When it comes to mastering the art of making pizza dough, hydration is a key factor for quality pies. Hydration refers to the amount of water used in a recipe in relation to the amount of flour and is usually referred to as a percentage. For example, using a recipe that calls for 1000 grams of flour and 600 grams of water would result in pizza dough with 60% hydration. So, why care about hydration at all?
The hydration percentage will have major effects on the resulting dough and crust—so different pizza styles have different hydration needs. For example, Detroit-style pizza has a fairly high moisture content between 70 to 80%, while Neapolitan-style generally sits at around the 60 to 65% mark. In addition to making your crust lighter, increasing the hydration produces a higher yield (more dough).
Depending on what you’re looking to get from your final dough, there are benefits to be had in all types of dough hydrations. We’ve taken some of the guesswork out of whether you should go for a lower to higher hydration dough so you can feel more confident in your pies.
Low-hydration dough—50–57%:
This hydration is pretty common in dough styles not typically associated with pizza like focaccia, ciabatta and brioche bread. However, some Sicilian-style doughs do tend to utilize low hydration.
Characteristics of low-hydration dough:
- Slightly denser bread
- Moist, chewy crumb
- Firm enough to hold its toppings
Recipe to try: NEPA Pan-fried Sicilian Pizza
Lower-hydration dough—60%:
This is the most common percentage in accessible recipes for beginners because the lower hydration makes the dough easier to work with.
Characteristics of lower-hydration dough:
- Easier to handle
- Firmer dough so it holds its shape
- Not sticky
- Requires more work when stretching your base
- Crispier crust when baked
Recipes to try: Sicilian Pizza, Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza
Medium-hydration dough—65%:
The higher dough hydration here means it will be slightly tacky and a little more difficult to work with. As you continue to increase the hydration, more practice will be required to handle the dough with ease.
Characteristics of medium-hydration dough:
- Relatively firm and dry dough
- Requires more kneading
- Requires more time for stretching your base
- Tighter crumb structure
- Less flavor than higher-hydration doughs
Recipes to try: Neapolitan Pizza, New York-style Pizza, Detroit-style Pizza
Higher-hydration dough—70%:
This dough will be stretchy, sticky and you’ll have to be very quick when it comes to balling it up. However, the result will be a pizza with a beautifully light, soft crust.
Characteristics of higher-hydration dough:
- Lightness
- Sticky and loose, making it trickier to shape and handle for beginners
- A stretchy dough that’s easy to stretch as long as you’re gentle
- A relaxed gluten structure that spreads easily
Baked high-hydration dough:
- Much lighter and softer than baked lower-hydration dough
- Open crumb structure (large, irregular internal holes)
- Crispy base
Recipe to try: Neo-Neapolitan Pizza
High-hydration dough—75% and above:
Super high-hydration doughs are increasingly popular among those celebrated by pizza makers and food writers. While daunting for beginners, it's definitely possible to achieve. If you're interested in experimenting with high-hydration doughs, consider progressively testing out 75%, 80%, then 90%. The more water you add, the higher the yield and the lighter the resulting dough.
Here are a few other tips:
- Make sure your work surface is well-floured and be prepared to use additional flour for dusting.
- Turn the bottom of any dough ball fresh from the proofing tray into the top of your pizza since the top will be drier, requiring less flour to launch it from your peel.
- Flip your proofing container to easily release the dough.
- Try stretching and baking in a pan for a less complicated launch.
Recipe to try: Gluten-free Pizza Dough, Sourdough Pizza Dough
We’ve got lots of tools to help you along the way, from our video on baker’s math and insight on how to keep a dough log, plus (almost) all you could ever want to know about salt! But at the end of the day, if something doesn't work in your pizza-making experimentations—try, try, try again.
FAQs
Hydration refers to the amount of water used in a recipe in relation to the amount of flour and is usually referred to as a percentage. For example, using a recipe that calls for 1000 grams of flour and 600 grams of water would result in pizza dough with 60% hydration.
What is the best hydration ratio for pizza dough? ›
A hydration level of 60-70% is typically recommended for wood-fired pizza dough, often associated with Neapolitan-style pizzas. The higher hydration helps achieve a soft, airy, and slightly charred crust when exposed to the intense heat of a wood-fired oven.
