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Detroit-Style Pizza Dough Calculator

Enter your pan size and get the right amount of dough for a Detroit-style or pan pizza, ready to weigh out.

Pan
Size
in
in
Dough per pan

784 g27.7 oz

Pan area 140 sq in × 5.6 g per sq in, the thickness of King Arthur's 9 × 13 Detroit pizza.

%
%
Thickness, salt, oil & sugar
g
%
%
%

5.6 g = 0.20 oz per sq in. Lower it for a thinner crust, raise it for a taller one.

Your dough

Enough for 1 pan, 784 g (27.7 oz) of dough per pan.

Total dough
784 g27.7 oz
Pan area
140 sq in903 cm²
Hydration
75%water : flour

What the dough is made of, by weight.

  • Flour100%bread flour · ≈ 3 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp430 g15.2 oz
  • Water75%≈ 1 1/4 cups + 2 tbsp322 g11.4 oz
  • Salt (table)2.5%≈ 1 3/4 tsp11 g0.38 oz
  • Instant yeast0.8%≈ 1 1/4 tsp3.4 g0.12 oz
  • Oil4.2%≈ 1 1/2 tbsp18 g0.64 oz
  • Sugar0%0 g0 oz

Percentages are baker's percentages (flour = 100%). Cups and spoons are approximate, based on King Arthur Baking's ingredient weights; a kitchen scale gives the best results. Grease the pan with 1–2 tbsp of oil on top of the dough's own oil.

How it works

A pan pizza is as thick as the dough spread over the pan, so the dough weight follows the pan's area. Dough expert Tom Lehmann calls the dough per square inch the thickness factor: take it from a pizza you like and multiply it by the area of your pan.

dough per pan = pan area × thickness factor

The area is width × length for a rectangular pan, or π × (diameter ÷ 2)² for a round one. The dough is then split into ingredients with baker's percentages:

flour = total dough ÷ (1 + water% + salt% + yeast% + oil% + sugar%)

Worked example

  1. One traditional 10 × 14-inch Detroit pan has an area of 140 sq in.
  2. Dough = 140 × 5.6 g = 784 g.
  3. With 75% water, 2.5% salt, 4.2% oil and 0.8% instant yeast: flour = 784 ÷ (1 + 0.75 + 0.025 + 0.042 + 0.008) = 784 ÷ 1.825 = 429.6 g.
  4. Water = 429.6 × 0.75 = 322.2 g. Salt = 10.7 g. Oil = 18.0 g. Instant yeast = 3.4 g.
  5. Check: 429.6 + 322.2 + 10.7 + 18.0 + 3.4 = 783.9 g, which is 784 g before rounding.

The default thickness and percentages come from King Arthur Baking's Weeknight Detroit Pizza: 360 g bread flour, 270 g water, 9 g salt, 3 g instant yeast and 15 g olive oil, about 655 g of dough for one 9 × 13-inch pan. That is 655 ÷ 117 = 5.6 g of dough per square inch (0.20 oz), with 75% hydration, 2.5% salt, 4.2% oil and 0.8% instant yeast. When you change the yeast type, the amount is converted with the 1 : ⅓ fresh-to-dry ratio, so the dough rises at the same pace.

FAQ

How much dough do I need for a 10 × 14 Detroit pizza pan?

About 785 g (27.7 oz) for a medium-thick crust. That is King Arthur Baking's 655 g for a 9 × 13-inch pan scaled to the bigger pan: 140 square inches instead of 117. For the smaller 8 × 10-inch pan, about 450 g (15.8 oz) gives the same thickness.

What size pan is used for Detroit-style pizza?

The traditional Detroit pans are rectangular, about 2½ inches deep, and come in 8 × 10 and 10 × 14 inches, the sizes LloydPans and other makers sell as the classic ones. A 9 × 13-inch metal baking pan works well at home; glass dishes brown the edges less.

What hydration is Detroit-style pizza dough?

Usually about 70–75%. King Arthur Baking's Weeknight Detroit Pizza is 75% (270 g of water to 360 g of bread flour). The pan holds the dough's shape, so it can be wetter than a hand-stretched pizza, which gives the open, airy crumb.

How do I make the crust thicker or thinner?

Open "Thickness, salt, oil & sugar" and change the dough per square inch. The default 5.6 g (0.20 oz) per square inch is King Arthur's recipe. Lower it for a thinner, crispier base, raise it for a taller, breadier one. Every 10% more dough makes the crust about 10% thicker.

Can I use this for Sicilian or other pan pizzas?

Yes. The pan-size math works for any pan pizza, including round cast-iron pan pizza. Pick the round shape for a skillet. Sicilian dough is often a little thicker; King Arthur's Sicilian-style recipe uses about 4.1 g per square inch in a half-sheet pan, so set the thickness to suit the style.

Sources