Pizza Nerd · Free Tool
Neapolitan Pizza Dough Calculator
A free, accurate Neapolitan pizza dough calculator built around AVPN specifications. Generates precise recipes with baker's percentages, fermentation schedules, and home-oven-friendly tips. Free to use. No signup required.
Open the Calculator →What makes a pizza Neapolitan?
Authentic Neapolitan pizza is defined by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) — the official body in Naples that codified the style. The dough is built on four ingredients only: Tipo 00 flour, water, salt, and a tiny amount of yeast. The math (baker's percentages) is what separates a great Neapolitan from a soggy frisbee.
The numbers: baker's percentages
Every Neapolitan recipe uses the same ratios, scaled to your dough quantity:
| Ingredient | % of flour | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Flour (Tipo 00) | 100% | Reference weight. All other ingredients scale from this. |
| Water | 60-70% | Hydration. 65% is the sweet spot. 60% = tight crumb. 70%+ = airy, harder to handle. |
| Salt | 2.5-3.0% | Higher than other styles. Slows fermentation, supports gluten. |
| Yeast (IDY) | 0.05-0.3% | Tiny. Scaled to fermentation time. Less yeast = longer ferment = more flavor. |
That's it. No oil, no sugar, no enrichments. AVPN forbids them. Anything else and it's not "Verace Pizza Napoletana" — it might still be delicious, but it's a different style.
Hydration: 65% is the magic number
Hydration = water as a percentage of flour. A 65% hydration dough means 650g water for every 1000g flour.
- 60-62% — Easier to handle, slightly denser crumb. Good for beginners.
- 63-66% — Classic Neapolitan. Open, airy crumb with a defined cornicione.
- 67-70% — Modern Neapolitan. Wetter dough, larger air pockets, requires practice.
- 70%+ — Contemporary or "Canotto" style. Spectacular bubbles but slips off the peel if mishandled.
The Pizza Nerd calculator defaults to 63% — a forgiving sweet spot for home ovens, with options to push to 70%+ if you want to chase the canotto puff.
Fermentation: where flavor happens
The biggest single variable in your final pizza is how long the dough ferments. The longer (and cooler) you ferment, the more flavor and digestibility develop, while less yeast is needed.
Common Neapolitan schedules
| Schedule | Bulk | Cold ferment | Final proof |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same-day (4-6h) | 2h @ 22°C | — | 2-4h @ 22°C |
| Authentic AVPN (8-24h) | 2h @ 22°C | — | 20-22h @ 22°C |
| Overnight cold (24h) | 2h @ 22°C | 20h @ 4°C | 2h @ 22°C |
| 2-day cold ferment | 2h @ 22°C | 44h @ 4°C | 2h @ 22°C |
| 3-day cold ferment (pro) | 2h @ 22°C | 68h @ 4°C | 2h @ 22°C |
Which flour to use
Neapolitan dough needs Tipo 00 flour with a strength rating (W value) of 280-340. Standard options:
- Caputo Pizzeria (blue bag) — W 280-300. The default. Available worldwide.
- Caputo Cuoco (red bag) — W 300-340. Stronger gluten, better for long ferments.
- Le 5 Stagioni Pizza Napoletana — W 300. Italian competition flour.
- Molino Naldoni Tipo 00 — W 280-320. Recent newcomer, excellent gluten.
The Pizza Nerd flour database has 126+ flours with regional fallbacks across the US, Canada, UK, Italy, and Australia — so if your local store doesn't stock Caputo, it'll recommend the closest equivalent.
Home-oven baking: the real talk
Most home ovens max out at 250-275°C. Authentic Neapolitan needs 450-500°C. That gap is what trips up most beginners. Three solutions:
Option 1: Pizza stone + broiler combo
Preheat a pizza stone or steel on the top rack for 45 minutes at max temp. Switch on broiler for 5 minutes before launching. Bake 4-6 minutes. Not authentic, but the best most home ovens can do.
Option 2: Outdoor pizza oven
Ooni Karu, Gozney Roccbox, Solo Stove Pi — all hit 500°C+ and bake a Neapolitan in 60-90 seconds. The genuine experience.
Option 3: Adapt the style
If you can only hit 275°C, switch to Neapolitan-NY hybrid — slightly lower hydration, longer bake, results in a more foldable slice with most of the flavor.
Common mistakes
1. Too much yeast
Most online recipes call for 5-7g yeast. Authentic Neapolitan uses 0.3g for a 4-pizza recipe. Excess yeast = fast ferment = no flavor development = stiff crust.
2. Wrong flour
All-purpose or bread flour doesn't have the right protein structure or fermentation tolerance. Use Tipo 00 with a known W rating.
3. Cold dough goes straight to oven
Cold-fermented dough needs at least 1-2 hours at room temp before baking. Otherwise it tears, won't stretch, and bakes unevenly.
FAQ
Can I make Neapolitan pizza in a regular home oven?
Yes, with caveats. You won't get the 60-90 second leoparded bake, but with a preheated steel + broiler, you can get an excellent 4-6 minute bake that's very close.
How much dough per pizza?
AVPN standard = 250-280g per 12-inch pizza. The Pizza Nerd calculator defaults to 250g but lets you adjust.
Can I use a sourdough starter instead of commercial yeast?
Absolutely — and the calculator handles it. Add a sourdough levain at 10-20% of total flour, drop the IDY to zero, and adjust ferment times slightly.
What's the difference between Neapolitan and New York-style?
Major differences: NY uses bread flour (not 00), adds oil and sugar, has lower hydration (60-63%), and bakes at 275°C for 6-8 minutes instead of 480°C for 90 seconds. See the New York Pizza Dough Calculator for full specs.
Ready to bake?
Open the calculator, pick your fermentation schedule, and get a precise recipe in seconds. Free to use, no signup. The full tool also covers New York, Detroit, Roman, Sicilian, Sourdough, and 12 other authentic styles.
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