What Is Hydration?
Hydration in pizza dough refers to the ratio of water to flour, expressed as a percentage. A dough with 500g flour and 325ml water has 65% hydration. This single number influences almost every aspect of your final pizza: crust texture, chewiness, bubble structure, ease of shaping, and baking behavior. Understanding hydration is the most important step toward consistent, high-quality pizza.
60% Hydration – The Dense, Easy Dough
At 60% hydration, the dough is firm, easy to handle, and won't stick to your hands or surface. It bakes into a denser crust with fewer air bubbles—closer to a Roman-style or American thin crust. Great for beginners, excellent for crispy bases, and very forgiving. Less complex flavor than higher hydration doughs.
65% Hydration – The Neapolitan Sweet Spot
This is the hydration used in classic Neapolitan pizza (AVPN standard). The dough is slightly tacky but manageable with practice. It produces an open, irregular crumb structure with visible air pockets, a soft interior, and a satisfying chew. 65% is where flavor and texture perfectly balance.
72–80% Hydration – The Pro Territory
High-hydration doughs are extremely extensible, develop incredible flavor during fermentation, and produce massive air bubbles and a very open crumb. They're also very sticky and challenging to handle. These doughs require good technique, bench scrapers, and confidence. The reward is extraordinary: incredibly light, airy, charred Neapolitan pizzas.
How to Increase Hydration
If you want to try higher hydration, increase gradually—add 5% at a time and adapt your technique. Use the autolyse method (mix flour and water, rest 30 min before adding yeast and salt) to improve extensibility. Use a bench scraper for handling. Cold fermentation helps develop the gluten structure needed for wetter doughs.