly with a little salt, make the simplest and freshest-tasting sauce for Neapolitan-style pizza.
- "San Marzano" on the can. Tomatoes from the protected growing area near Naples carry a D.O.P. seal. Other cans use the name for the same variety grown elsewhere. Taste matters more than the label.
- Crushed or ground tomatoes are a common base for a cooked New York-style sauce.
Matters most for: Neapolitan · New York · Sicilian
Cheese
The right mozzarella depends on how hot and fast the pizza bakes.
- What to look for
- Fresh mozzarella for Neapolitan. Tear it and let it drain for a while so the center of the pizza doesn't get watery.
- Low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella for New York and Sicilian. It melts and browns without releasing water. Shred it yourself; pre-shredded cheese is coated to stop clumping and doesn't melt as smoothly.
- A hard grating cheese like Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano, for finishing pizzas and for New Haven-style tomato pies.
Matters most for: Neapolitan · New York · Sicilian · New Haven
Ready to make dough?
The calculator works out the amounts and schedule for your oven, kitchen and timing.