Comparing the cost of making your own pizza dough vs. ready-made: which is more cost-effective?
If you open a restaurant and are thinking about making your own pizza dough. Or order ready-made flour? I understand that it's a question that isn't easy to answer.
Many people think that doing it yourself is definitely cheaper. But when I try to calculate the actual cost. Everything combined The results may not be as expected.
This article will help you get a clear picture. Including the cost of raw materials, labor, equipment and hidden costs that many shops forget to count.
Make your own dough: How much does it really cost?
Let's take a look.
Raw materials cost
Good quality wheat flour, yeast, salt, olive oil, water — for 1 pizza dough, size 250 grams, raw material costs approximately 8-15 baht
Looks insulting, right? But this is just the beginning.
Wage (this is what people like to forget)
Making pizza dough takes 30 minutes to knead and then requires 8-24 hours to ferment. If your restaurant makes 100 pizzas per day, you must have one full-time kitchen employee.
Salary 15,000-25,000 baht → calculated as 5-8 baht/child
Equipment cost
- Dough kneading machine for shops: 30,000-100,000 baht
- Flour fermentation cabinet: 15,000-40,000 baht
- Stainless steel table, tray, weighing and measuring equipment
Total 60,000-150,000 baht, depreciated over 3 years → approximately 1-2 baht/child
Including the actual cost of doing it yourself
Not 8-15 baht as I thought at first —14-25 Baht per child
Instant flour: How much does it cost?
Italian quality flour from Tindoro Prime, wholesale starting at 20-35 Baht/child depending on size and type
Seems more expensive than the cost of making your own ingredients, right? But take a look at these advantages.
1. Save labor costs
No need to hire someone to make the dough specifically →Save 15,000-25,000 Baht/month
2. No need to invest in equipment
Save your initial lump sum 60,000-150,000 baht
3. Reduce waste
Making your own dough is likely to spoil from many things — fermentation for too long, inconsistent temperature, wrong proportions.
Every piece of ready-made flour meets standards → Waste from 5-10% to almost 0%
4. Save time
The kitchen staff uses the time they save to do other things, such as preparing toppings, taking care of customers, and creating new menus.
Hidden costs that people rarely talk about
Besides what was said There are many expenses that many stores do not include.
- Electricity costs from the massager and fermentation cabinet
- Water cost for cleaning equipment
- Massage machine repair costs Change parts every 1-2 years.
- Cost for training new employees when the flour maker resigns
- Kitchen space that must be wasted on dough-making equipment
The most important thing is Opportunity cost
If 1 employee spends 3-4 hours/day making dough Could that time be spent on other things that generate more money for the store?
What kind of store should switch to using ready-made flour?
Really, stores of all sizes can benefit. But you'll see the most noticeable results if you:
- Sell pizza 20 or more trays/day
- There is limited kitchen space. Don't want to waste space for a massager.
- Hard to find a chef who makes good dough
- Demand constant quality every day
- There are plans to open more branches. Don't want to train new dough makers in every branch.
Easy to understand summary
| Do it yourself | Finished | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of raw materials/balls | 8-15 baht | — |
| Wholesale price | — | 20-35 baht |
| Wage/child | 5-8 baht | 0 |
| Equipment cost/child | 1-2 baht | 0 |
| Waste | 5-10% | ~0% |
| Really included | 14-25 Baht | 20-35 Baht |
On the surface, it's a little cheaper to do it yourself. But if you add the opportunity cost to the time lost Ready-made ones are really more worthwhile. For most stores
Especially for shops that want to take time to focus on sales and customer service. Not kneading dough
Want to try before deciding?
Tindoro Prime offers a wide range of quality Italian ready-made pizza dough including Napoli, Roman and Sourdough. Request a Free Trial Box now. Test it in your kitchen first. Then decide
Read more:
- Cost guide to opening a pizza shop in Thailand. 2026
- Guide to wholesale pizza dough suppliers in Thailand
If you want to try making pizza at home first, you can order Dough from our online store for delivery all over Thailand.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is it really cheaper to make your own pizza dough than buying ready-made?
If you count only the cost of raw materials, doing it yourself is cheaper, but when you include labor costs, equipment costs, electricity costs, and waste costs. The total cost of making your own is usually higher than or similar to ordering good quality ready-made flour.
Does ready-made flour taste like homemade flour?
High-quality ready-made flour like Tindoro Prime uses a traditional Italian recipe and production process. The taste, texture and aroma are very similar to homemade flour. Or better because they can control quality well.
<3>How many percent can you really reduce kitchen costs?
Shops that change from making their own flour to ready-made ones can reduce their total kitchen costs by approximately 10-20% when including labor savings, waste reduction, and energy saving.
Is ready-made dough suitable for premium pizza restaurants?
Ideally, Tindoro Prime offers Napoli flour and sourdough made using traditional Italian methods. Many premium stores in Bangkok and Phuket already use Tindoro Prime powder.
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