DoughTools uses transparent baker’s percentages and a simple fermentation estimate. The calculation is useful for planning, but real dough still depends on flour, temperature and handling.
The dough formula is based on flour weight. Hydration means water as a percentage of flour. Salt is also calculated as a percentage of flour.
The app starts from the target total dough: number of pizzas × dough-ball weight, plus the selected waste percentage.
For commercial yeast dough, the flour amount is solved from the total dough weight after accounting for hydration, salt and the yeast percentage. Water is then flour × hydration percentage. Salt is flour × salt percentage.
The waste percentage increases the total batch size before the flour, water, salt and leavening are split out.
The yeast estimate is calibrated around a compressed-yeast reference and adjusts for fermentation time and temperature. The current model uses an activity estimate where fermentation activity changes with temperature.
Commercial yeast types are converted with the current factors used by the calculator: compressed yeast, active dry yeast and instant dry yeast.
The calculator also supports stiff sourdough starter at 50% hydration and liquid sourdough starter at 100% hydration. Starter flour and starter water are counted back into the total flour and water balance.
Starter strength varies widely, so these sourdough amounts should be treated as starting estimates rather than exact fermentation predictions.
The protected baseline case is: 6 pizzas, 260 g dough ball, 3% waste, 64% hydration, 2.8% salt, instant dry yeast, 24-hour cold fermentation and 4°C.
Expected result: total dough 1606.8 g, flour 962.04 g, water 615.71 g, salt 26.94 g and yeast 2.12 g.
Traditional Neapolitan sauce guidance is based on AVPN regulations and preparation guidance. Practical home-oven and recipe adaptations are clearly labelled as DoughTools recommendations or expert-informed adaptations.
Sauce quantities, salt ratios, garlic levels and reduction settings are educational starting points. Tomato brands, cheese moisture, oven heat and personal preference still matter.
Traditional standard
Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana
Traditional Neapolitan pizza standards and production characteristics.
Open public source ↗Traditional standard
Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana
Traditional Pizza Napoletana preparation guidance and high-heat baking context.
Open public source ↗Expert practical guidance
Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana
Traditional Marinara profile: tomato, oil, garlic and oregano.
Open public source ↗Expert practical guidance
Ooni
Practical home-cook Marinara example using tomato, salt, garlic, oregano and extra-virgin olive oil.
Open public source ↗Food-safety guidance
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
General leftover handling guidance used for conservative storage language.
Open public source ↗DoughTools adaptation
DoughTools
DoughTools labels home-oven cooked sauce, salt ratios and sauce quantities as practical starting points, not universal rules.
The Topping Balance Lab uses DoughTools’ existing topping calculator as the product baseline, then adds visual guidance for topped area, sauce density, cheese density, mozzarella drainage and combined moisture load.
The visual guidance is practical and comparative. It is not a universal rule for every pizza style, oven or ingredient brand.
Expert practical guidance
King Arthur Baking
Topping order, restraint and preparation affect the finished pizza more than simply adding more ingredients.
Open public source ↗Expert practical guidance
Gozney
Too much sauce or cheese can contribute to soggy centers, especially when bake style and heat balance are not considered.
Open public source ↗Expert practical guidance
Serious Eats
Low-moisture mozzarella and fresh mozzarella behave differently, especially across short and longer bake styles.
Open public source ↗DoughTools adaptation
DoughTools
DoughTools uses its existing topping calculator as the baseline and adds visual density guidance as a teaching layer.