How to Make Pizza Dough

Beginner · 30 min active, 1–3 days rest

Great pizza dough is four ingredients — flour, water, salt, yeast — and the magic is in the ratios and the rest. Working by baker's percentages (everything measured as a percent of flour weight) makes the dough repeatable: you can scale from two balls to twenty and get the same result. The other secret is time. A slow, cold fermentation in the fridge develops far more flavor and a more workable, extensible dough than a rushed two-hour rise. Weigh your ingredients with a scale; cups are too imprecise for good dough.

What you'll need

• Bread or '00' flour (use the calculator to weigh flour, water, salt, and yeast for your batch)
• Lukewarm water
• Fine salt
• Instant (or active dry) yeast
• A digital kitchen scale
• A mixing bowl, bench scraper, and lidded containers for the dough balls

Steps

1. 1

   Weigh your ingredients

   Enter your number and size of dough balls and your target hydration into the calculator, then weigh flour, water, salt, and yeast on a scale. Baker's percentages keep the ratio consistent at any batch size.

2. 2

   Dissolve and combine

   Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water, then add it to the flour and mix until no dry flour remains. Hold the salt back briefly so it doesn't sit directly on the yeast.

3. 3

   Add salt and knead

   Work in the salt, then knead until the dough is smooth and elastic — about 8–10 minutes by hand. It's ready when you can stretch a small piece thin enough to see light through it (the windowpane test).

4. 4

   Bulk-rise the dough

   Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature until it relaxes and puffs, roughly 1–2 hours. This first rise builds structure before you divide it.

5. 5

   Divide and ball

   Scale the dough into individual balls at your target weight, shaping each into a tight, smooth ball with surface tension. Tight balls hold their shape and stretch into rounder pizzas.

6. 6

   Cold-ferment in the fridge

   Put the balls in lidded containers and refrigerate 24–72 hours. The slow cold ferment develops deep flavor and makes the dough easier to stretch without tearing.

7. 7

   Warm up, stretch, and bake

   Take the dough out an hour or two before baking so it relaxes to room temperature. Stretch it by hand (never a rolling pin, which crushes the gas) and bake on a hot stone or steel as hot as your oven goes.

Pro tips

• Weigh, don't scoop. Baker's percentages only work with a scale — a cup of flour can vary 20% by how it's packed, and the calculator gives you exact grams.
• Cold-ferment for flavor. A 1–3 day fridge rest beats a same-day dough on both taste and stretch every single time.
• Higher hydration (65%+) gives an open, airy crumb but is stickier to handle; start around 60–65% while you build feel.
• Stretch by hand and save the gas bubbles. A rolling pin deflates the dough into a dense, cracker-like crust.

FAQ

Ready to estimate materials? Use the Pizza Dough Calculator →