Pizza Today - October 2019 - 22

area on our 12-inch pizza. This number is
referred to as the "dough density number."
Our next step is to calculate the
number of square inches of surface area in
each of the other sizes we want to make.
In this case we want to make 14- and
16-inch pizzas in addition to the 12-inch
pizza.
The surface area of a 14-inch pizza is
3.14 x 49 (7 x 7 = 49) = 153.86 square
inches of surface area. All we need to
do now is to multiply the surface area of
the 14-inch pizza by the dough density
number (0.0973106) to find the dough
scaling weight for the 14-inch pizza -
153.86 x 0.0973106 = 14.972208 ounces
of dough. Round that off to 15 ounces of
dough needed to make the 14-inch pizza
crust.
For the 16-inch pizza we multiply
3.14 X 64 (8 x 8 = 64) = 200.96 square
inches of surface area. Multiply this
times the dough density factor to get
the dough weight required to make our
16-inch crusts - 200.96 X 0.0973106 =
19.555538 ounces of dough. Round that
off to 19.5 ounces of dough needed to
make the 16-inch pizza crust.
IN SUMMARY, the following dough
weights will be needed to make our 12-,
14-, and 16-inch pizza crusts: 12-inch (11
ounces); 14-inch (15 ounces): and 16inch (19.5 ounces).
In addition to being used to calculate
dough weights for different size pizzas,
this same calculation can be used to find
the weights for both sauce and cheese,
too.

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In these applications, all you need to
do is to substitute the dough weight with
the sauce or cheese weight found to make
the best pizza for you. This will provide
you with a specific sauce or cheese weight,
which can then be used in exactly the
same manner to calculate the amount of
sauce or cheese required for any other size
pizza you wish to make.
As an example, going back to that
12-inch pizza, let's say we really like the
pizza when it has five ounces of sauce
on it. We already know that a 12-inch
pizza has a surface area of 113.04 square
inches, so we divide five-ounces by 113.04
= 0.0442321 ounces of sauce per square
inch of surface area. Our sauce density
number is 0.0442321. We know that the
14-inch pizza has a surface area of 153.86
square inches. So, all we need to do is to
multiply 153.86 times the sauce density
number to find the correct amount of
sauce to use on our 14-inch pizza -
153.86 x 0.0442321 = 6.80 ounces of
sauce should be used on our 14-inch
pizza.
For the 16-inch pizza, we know that
it has 200.96 square inches of surface
area. So, all we need to do is multiply this
times the sauce density factor - 200.96 x
0.0442321 = 8.88 ounces of sauce should
be used on our 16-inch pizza.
To calculate the amount of cheese to
use, again, we will use the 12-inch pizza
and experiment with applying different
amounts of cheese until we find the
amount that works best for us. Then
divide this amount by the surface area
of our test pizza (a 12-inch, which has

113.04 inches of surface area). Let's say
that we found six ounces of cheese to
work well in our application. six-ounces
divided by 113.04 = 0.0530785 ounce of
cheese per square inch of surface area.
Our cheese density number is 0.0530785.
A 14-inch pizza has 153.86 square
inches of surface area. Multiply this times
the cheese density number to find the
amount of cheese to add on our 14-inch
pizza - 153.86 x 0.0530785 = 8.16
ounces of cheese should be used on our
14-inch pizza.
A 16-inch pizza has 200.96 square
inches of surface area. Multiply this times
the cheese density number to find the
amount of cheese to add on our 16-inch
pizza - 200.96 x 0.0530785 = 10.66
ounces of cheese should be used on our
16-inch pizza.
By calculating your dough, sauce and
cheese weights for each of your pizza
sizes, you will find that your pizzas will
bake in a more similar manner, regardless
of size, this is especially true if you are
baking in any of the conveyor ovens, in
which the baking time is fixed, and you
want to be able to bake all of your pizza
sizes at similar baking times. Typically,
this allows us to bake pizzas with one to
three toppings on one conveyor, regardless
of size, and those pizzas with four or
more toppings on another conveyor,
again, regardless of size. n
TOM LEHMANN is

a former director at
the American Institute of Baking in
Manhattan, Kansas and Pizza Today's
resident dough expert.
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - October 2019

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