Styles
Italian pizza dough styles: recipes compared
Four doughs, four characters. Pick yours.
Four Italian doughs, and the difference comes down to two numbers: how much water, and how much time. Neapolitan keeps the water low, around 58%, and stakes everything on a blazing oven. Round Roman goes lower still, to 56%, and works olive oil into the dough: that fat is what makes it shatter. Teglia and pala climb to 80% and let the fridge do the work for you.
Everything else follows from that: which flour to buy, how much yeast, whether you reach for a rolling pin or your hands. The table lines up all four, calculated with the same engine as the calculator.
| Style | Hydration | Salt (of flour) | Oil (of flour) | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neapolitan | 56–62% | 2.5–2.9% | 0% | AVPN |
| Round Roman | 55–60% | 2.2–2.5% | 2–3% | Associazione Pizza Romana |
| Roman pan (teglia) | 70–90% | 2–2.2% | 3–4% | Roman practice |
| Pala | 70–90% | 2–2.2% | 2–3% | Associazione Pizza Romana |
Ranges from the Italian standards: AVPN (Neapolitan), Associazione Pizza Romana (round Roman and pala), established Roman bakery practice (pan).
If you don't know where to start, two counter-intuitive pointers. Neapolitan is the classic and also the least forgiving in a home oven: without a stone and a genuine 250 °C (480 °F), the rim won't puff. The teglia is the one that comes out right first time, because high hydration forgives loose timings and the folds happen in the bowl, with no kneading at all. The four pages below carry quantities to the gram, the method step by step, and the sources from the Italian standards.
Neapolitan pizza dough
How real Neapolitan dough works, the AVPN way: 58% hydration, very little yeast, 12 hours. Exact quantities and the method, step by step.
Styles · PalaPala pizza dough
How pala pizza dough works: about 80% hydration, a long cold rise and a bake straight on the stone. Exact quantities, the flour W and the method.
Styles · Roman panRoman pan pizza dough
Roman pan pizza (teglia): 80% hydration, folds instead of kneading, a long cold rise. Exact weights, pan maths and the method.
Styles · Round RomanRound Roman pizza dough
How round Roman pizza dough works: 56% hydration, olive oil in the dough for a friable crust, rolled thin to the edge. Exact quantities and the method.