How to Use This Calculator

Look, we both know you’re not reading an essay about pizza dough—you’ve got sauce to simmer and cheese to shred. This calculator isn’t just another internet widget; it’s the difference between sad, floppy disappointment and that perfect fold-worthy NY slice.

How This Thing Works:

• Hydration Level (55-70%): Slide between sturdy structure (55%) and open crumb (70%). The sweet spot for that classic NY chew? Around 62%. Higher isn’t always better, folks.
• Pizza Size: From lonely 10″ personal pies to impressive 16″ beauties. Each option calculates perfect dough weight automatically because—shocker—different sizes need different amounts of dough.
• Leavening: Choose between commercial yeast (for normal humans) or sourdough starter (for those who name their starters after dead celebrities). No judgment… well, maybe a little.
• Yeast/Starter Details: The defaults work for a standard overnight cold ferment plus 6 hours at room temp for the shaped rise. Adjust percentages based on your timeline—more for procrastinators, less for the patient.
• Salt/Oil/Sugar: NY dough isn’t cake, so these stay minimal. But each matters—especially that 2.5% salt sweet spot. The oil and sugar default percentages is what you’ll find in a standard NY style dough recipe.
• Number of Pizzas: Because nobody stops at one. We’re not judging your “recipe testing.”

Pro Tip: Cold ferment that dough for 24+ hours like it’s contemplating its existence, then let it come up to room temps before stretching (about 2 hours out of the fridge). Crank your oven as hot as possible without triggering the smoke detector (or higher, if you’re feeling adventurous). This is usually somewhere between 500°F and 550°F.

To be honest there are probably more advanced (and complicated) calculators out there. But I’ve made thousands of pizzas for myself and professionally and I find that this is all I need when I make New York style dough.

Are you not a huge fan of New York style pizza? We have others you can check out:

• Detroit Style Pizza Dough Calculator