Pizza Dough Hydration Guide
Last updated: February 1, 2026 · 5 min read
Key Takeaway
Hydration is the ratio of water to flour in your dough, expressed as a percentage. It is the single biggest factor controlling your crust's texture, from crispy and firm to soft and airy.
Hydration is one of the most important numbers in any pizza dough recipe. Understanding it gives you control over texture, workability, and the final character of your crust.
What Is Hydration?
In baker's percentages, hydration is the weight of water divided by the weight of flour, multiplied by 100. Flour is always the baseline at 100%.
Hydration % = (Water Weight / Flour Weight) x 100
For example, if you use 600g of flour and 390g of water, your hydration is 390 / 600 x 100 = 65%.
Low Hydration: 50-58%
Low-hydration doughs are stiff, easy to shape, and produce a dense, cracker-like crust. They roll out thin without springing back much and hold their shape well during handling.
Common styles: Thin and crispy pizza, crackers, and flatbreads. Some bar-style pizzas also use lower hydration for a snappy texture.
Medium Hydration: 60-67%
This is the sweet spot for most pizza styles. The dough is manageable, stretches well by hand, and produces a crust with good structure and moderate chew. Most beginners should start here.
Common styles: Neapolitan (typically 60-65%), New York (62-66%). These hydrations balance workability with a light, tender crumb.
High Hydration: 68-75%
High-hydration doughs are wet, sticky, and harder to handle, but they reward you with an open, airy crumb and a light, almost cloud-like interior. The extra water creates more steam during baking, puffing up the crust.
Common styles: Detroit (70-75%), some Roman al taglio styles, and focaccia-style pizzas. Pan pizzas benefit from high hydration because the pan supports the slack dough.
How Hydration Affects Texture
| Hydration | Dough Feel | Crust Result |
|---|---|---|
| 50-58% | Stiff, easy to roll | Crispy, dense, cracker-like |
| 60-65% | Smooth, easy to stretch | Balanced chew and tenderness |
| 66-70% | Slightly tacky, extensible | Light, open crumb, soft |
| 71-75% | Wet, sticky, slack | Very airy, large bubbles |
Tips for Handling High-Hydration Dough
Working with wet dough takes practice. Here are techniques that help:
- Wet your hands instead of flouring them. Water prevents sticking without toughening the surface.
- Use stretch and folds during bulk fermentation. Every 30 minutes, fold the dough over itself to build strength without adding flour.
- Be patient with autolyse. Letting flour and water rest together for 20-30 minutes before adding salt and yeast helps gluten develop passively.
- Use a bench scraper for handling. Scoop and flip rather than pulling the dough apart.
- Cold ferment your dough. A cold ferment firms up wet dough, making it much easier to shape the next day.
- Adjust your flour. Higher-protein bread flour absorbs more water, making high hydrations more manageable.
Find Your Ideal Hydration
Our calculator automatically sets the right hydration for each pizza style. You can also adjust it manually in the advanced options to dial in your preferred texture. See our FAQ for answers to common hydration questions.