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One Neapolitan base
260g
per dough ball
Pizza · The base
The pizza dough recipe, done properly
Last updated 24 August 2026
A great pizza is decided before the toppings ever go on. Eight questions, each answered straight, cover everything that actually matters: hydration, yeast, time, flour and method.
Question 1
What hydration should pizza dough be
Around 62 to 68% suits most home pizza. Neapolitan sits near 58 to 62% for a soft, pillowy rim, while a wetter pan or teglia dough runs 70% or higher for an open, airy crumb. Start at 62% and adjust once you know how your flour behaves.
Hydration is the single biggest lever on texture. Too dry and the crumb turns dense and cracker-like everywhere, not just at the edges where you want it thin. Too wet and the dough is hard to handle without a bench scraper and a light touch.
| Style | Hydration | Texture |
|---|---|---|
| Neapolitan | 58 to 62% | Soft, pillowy rim, tender centre |
| New York | 60 to 65% | Chewy, sturdy enough to fold |
| Detroit | 65 to 75% | Thick, airy, pull-apart crumb |
| Roman al taglio | 75 to 90% | Very open crumb, crisp base |
| Sicilian | 65 to 72% | Light, almost fried-feeling base |
| Thin and crispy | 55 to 60% | Cracker-thin, no chew, all snap |
These figures match the style presets in Pizza Studio, so what you see here is what the calculator gives you, not a separate estimate.
Question 2
How much yeast does pizza dough need
It depends entirely on time and temperature, not a fixed number. As a reference, 0.2% instant dried yeast gives a 12 hour bulk ferment at 20C, and yeast activity roughly doubles for every 10C rise. Use the schedule block in Pizza Studio to solve it for your own plan.
This is the Q10 rule: yeast activity roughly doubles for every 10C rise in temperature and halves for every 10C drop. It explains why a same-day dough at 24C needs noticeably more yeast than a 48 hour cold-fermented one.
| Time | 18°C | 20°C | 23°C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 hours | 0.46% | 0.40% | 0.32% |
| 12 hours | 0.23% | 0.20% | 0.16% |
| 24 hours | 0.11% | 0.10% | 0.08% |
| 48 hours | 0.06% | 0.05% | 0.04% |
| 72 hours | 0.04% | 0.03% | 0.03% |
| 3h room + 24h fridge (4°C) | 0.21% at 22°C room temp | ||
Same maths, same numbers as the table on Pizza Studio, so the two pages never disagree.
Question 3
How long should pizza dough ferment
A same-day dough needs 4 to 6 hours at room temperature. For real flavour, ferment 24 to 48 hours, most of it in the fridge. Beyond about 72 hours the gluten starts to break down, so treat that as the practical ceiling for most flours.
Longer isn't always better. Past 72 hours the enzymes that broke down the gluten to build flavour keep going, and the dough turns slack and hard to shape without tearing. If you want more time than that, drop the temperature further rather than extending the clock.
The floor, not the flame
Leopard-spotting, done right
Centre out, never a rolling pin
Question 4
Should I cold ferment pizza dough
Yes, if you have the time. A 24 to 48 hour cold ferment develops far more flavour than a same-day dough and makes the dough easier to stretch, because the slow, cool fermentation relaxes the gluten without over-proofing it. Ball the dough before it goes in the fridge, not after.
The fridge slows fermentation right down without stopping it, which is exactly what develops the mild sourness and depth that separates a good pizza base from a flat one. Ball the dough before it goes in the fridge, not after, so each portion ferments and warms evenly.
Question 5
What flour is best for pizza
Italian 00 flour for Neapolitan baked hot and fast; a strong white bread flour, roughly 12 to 13% protein, for New York or pan styles baked lower and longer. In the UK, most supermarket strong white bread flour works well for both.
00 flour is milled finer and behaves best above 400C, where the crust sets before the dough dries out. At the lower temperatures a home oven manages, that fine milling stops mattering as much and protein content takes over as the thing that decides chew and structure.
| Flour | Protein | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Caputo 00 Pizzeria | 12.5% | Neapolitan, wood-fired or 400C+ |
| Shipton Mill Strong White | 13.0% | NY, pan, home oven |
| Marriage's Strong White | 13.0% | NY, general purpose bread and pizza |
| Tesco Strong White Bread | 12.0% | Budget-friendly NY and pan styles |
| Waitrose Strong Canadian White | 14.0% | Extra chew, longer cold ferments |
| Doves Farm Organic Strong White | 12.8% | Neapolitan and NY, organic |
Working in cups instead of grams? The ingredient converter handles flour, water and more than 50 other ingredients. For the full named-flour table, see the UK flour guide. Working from an American recipe, see US recipes in a UK kitchen.
Question 6
Poolish or biga, which preferment for pizza
Poolish for a lighter, more extensible dough with a slightly sweeter flavour, biga for more structure and a deeper, nuttier taste. Both add real depth over a same-day dough. Neapolitan and NY styles lean poolish; pan and teglia styles suit biga.
A poolish is a wet, 100% hydration preferment, so it ferments fast and leaves the dough soft and easy to stretch. A biga is stiff, around 50% hydration, and builds more strength, which is exactly what a thick pan or teglia dough needs to hold its shape and rise tall.
