🍕 Pizza Dough FAQ

For a standard Neapolitan pizza (28–30cm), you need around 160–180g of flour per ball. A New York slice uses 200–220g, and Detroit fills an entire 23×33cm pan. The exact amount depends on your hydration percentage and style. Use the Jordos pizza calculator to get precise amounts for any batch size.

Tipo 00 is an Italian finely milled flour with 11–12.5% protein, ideal for thin Neapolitan crusts that stretch easily without tearing. Bread flour has 12–13% protein and develops more gluten, making it better for New York style, Detroit, and doughs that need to hold heavy toppings without going soggy. Both produce excellent pizza — the choice depends on your style.

Yes, and many home cooks do. All-purpose flour (10–11% protein) produces a slightly softer, less chewy crust than Tipo 00 or bread flour. It works well for New York style, pan pizza, and everyday home pizza. For authentic Neapolitan or a very chewy NY crust, upgrade to the right flour — the difference is noticeable.

Far less than you think. For cold fermentation (24–72h), use only 0.1–0.3% instant yeast by flour weight — that is 1–3g per kilogram of flour. For a same-day room temperature dough (2–6h), use 0.5–1%. Our calculator adjusts yeast amounts automatically based on your fermentation time, room temperature and chosen style.

It depends on your style: Neapolitan pizza uses 58–63%, New York 62–65%, Vito style 63–66%, Detroit 68–72%, Chicago 55–60%. Higher hydration gives a more open, airy crumb but is stickier and harder to handle. Start at 65% if you are new to pizza making — it is forgiving and produces great results.

Sticky dough usually means the hydration is too high for your flour's absorption capacity, the gluten is under-developed, or you are working with warm dough. Try reducing hydration by 3–5%, knead or fold more, and work with cold dough straight from the fridge. A wet, tacky surface is normal for high-hydration doughs like Detroit — use oiled hands instead of extra flour. Check our troubleshooting guide for more solutions.

Cold fermentation for 24–72 hours produces the best results — better flavour, more complex aroma, improved texture and digestibility. At minimum, 2 hours at room temperature works in a pinch but lacks depth. A 48h cold ferment is the sweet spot most professional pizzerias use. Read our full cold fermentation guide for timings and tips.

Cold fermentation means letting dough rise slowly in the refrigerator (4°C) instead of at room temperature. The cold slows yeast activity while enzymes keep working, breaking down starches and proteins over many hours. The result is dough with a more complex flavour, better extensibility (easier to stretch), more pronounced leopard spots when baked, and improved digestibility. 24–72 hours is ideal.

The dough ball should be soft, slightly jiggly, and have grown 30–50% since shaping. Press a floured finger about 1cm into the surface — if it springs back slowly and mostly fills in, it is ready. If it springs back immediately, it needs more time. If it does not spring back at all and stays dented, it may be over-proofed (still usable, just handle gently).

The hotter the better. A wood-fired pizza oven runs at 400–500°C and bakes Neapolitan pizza in 60–90 seconds. A home oven maxes out at 250–275°C — preheat a baking steel or stone for 45–60 minutes at maximum temperature. For Detroit and Chicago, 230–250°C for 15–20 minutes works well. See our home oven vs pizza oven guide for full recommendations.

Neapolitan: 250–280g for a 28–30cm pizza. New York: 300–360g for a 35–38cm pizza. Vito style: 280–320g. Detroit: the entire dough fills a 23×33cm pan (typically 800–1000g total). Chicago deep dish: 400–550g per pan. Our dough calculator computes the exact ball weight based on your flour amount, style and hydration.

Tearing almost always means the gluten is too tight. This happens when the dough is too cold, under-proofed, or has been over-kneaded in a food processor. The fix is simple: let the dough rest at room temperature for 20–30 minutes before stretching. If it tears again, cover it and wait another 15 minutes. Never fight a dough that does not want to stretch — time solves it every time.

Yes, and it freezes very well. Shape the dough into balls after the first rise, coat each lightly with olive oil, and place in individual zip-lock bags with the air pressed out. Freeze for up to 3 months. To use, transfer to the fridge the night before and bring to room temperature for 1–2 hours before stretching. The texture is almost identical to fresh dough.

Baker's percentage is a recipe notation system where every ingredient is expressed as a percentage of the total flour weight. Flour is always 100%. So 65% hydration means 650g of water per 1000g of flour. 2.5% salt means 25g of salt. This makes scaling recipes and comparing formulas simple and consistent. Read our full baker's math guide.

Replace commercial yeast with 15–25% active sourdough starter by flour weight. Use the same hydration as a standard recipe. Allow 24–48h cold fermentation for best results. The key requirement is an active, bubbly starter — feed it 8–12 hours before mixing (it should double and pass the float test). Our calculator supports sourdough — select it as your yeast type. See the sourdough pizza recipe for a full walkthrough.