Pizza Dough Hydration: Baker's Percentage Explained Simply

Great pizza starts with great dough, and great dough starts with the right hydration level. Baker's percentage isn't complicated—it's the secret language professional bakers use to create consistent, delicious results every time.

What Is Baker's Percentage?

Baker's percentage measures every ingredient as a percentage of flour weight. Flour is always 100%, and everything else relates to it.

Example Recipe:

• Flour: 500g (100%)
• Water: 325g (65%)
• Salt: 10g (2%)
• Yeast: 5g (1%)

That's a 65% hydration dough. The percentages always add up to more than 100%—that's normal.

Why Hydration Matters

Hydration (water percentage) dramatically affects dough:

Low Hydration (50-57%): Bagels, pretzels—dense, chewy, easy to handle

Medium Hydration (58-65%): Standard pizza, bread—balanced texture, manageable

High Hydration (66-75%): Neapolitan pizza, ciabatta—open crumb, harder to work with, requires skill

Very High Hydration (76-85%+): Focaccia, no-knead breads—extremely sticky, almost batter-like

Most home pizza makers use 60-65% hydration—enough moisture for good texture without being unmanageable.

Calculating Hydration Percentage

Formula: (Water Weight ÷ Flour Weight) × 100 = Hydration %

Example 1: 1,000g flour, 600g water (600 ÷ 1,000) × 100 = 60% hydration

Example 2: 350g flour, 245g water (245 ÷ 350) × 100 = 70% hydration

Classic Pizza Dough Recipe (62% hydration)

For 4 pizzas:

• Flour: 500g (100%)
• Water: 310g (62%)
• Salt: 12g (2.4%)
• Yeast (active dry): 3g (0.6%)
• Olive oil: 10g (2%)

Mix, knead 10 minutes, rise 1-2 hours, divide, shape, top, bake at 500°F+ on pizza stone.

Neapolitan vs. New York Style Hydration

Neapolitan (65-70%): Higher hydration creates characteristic leopard-spotted crust. Requires very hot oven (800°F+) and quick baking (90 seconds). Flour: 00-grade for softness.

New York Style (58-62%): Lower hydration makes dough stronger for tossing and folding. Bakes slower (450°F, 8-12 minutes). Flour: High-gluten bread flour for chew.

Sicilian (55-60%): Lower hydration for thick, sturdy crust that supports heavy toppings. Baked in pan with olive oil.

Adjusting Recipes with Baker's Percentage

You want to scale a recipe? Easy with percentages.

Original: 500g flour, 62% hydration = 310g water

Scaled to 800g flour: 800g × 0.62 = 496g water

Every ingredient scales the same way:

• Salt (2.4%): 800g × 0.024 = 19.2g
• Yeast (0.6%): 800g × 0.006 = 4.8g

How Hydration Affects Texture

Higher hydration dough:

• More open crumb (air pockets)
• Softer, lighter texture
• Crisper crust exterior
• Harder to shape and handle
• Requires longer fermentation

Lower hydration dough:

• Denser crumb structure
• Chewier texture
• Easier to work with
• Shapes hold better
• Faster fermentation

Temperature and Hydration

Warm water (90-100°F) speeds fermentation but can make high-hydration dough too sticky to handle.

Cool water (60-70°F) slows fermentation, making dough more manageable. Professional pizzerias often use cold fermentation (24-72 hours in refrigerator) for flavor development.

Tip: In summer, reduce water temperature or use ice water for high-hydration doughs.

Flour Type Matters

All-purpose flour: Absorbs standard hydration (60-65%)

Bread flour: Higher protein, can handle 65-70% hydration

00 flour (Italian): Fine grind, needs 65-70% for Neapolitan texture

Whole wheat flour: Absorbs more water—add 5-10% hydration

If switching flour types, adjust hydration by feel. Dough should be slightly sticky but workable.

Common Mistakes

Mistake #1: Adding flour when dough is sticky High-hydration dough is supposed to be sticky. Let it rest 10 minutes—gluten develops and it becomes easier to handle without adding flour.

Mistake #2: Not weighing ingredients Volume measurements (cups) are inconsistent. 1 cup flour varies by 20-30g depending on how it's scooped. Always use a kitchen scale.

Mistake #3: Wrong hydration for skill level Beginners should start at 58-62% hydration. Master that before attempting 70%+ Neapolitan dough.

Mistake #4: Rushing fermentation Higher hydration requires longer rise times. 24-hour cold fermentation develops flavor and makes dough more extensible.

The Autolyse Technique

For high-hydration doughs, use autolyse:

1. Mix flour and water only
2. Rest 20-30 minutes
3. Add salt and yeast
4. Knead

This pre-hydration allows flour to fully absorb water before adding other ingredients, resulting in stronger gluten development and easier handling.

Oil in Pizza Dough

Adding 1-2% olive oil:

• Makes dough more extensible (easier to stretch)
• Adds flavor
• Improves browning
• Creates slightly crisper crust

Traditional Neapolitan uses no oil. New York style typically includes 2-3% oil.

Frequently Asked Questions

What hydration is best for pizza? 60-65% is ideal for beginners—good texture without being hard to work with. Neapolitan requires 65-70% but demands skill and very hot ovens.

How do you calculate baker's percentage? Divide ingredient weight by flour weight, multiply by 100. Flour is always 100%. Example: 300g water with 500g flour = (300÷500) × 100 = 60%.

Can you over-hydrate pizza dough? Yes. Above 75% becomes extremely difficult to handle and shape. Requires advanced technique and often special flours.

Why is my pizza dough too sticky? Likely too much water for your flour type or skill level. Try reducing hydration by 5% next time. Also, let dough rest—stickiness decreases as gluten develops.

Does hydration affect cook time? Yes. Higher hydration crusts need hotter ovens for proper texture. Low hydration works at 450°F; high hydration needs 500°F+.

Perfect your dough with our Pizza Dough Calculator and Recipe Scaler. Also check our Cooking Time Calculator.