Question 7
What is the best pizza dough recipe for a home oven
62 to 68% hydration, a hot stone or steel preheated for at least 45 minutes, and a 24 to 48 hour cold ferment. That combination gets closest to a proper leopard-charred base without a dedicated pizza oven, and it's the same formula behind Pizza Studio's home-oven preset.
This is a cold-fermented dough at 65% hydration, close to Pizza Studio's NY preset, or drop the hydration for something closer to Neapolitan. The long fridge rest is where the flavour comes from, so start it a day or two ahead.
Prefer a full worked schedule over adjusting sliders yourself? See the 24 hour Neapolitan or 48 hour Neapolitan dough, the 24 hour NY-style or 48 hour NY-style dough, an Ooni-specific recipe, a same-day 4 hour dough for when there is no time to plan ahead, or the home oven and steel version if you are working without a dedicated pizza oven.
- 1
Mix
Combine 600g flour with 390g water into a shaggy dough. Rest 20 minutes so the flour hydrates and the gluten begins to form on its own.
- 2
Add salt and knead
Work in 15g salt and 2g fresh yeast, or a spoon of active starter, then knead for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- 3
Bulk ferment
Cover and rest at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours until the dough is slightly puffy.
- 4
Ball and cold ferment
Divide into roughly 260g pieces, tuck each into a tight round, box them and cold ferment in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours.
- 5
Stretch
Bring the balls to room temperature 1 to 2 hours before baking. Stretch each one by hand from the centre out, leaving a puffy rim. Never use a rolling pin.
- 6
Top and bake hot
Top sparingly and bake as hot as your oven allows, ideally 250C or more on a preheated steel or stone, or in a pizza oven at 400C and above.
Into the heatAs hot as it goes
Question 8
How do I scale a pizza dough recipe
Convert the recipe to baker's percentages, where flour is always 100% and everything else is a percentage of the flour weight. Once it is in percentages, scaling to any number of balls or any total dough weight is simple multiplication.
Baker's percentages are how professional bakeries scale from one dough ball to a thousand without redoing the maths each time. The baker's percentage calculator converts a grams recipe both ways, and the baker's math and conversion cheat sheets keep the formulas on hand at the bench.
When it goes wrong
Pizza dough troubleshooting
Tearing, a tough chewy base, no rise, or a soggy centre each have a specific, fixable cause, mostly down to dough temperature, gluten development or oven heat. Dial those three in using Pizza Studio's schedule block and style presets, work through the full symptom picker to find your exact issue, or get the full symptom-by-symptom breakdown in the Pizza problem-solver handbook.
Common questions
Pizza dough FAQ
What hydration should pizza dough be?
Around 62 to 68% suits most home pizza. Neapolitan sits near 58 to 62% for a soft, pillowy rim, while a wetter pan or teglia dough runs 70% or higher for an open, airy crumb. Start at 62% and adjust once you know how your flour behaves.
How much yeast does pizza dough need?
It depends entirely on time and temperature, not a fixed number. As a reference, 0.2% instant dried yeast gives a 12 hour bulk ferment at 20C, and yeast activity roughly doubles for every 10C rise. Use the schedule block in Pizza Studio to solve it for your own plan.
How long should pizza dough ferment?
A same-day dough needs 4 to 6 hours at room temperature. For real flavour, ferment 24 to 48 hours, most of it in the fridge. Beyond about 72 hours the gluten starts to break down, so treat that as the practical ceiling for most flours.
Should I cold ferment pizza dough?
Yes, if you have the time. A 24 to 48 hour cold ferment develops far more flavour than a same-day dough and makes the dough easier to stretch, because the slow, cool fermentation relaxes the gluten without over-proofing it. Ball the dough before it goes in the fridge, not after.
What flour is best for pizza?
Italian 00 flour for Neapolitan baked hot and fast; a strong white bread flour, roughly 12 to 13% protein, for New York or pan styles baked lower and longer. In the UK, most supermarket strong white bread flour works well for both.
Poolish or biga, which preferment for pizza?
Poolish for a lighter, more extensible dough with a slightly sweeter flavour, biga for more structure and a deeper, nuttier taste. Both add real depth over a same-day dough. Neapolitan and NY styles lean poolish; pan and teglia styles suit biga.
What is the best pizza dough recipe for a home oven?
62 to 68% hydration, a hot stone or steel preheated for at least 45 minutes, and a 24 to 48 hour cold ferment. That combination gets closest to a proper leopard-charred base without a dedicated pizza oven, and it's the same formula behind Pizza Studio's home-oven preset.
How do I scale a pizza dough recipe?
Convert the recipe to baker's percentages, where flour is always 100% and everything else is a percentage of the flour weight. Once it is in percentages, scaling to any number of balls or any total dough weight is simple multiplication.
Keep reading
Where to go next
Get the 72-hour ferment plan
The printable schedule that turns "an hour on the counter" into proper Neapolitan dough. Stick it on the fridge and follow it.
Photography by Nik Owens, Nadya Spetnitskaya, Jemima Whyles, Anna Ansone and Tadahiro Higuchi on Unsplash.
