Sicilian pizza dough calculator
Square pan pizza the New York way: 64% hydration, olive oil and a slow cold ferment.
The American Sicilian: a thick, square pan pizza in the New York deli tradition, sturdier and breadier than Detroit, softer than focaccia. This formula follows the NY-deli end of the style: 64% hydration, olive oil in the dough and a slow cold ferment.
How it works
The formula
Water 64%, salt 2%, olive oil 3.5% and 1% sugar, with a modest 0.4% instant yeast built for 12–72 hours in the fridge. Strong bread or high-gluten flour carries the thick crumb.
Sip and Feast’s batch
Sip and Feast’s recipe, which the default 850 g pan load follows: 497 g of flour, 318 g of water, 10 g of salt, 17 g of olive oil, 6 g of sugar and 2 g of instant yeast, one ball for the 35 cm square pan.
Into the pan
Stretch it out in a generous slick of olive oil and proof until puffy. If the dough resists, let it rest 15 minutes and stretch again.
Par-bake, then top
Sicilian is commonly par-baked: around 12 minutes at 220 °C before saucing, which sets the thick crumb and keeps the middle from going gummy under toppings. Finish hot until the cheese browns.
Sources & methodology
Every percentage in this calculator traces to the published sources below — nothing is invented. Where respected sources disagree, the default sits inside the documented range.
- Sip and Feast — New York Sicilian pizza — The chosen NY-Sicilian formula: 64% hydration, salt 2%, oil 3.5%, sugar 1%, ~850 g in the pan.
- King Arthur — Sicilian-Style Pizza — Its Sicilian runs 73.5% water — the soft, airy end of a genuinely wide range (57–89% across respected sources).
FAQ
Why do published Sicilian recipes vary so much?
“US Sicilian” genuinely spans 57% to nearly 90% hydration, from firm deli squares to focaccia-method home versions. King Arthur runs 73.5% on high-gluten flour for a softer, airier crumb. This page anchors on the traditional NY-deli end; raise the water if you want it fluffier.
Sicilian vs grandma, what’s the difference?
Same square pan, different thickness and patience: Sicilian is thick, fully proofed in the pan and usually par-baked; grandma is thin, quickly proofed and baked in one go.
Is this the same dough as the grandma pie?
Nearly. Both Sip and Feast formulas run 64% water, 2% salt, 3.5% oil and 1% sugar. The grandma carries a touch more yeast (0.5% against 0.4%), a fifth less dough in a pan of about the same size (680 g against 850 g) and skips the par-bake.
Can I skip the cold ferment?
Yes, same-day versions exist, at a heavier yeast dose. But the slow fridge ferment is where the flavor of the deli original comes from.
More from Pizza
Chicago deep dish dough calculator
A short, buttery crust for a deep pan: around 50% hydration, 20% fat, barely kneaded.
Hydration 51% · 900 g
Roman tonda pizza dough calculator
Scrocchiarella, the crisp Roman round: 56% hydration, a little oil, 180 g balls rolled thin.
Hydration 56% · 4 × 180 g
Pinsa romana dough calculator
Oval pinsa on a wheat, rice and soy flour blend. A wet dough and a night in the fridge.
Hydration 69% · 6 × 165 g
Grandma pizza dough calculator
The thin sheet-pan pie from an oiled tray: 64% hydration, proofed the same day or left cold overnight.
Hydration 64% · 680 g
Pizza dough calculators12 calculators