Pizza glossary
The technical terms used across this site, each defined once in plain language, with a link to the section where the term does its work. This is the connective tissue between the dough, equipment, and style sections.
Dough and fermentation · Troubleshooting
In short
The glossary covers dough and fermentation terms, bake and equipment terms, style and format terms, and ingredient specifications. Each term gets a one-sentence definition here, grouped with related terms, and the section linked beneath each table explains why it matters in practice.
Who this is for
- Readers meeting baker's percentage, W value, or DDT for the first time
- Anyone trying to follow a formula written for people already fluent in the notation
- Cooks who want a term settled without reading a whole article
When to use this
- Mid-article, when a term appears and you want it defined without losing your place
- When two sources use the same word differently and you need the distinction
- When you want the short version rather than the full explainer
Dough and fermentation
| Term | In one sentence |
|---|---|
| Baker's percentage | A notation where flour is always 100% and every other ingredient is expressed as a percentage of flour weight |
| Hydration | Water as a percentage of flour weight — the variable that governs handling and crumb |
| Desired dough temperature (DDT) | The target temperature of the finished dough after mixing, which sets how fast fermentation actually runs |
| Friction factor | The heat your particular mixing method adds to the dough, measured rather than assumed |
| Bulk fermentation | The fermentation that happens before the dough is divided into balls |
| Cold retard | Refrigerated fermentation used to slow and extend the schedule |
| Preferment | A portion of flour and water fermented in advance and added to the final dough |
| Poolish | A high-hydration preferment, typically equal parts flour and water |
| Biga | A stiffer, lower-hydration preferment |
| Over-proofed | Fermented past the point where the dough retains structure |
Bake and equipment
| Term | In one sentence |
|---|---|
| Deck temperature | The temperature of the surface the pizza bakes on |
| Dome temperature | The ambient or upper temperature of the oven chamber |
| Recovery | How quickly a baking surface returns to temperature after a bake |
| Conduction | Heat transferred by direct contact — what sets the base |
| Launch | Moving the dressed pizza from the peel into the oven |
| Turning peel | A small peel used to rotate a pizza mid-bake |
| Emissivity | A surface property that affects what an infrared thermometer reads |
| Leoparding | The spotted char pattern produced by a specific very hot bake profile |
| Gum line | A dense, undercooked layer immediately beneath the sauce |
| Case | The set outer surface of a base; setting too early causes problems |
Style, format, and ingredient terms
| Term | In one sentence |
|---|---|
| Cornicione | The raised outer rim of a round pizza |
| Teglia | Roman pan pizza, high hydration, usually sold by weight |
| Tonda | Roman round pizza, thin and crisp |
| Sfincione | A Sicilian pan pizza with its own topping conventions |
| Apizza | The New Haven term for the local style |
| Tavern cut | Square-cut serving of a thin round pizza |
| W value | A milling measure of flour strength, common in trade specifications |
| Tipo 00 | An Italian milling grade describing fineness, not strength |
| Fior di latte | Fresh cow's-milk mozzarella, higher in moisture |
| Protected designation | A legal or trade-body specification defining a named product |
How entries are written
Each definition is written to stand on its own in one sentence. The fuller explanation, and a source where the term has a formal definition, lives in the section or article where the term does its work.
We do not add terms to increase the count. If a term is not used on this site, it does not get an entry.
Where sources use a term differently, the linked section or article explains the difference rather than picking one usage and presenting it as settled.
Where to go next
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between hydration and baker's percentage?
Baker's percentage is the notation; hydration is one value expressed in it. Hydration is water as a percentage of flour weight, and every other ingredient in a formula is written the same way.
Is tipo 00 the same as strong flour?
No, and it is one of the most persistent confusions in pizza. The type number describes milling fineness. Strength is protein content and, where published, W value.
What exactly is a gum line?
A dense, undercooked band directly beneath the sauce, usually caused by heat and moisture rather than by too much sauce. It has five common causes and each has a distinguishing test.
Why do sources disagree on some of these terms?
Because much of pizza vocabulary is regional trade language rather than standardised terminology. Where usage genuinely differs, we say so instead of inventing a consensus.
Do you define terms formally or practically?
Practically, here: each entry says what the term means at the bench. Where a term has a formal definition in a specification, the article that uses it cites that source.
Why is a term I need missing?
The glossary only includes terms the site actually uses. If you met a term in an article, that article explains it in context; the dough, equipment, and style hubs cover the rest.
See the terms in use
The glossary is most useful alongside the sections it supports. The dough section is where most of these terms do their work.