How Hydration Levels Affect Pizza Dough and Crust

When it comes to crafting the perfect pizza, understanding pizza dough hydration is key. Hydration simply refers to the ratio of water to flour in your dough, expressed as a percentage.

Take our word for it, this percentage makes all the difference in how your dough feels, stretches, and ultimately bakes. Whether you want a crisp, firm crust or a light, airy bite, choosing the right moisture level is essential.

What’s the best hydration for pizza dough, and how much flour should you use? Do other “wet” ingredients, like olive oil, count toward total moisture levels? Ahead, we’ll demystify pizza dough hydration to help you bake up the perfect pie in your outdoor pizza oven.

The Basics of Hydration

In general, the more water in your dough, the softer and stretchier it will be. Less water means a firmer, denser dough that requires more effort to work with. That said, firmer dough is also easier to work with for beginners, since it’s not sticky and holds together easily.

Ultimately, there’s no “best” pizza dough hydration for a home oven. Different moisture levels result in different textures.

Here are some common hydration levels for different pizza styles:

• 60% hydration – Low moisture (Neapolitan-style)
• 65% hydration – Medium moisture (Neapolitan-style, New York-style, Detroit-style)
• 70% hydration – Higher moisture (neo-Neapolitan-style)

Each hydration level creates a distinct texture in both the dough and the finished crust. Let’s dive deeper into what you can expect at each stage.

Low-Hydration Dough (60%)

If you’re just getting started with pizza-making, this is the easiest dough to work with. A 60% hydration dough holds its shape well, making it great for traditional Neapolitan-style pizza. The downside? It’s less elastic and takes more effort to stretch out. But the reward is a crispier crust with a chewy bite.

What to expect:

• Easier to handle
• Holds its shape
• Requires more effort to stretch
• Bakes into a crispier crust

Try this recipe: Neapolitan Pizza Dough

Medium-Hydration Dough (65%)

Stepping up to 65% hydration means a slightly tackier dough. It’s still manageable but requires a bit more skill when kneading and stretching. Many New York-style and Detroit-style pizzas use this level because it strikes a great balance between chewiness and crispness. The extra moisture also allows for a slightly more open crumb structure, meaning small air pockets inside the crust.

What to expect:

• A little stickier to handle
• More elasticity in stretching
• Slightly more open crumb structure
• Balanced chewiness and crispness

Try this recipe: Deep Dish Pizza Dough

High-Hydration Dough (70%)

Now we’re getting into expert territory. At 70+% hydration, your dough will be very soft, stretchy, and quite sticky. This makes shaping trickier, but the reward is a beautifully airy, light crust with a crispy bottom. If you’re after that Instagram-worthy, bubbly, artisan-style pizza, this is the way to go.

What to expect:

• Much stickier and trickier to handle
• Very elastic and stretchy
• Large air pockets in the crust
• Light, soft texture with a crispy base

Try this recipe: High-Hydration Pizza Dough

What Happens When You Go Beyond 70%?

If you really want to challenge yourself, you can push moisture content to 75% or even 80%. While it can yield an incredibly light and airy pizza, prepare for some work (and maybe even a little frustration).

High-hydration dough requires advanced handling techniques and plenty of practice. But it’s worth the effort if you love pizza crust that’s light as a feather.

Example Hydration Calculations (in Grams and Ounces)

To better understand hydration percentages, here are example calculations for each dough type using 1000 grams (or around 35 ounces) of flour:

Low Hydration (60%)

• 1000g flour + 600g water (35 oz flour + 21 oz water)

Medium Hydration (65%)

• 1000g flour + 650g water (35 oz flour + 30 oz water)

High Hydration (70%)

• 1000g flour + 700g water (35 oz flour + 25 oz water)

Tips for Handling Higher-Hydration Doughs

Follow these tips when making pizza dough from scratch:

• Flour your work surface well – Sticky dough needs extra dusting to prevent it from getting stuck to your hands and tools.
• Use wet hands instead of flour – Sometimes, wetting your hands can help manage the dough better than extra flour.
• Flip your proofing container – This helps release dough balls without losing structure.
• Try stretching and baking in a pan – If handling a wet dough freeform feels overwhelming, a pan can help maintain shape.

What About Other “Wet” Ingredients?

You might be wondering if liquid ingredients like olive oil, milk, or even melted butter add to the overall hydration level of your dough.

In general, hydration percentage in baking refers specifically to the ratio of water to flour. While other “wet” ingredients like olive oil, melted butter, milk, and eggs can affect the dough’s texture, they don’t directly count as part of the hydration percentage in the same way that water does. Here’s why:

• Olive Oil & Butter – These are fats, not water-based, so they don’t contribute to hydration directly. However, they tenderize the dough by coating the flour and preventing some gluten development, resulting in a softer texture.
• Milk & Eggs – These contain water, so they do contribute to hydration, but they also introduce proteins and fats, which change the dough’s structure. For instance, milk contains about 87% water, so using milk instead of water will alter the final dough texture. Milk or eggs are very rarely used for pizza dough, so this is not a major concern.

If you’re strictly calculating hydration in a dough recipe, you only count the water-based ingredients like water, milk (in its water percentage), and sometimes eggs (with consideration of their water content).

Finding Your Perfect Dough

Ultimately, the best hydration level depends on the kind of pizza experience you want. If you prefer a crisp, chewy bite, go with lower hydration. If you love a soft, airy crust, increase the water content. And if you’re up for a challenge, try experimenting with ultra-high hydration doughs.

Whatever you choose, Fontana Forni’s high-end outdoor pizza ovens bake beautiful pizzas of every variety—from classic Neapolitan-style pizza to New York-style, deep dish, and more. Find everything you need on our site to get started, including wood-fired,gas-fired, and hybrid pizza ovens,accessories, and mouth-watering recipes. Happy pizza-making!