Yeast at a glance: same day or 24–72 hours in the fridge
Instant yeast as a percentage of the flour weight, so that the balls are ready to bake at the end. The fridge plans assume an hour at room temperature first, a fridge at 4 °C and two hours to warm up afterwards. These are predictions from the calculator’s model, not measurements; the calculator above works out the amount for your own times and temperatures.
Instant yeast, % of flour weight (model prediction)
| Plan | Kitchen at 18 °C | Kitchen at 22 °C | Kitchen at 26 °C |
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| Same day: 8 h at room temperature | 0.20% | 0.09% | 0.05% |
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| 24 h in the fridge | 0.30% | 0.20% | 0.14% |
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| 48 h in the fridge | 0.17% | 0.13% | 0.09% |
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| 72 h in the fridge | 0.11% | 0.09% | 0.07% |
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Fresh yeast: about 3 times as much. Active dry yeast: about 1.2 times as much. For 500 g of flour in a kitchen at 22 °C: about 1.0 g for 24 h, 0.6 g for 48 h and 0.4 g for 72 h in the fridge.
More room-temperature times, with grams for 500 g of flour: how much yeast for pizza dough.
Pizza dough questions
How much yeast do I need for 24, 48 or 72 hour pizza dough?
Less the longer it rests. With an hour at room temperature first, balls in a fridge at 4 °C, two hours to warm up and a 22 °C kitchen, the model predicts about 0.20% instant yeast of the flour weight for 24 hours in the fridge, 0.13% for 48 hours and 0.09% for 72 hours, each with a range of roughly 0.6 to 1.8 times that. Pick your plan above and the calculator turns it into grams.
How long should pizza dough cold ferment in the fridge?
Most home recipes use 24 to 72 hours. The model predicts when the balls first become ready, not how long they stay usable afterwards, and recipes differ in how much margin they leave, so published yeast amounts vary a lot. Longer times mostly change flavor and how easily the dough stretches.
When should I take pizza dough out of the fridge before baking?
About 2 hours before you bake, so the balls warm up and relax. The calculator puts that step in the schedule; in a cold kitchen give them longer.
How much should a pizza dough ball weigh?
Around 250 g for a Neapolitan pizza of about 30 cm, around 300 g for a New York pizza of about 35 cm, and around 450 g for a pan pizza. These are common practice, not rules: weigh what fits your oven and your appetite.
How do I convert fresh yeast to instant or active dry yeast?
The calculator uses 1 g of fresh yeast = 0.33 g of instant yeast = 0.4 g of active dry yeast. Published conversions range from 0.30 to 0.40 for instant and 0.37 to 0.50 for active dry, so treat them as approximate.
Can I make pizza dough with sourdough instead of yeast?
Yes. Choose sourdough above: the time at room temperature then comes from the same model as our sourdough schedule calculator, which also plans starter feeds. The model does not cover the fridge time for sourdough, so the calculator shows it as a rest for flavor, not a prediction.
What the model does not include
Sugar, oil, very high or low hydration, malted flour, how old your yeast is and large batches that warm up as they ferment. Salt is assumed to be in the usual 2–3% range.