What does 70% hydration mean in pizza dough? ›
Dough hydration refers to the amount of water relative to the amount of flour in the dough. For example, if a recipe calls for 100 grams of flour, adding 70 grams of water would make a dough with 70% hydration. Varying the levels of dough hydration directly affects the qualities of a finished crust.
What is 70% hydration? ›
You'll notice that the flour (750 g total) still adds up to 100%. But since I added 500 grams of a starter that is 50% flour, I had to take that into account. The total amount of water (525 grams) is 70% of the total amount of flour, hence 70% hydration.
Is higher hydration pizza dough crispier? ›
High-hydration pizza dough is a type of pizza dough with a high water-to-flour ratio, usually around 70-80%. I prefer a higher hydration dough because it will be crispier, chewy, lighter, and more flavorful in texture, but it is wetter than traditional pizza dough.
What hydration is New York pizza dough? ›
Towards 60% will be easier to shape and stretch a New York round pie, while near 70% would be better for pan pizzas. Most NY dough will be anywhere from 59% to 65% hydration. Other styles, such as Roman Taglio or Detroit style, will have much higher hydration levels.
What is the rule of 55 pizza? ›
Vincenzo: “An important detail when making the preferment is the temperature of the water you add. For this, I use the rule of 55. You take the number 55 as a starting point and subtract the temperature of the flour and the room temperature. The number that remains is the desired water temperature.
What hydration do pizzerias use? ›
The hydration percentage will have major effects on the resulting dough and crust—so different pizza styles have different hydration needs. For example, Detroit-style pizza has a fairly high moisture content between 70 to 80%, while Neapolitan-style generally sits at around the 60 to 65% mark.
What hydration is Roman pizza? ›
This result is obtained with the dough having an elevated hydration. The quantity of water present must be between 75% and 100% of the weight of flour. So here are the detailed steps to follow when preparing Roman style pan pizza in accordance with the specifications of the web community.
How do you know if dough is hydrated enough? ›
Hydration is calculated by taking the weight of water or liquid in a recipe and dividing it by the weight of flour to get a percentage. Remember that hydration = water / flour. So in the recipe above, if water is 750g and flour is 1,000g, the total hydration of the dough is 750 / 1,000, or 75%.
A water of medium hardness – 100 to 150ppm works best for dough preparation.
What is the hydration rule? ›
Here are some tips to help you make sure you are drinking enough fluids to maintain good levels of hydration. You are probably all aware of the “cardinal rule” that says adults should drink six to eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day.
What consistency should pizza dough be? ›
One of the tests bakers swear by is the windowpane test. To do this, break off a small piece of dough, pinch it between your fingers and gently stretch it. If it stretches into a paper-thin film without breaking, your dough is done and it's ready to be rolled out and put into the oven.
What makes pizza dough more airy? ›
Strong bread flour: A higher proportion of protein and a stronger flour to allow for more gluten development. This means your dough is less likely to tear when shaping and you'll end up with a more crisp crust. Better gluten development means more air pockets, which means an airy crust.
What is the best ratio for pizza dough? ›
Ingredients for this perfect pizza dough
- 500 grams all-purpose flour, about 3 & 1/4 cups.
- 8 grams kosher salt, a heaping teaspoon.
- 8 grams active dry yeast, 2 & 1/4 tsp, or one packet.
- 338 grams water between 100°F and 110°F, about 1 & 1/4 cup and 2 tbsp.
- 12 grams extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp.
Ingredients ratio
- Tipo 00 or bread flour: 100%
- Salt: 3%
- Yeast: 0.4 %
- Water: 68% – 80%
Wet or high-hydration doughs “promote better extensibility, better fermentation, moister crumb, and better keeping quality.” But he also noted that with wetter doughs come challenges. They take “more skill to handle and shape, require longer bakes, and often have thicker crusts.”
What is the maximum hydration pizza dough? ›
You can still achieve a great pizza crust using what is already have on hand:
- Italian 00 flour — try 55%-60% hydration.
- Standard all-purpose white flour — try 65%-70% hydration.
- High-gluten bread flour — try 70%-75% hydration.
- Or perhaps you're into 100% whole wheat — try the 70%-80% hydration range.
How to calculate pizza dough hydration. Flour is always stated at 100% and then the other ingredients can be worked out as a percentage of that flour weight. For example, if you have 500g of flour, then you would need 250g/ml of water to have a 50% hydrated dough.
Lower-hydration dough—60%:
Higher-hydration dough—70%:
