Tinker 
How to use the pizza dough calculator
Enter how many pizzas you want and how much each dough ball should weigh, in grams or ounces. Then set your hydration, salt, yeast and oil as percentages. The defaults (65% water, 2.5% salt, 0.4% instant yeast, 2% oil) make a soft, easy dough for home ovens.
The results give the weight of each ingredient. Water can be measured in millilitres, because 1 g of water is about 1 mL. For small amounts of yeast, a scale that reads to 0.1 g helps.
The formula: baker's percentages
Bakers write every ingredient as a percentage of the flour weight, and flour is always 100%. So 65% hydration means 65 g of water for every 100 g of flour.
First the calculator finds the total dough: number of balls × ball weight. Then it divides that total by (100% + hydration + salt + yeast + oil) to get the flour. Finally it multiplies the flour by each percentage to get the other ingredients. Ounces are converted at 28.3495 g per ounce.
Worked example
Four pizzas at 250 g each come to 1,000 g of dough. The percentages add up to 100 + 65 + 2.5 + 0.4 + 2 = 169.9%, so flour = 1,000 ÷ 1.699 = 588.6 g (20.76 oz).
Water = 588.6 × 0.65 = 382.6 g. Salt = 14.7 g. Instant yeast = 2.35 g. Oil = 11.8 g. Together these add back up to 1,000 g.
Practical tips
Make about 2-3% extra dough if you lose some on the bowl and bench. A simple way is to add 5-10 g to the ball weight. Whole-wheat and strong bread flours absorb more water, so they can take higher hydration. Plain or all-purpose flour feels stickier above about 65%.
Less yeast and a longer, cooler rise give better flavour. Around 0.1-0.2% instant yeast suits a 24-72 hour cold ferment in the fridge, and about 1% suits a dough you want to use the same day. These are starting points, because room temperature changes rising time a lot.
Frequently asked questions
What hydration should I use for pizza dough?
New York style dough is usually 60-65% and Neapolitan is 58-65%. Pan and Roman-style doughs often run 70-80%. Higher hydration gives an airier crust but is stickier to shape.
How much does a dough ball for a 12-inch pizza weigh?
About 250-280 g (9-10 oz) makes a thin 12-inch pizza. Use 300-350 g for a thicker crust or a 14-inch pizza.
Can I swap active dry or fresh yeast for instant?
Yes. Use about 1.25 times the instant yeast weight for active dry, or about 3 times for fresh yeast. Enter the adjusted percentage in the yeast field.
Why measure by weight instead of cups?
A cup of flour can weigh anywhere from about 120 g to 150 g, depending on how it is scooped. That is enough to change your hydration by several percent. Weighing gives the same dough every time.