Pizza Dough in Grams
A typical pizza dough converts to 420 grams of bread flour for 3½ cups, 355 grams of warm water for 1½ cups and 27 grams of olive oil for 2 tablespoons, each converted with the ingredient’s own published cup weight.
A typical pizza dough, converted
This page converts a standard pizza dough for one large pizza — 3 1/2 cups of bread flour to 1 1/2 cups of warm water — into grams. Dough is where grams pay off most, because the crust's whole character is set by one relationship: water relative to flour.
That relationship, called hydration, is 355 grams of water against 420 grams of flour — roughly 85 percent by weight, higher than it looks in cups, which is why the dough feels soft and slightly sticky before kneading. A scooped cup of flour can add 30 grams and drop the hydration several points, stiffening the dough. Weighing both makes the feel predictable batch to batch.
| Ingredient | Amount | Grams |
|---|---|---|
| Bread Flour | 3 1/2 cups | 420 g |
| Granulated Sugar | 1 tsp | 4 g |
| Instant yeast | 2 1/4 tsp | — |
| Salt | 1 tsp | — |
| Water | 1 1/2 cups (warm) | 355 g |
| Olive Oil | 2 tbsp | 27 g |
Notes for this dough
Flour choice changes little in weight but a lot in the chew. Bread flour and all-purpose flour both weigh 120 grams per cup, so the 420 grams swaps directly; bread flour's higher protein gives a chewier, more structured crust. Whole wheat flour weighs 113 grams per cup and absorbs more water, so replacing more than a third of the flour usually calls for a spoonful or two of extra water.
The water should be warm — comfortable to hold a finger in — to wake the yeast promptly. Much hotter risks killing it; cold water simply slows the rise, useful for a long ferment. The olive oil (27 grams) softens the crumb and helps browning; left out, the dough is leaner and chewier.
Formulas vary by style: lean Neapolitan doughs use proportionally less water and no oil or sugar; pan-pizza doughs run wetter and oil-rich. This version sits in the middle, with a teaspoon of sugar (4 grams) to feed the yeast and encourage browning. Whisk the salt through the flour rather than onto the yeast, where a concentrated dose can slow the rise.
Scaling is simple because everything hangs off the flour weight. For two pizzas, double to 840 grams of flour and 710 grams of water, then divide the dough after the first rise. For a smaller single pizza, 300 grams of flour with about 254 grams of water keeps the same hydration. Dough also freezes well after its first rise: thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm to room temperature before stretching.
Frequently asked questions
How much dough does this recipe make?
About 810 grams — 420 flour, 355 water, 27 oil, 4 sugar, plus the yeast and salt. That is generous for one large pizza of 35 to 40 cm with a medium-thick base. For a thin, crisp crust, split it into two balls of roughly 400 grams and stretch each to about 30 cm.
Why is the dough too sticky to handle?
At roughly 85 percent hydration it is meant to be soft; stickiness straight after mixing is normal and reduces as kneading builds gluten and the flour absorbs water. If it is still soupy after 8 to 10 minutes of kneading, the flour was probably underweight — add more a tablespoon at a time (7.5 grams each), not a handful.
Can the dough rise overnight in the fridge?
Yes, and the flavour improves. After kneading, cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours; the cold slows the yeast, giving a gentle rise and a slight tang. Let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before stretching, or it will spring back.
What if only active dry yeast is available?
Use the same 2 1/4 teaspoons, but dissolve it in the warm water with the sugar and wait 5 to 10 minutes until it foams before adding the flour. Instant yeast, as listed, goes straight into the flour. The swap changes the method, not the amounts.