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Dial in your perfect dough

Every change updates the recipe in real time. Having trouble? Check Ask Nonna

Pizza style

Country

Flour

Units

Caputo Classica 00

W 220–240 · 11.5% protein · 58.6% absorption · 8h max

A moderate-strength flour for same-day or short overnight fermentation.

Your planned fermentation (19.75h) exceeds this flour’s typical tolerance (8h). The dough may overferment and become sticky. Consider a stronger flour or shorter fermentation.

This flour is non-malted and may not brown well below 350°C. Consider adding 0.5% diastatic malt powder, a pinch of sugar, or switching to a malted flour.

This flour is milled from Italian soft wheat (grano tenero). The moderate W value means it can handle up to about 8 hours of cold fermentation.
Best for same-day bakes. Keep total ferment under 8 hours.

Number of dough balls

Ball weight (g)

Hydration60.0%

Medium. The most forgiving range for beginners. Manageable to shape, good balance of crisp and chew.

Salt2.8%

Oil and sugar are optional. Some styles use them for texture and browning.

Oil0.0%

Lean dough - chewy, purist

Oil type

Sugar0.0%

Sugar type

Olive oil (EVOO)

Flavour Fruity, peppery, grassy

Effect Softens crumb with a slightly open, irregular structure. The classic pizza fat.

The default for most pizza styles. Adds Mediterranean character. Use for Neapolitan, New York, California, and most Italian styles.

Recipe Output

Live baker's percentages.Info

Hydration 60.0%(-0.4% from flour)8–24 hours, room tempRound

This flour (W240) may not hold up to 24 hours of fermentation. Maximum recommended: 8 hours (room temp equivalent). The gluten network may degrade, producing slack, sticky dough. Consider a stronger flour (W300+) or shorter fermentation.

Neapolitan (AVPN), Caputo

4 × 250.0 g balls · 60% hydration

Total dough1000.0 g

Flour

614.3 g100%

Water

368.6 g60.0%

Salt

17.2 g2.8%

Yeast (IDY 0.350%)

2.1 g0.350%

IDY 2.15 g · ADY 2.69 g · Fresh 6.45 g

1 of 7

The Queen's Pizza (and the Letter That Might Be Fake)

The most famous origin story in pizza goes like this: in 1889, pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito was summoned to the Royal Palace of Capodimonte in Naples to cook for Queen Margherita of Savoy. He made three pizzas. The Queen loved the one topped with tomato, mozzarella, and basil, mirroring the colours of the Italian flag. Esposito named it after her.

The story is charming, and parts of it check out. Esposito was a real pizzeria owner. The Queen was in Naples in June 1889. A thank-you letter from the royal household does exist and still hangs on the wall at Pizzeria Brandi (the renamed successor to Esposito's shop).

But historians have found problems. No newspaper at the time reported the royal pizza visit. The handwriting on the letter does not match known samples from the supposed author, royal chamberlain Camillo Galli. And the combination of tomato, mozzarella, and basil on pizza was already documented in Naples as early as 1830. The story was not widely promoted until the 1930s, when the pizzeria was struggling financially and needed a draw.

The Queen may have eaten the pizza. Esposito may have named it after her. But the Margherita was not invented that day. It was already a Neapolitan staple.

Pizza Bites

The word "pizza" first appeared in a Latin text from Gaeta, Italy, in 997 AD.

Got a pizza story? .

Calculator

Dial in your perfect dough

Every change updates the recipe in real time. Having trouble? Check Ask Nonna

Pizza style

Country

Flour

Units

Caputo Classica 00

W 220–240 · 11.5% protein · 58.6% absorption · 8h max

A moderate-strength flour for same-day or short overnight fermentation.

Your planned fermentation (19.75h) exceeds this flour’s typical tolerance (8h). The dough may overferment and become sticky. Consider a stronger flour or shorter fermentation.

This flour is non-malted and may not brown well below 350°C. Consider adding 0.5% diastatic malt powder, a pinch of sugar, or switching to a malted flour.

This flour is milled from Italian soft wheat (grano tenero). The moderate W value means it can handle up to about 8 hours of cold fermentation.
Best for same-day bakes. Keep total ferment under 8 hours.

Number of dough balls

Ball weight (g)

Hydration60.0%

Medium. The most forgiving range for beginners. Manageable to shape, good balance of crisp and chew.

Salt2.8%

Oil and sugar are optional. Some styles use them for texture and browning.

Oil0.0%

Lean dough - chewy, purist

Oil type

Sugar0.0%

Sugar type

Olive oil (EVOO)

Flavour Fruity, peppery, grassy

Effect Softens crumb with a slightly open, irregular structure. The classic pizza fat.

The default for most pizza styles. Adds Mediterranean character. Use for Neapolitan, New York, California, and most Italian styles.

Recipe Output

Live baker's percentages.Info

Hydration 60.0%(-0.4% from flour)8–24 hours, room tempRound

Neapolitan (AVPN), Caputo

4 × 250.0 g balls · 60% hydration

Total dough1000.0 g

Flour

614.3 g100%

Water

368.6 g60.0%

Salt

17.2 g2.8%

Yeast (IDY 0.350%)

2.1 g0.350%

IDY 2.15 g · ADY 2.69 g · Fresh 6.45 g

1 of 7

The Queen's Pizza (and the Letter That Might Be Fake)

The Queen may have eaten the pizza. Esposito may have named it after her. But the Margherita was not invented that day. It was already a Neapolitan staple.

Pizza Bites

The word "pizza" first appeared in a Latin text from Gaeta, Italy, in 997 AD.

Got a pizza story? .