Apparently there is a science behind making the perfect pizza; it is not as easy as rolling out dough, slathering on some sauce and throwing on your favorite toppings.

According to abc news, mathematician Eugenia Cheng from the University of Sheffield in the UK says she has discovered the formula for creating the “perfectly proportioned pizza” which takes into account factors like the “ratio of topping to base.” Cheng says the secret to creating the perfect pizza is obtaining the right balance of flavors between the topping and the dough so that the consumer can enjoy just the right amount of toppings per bite.

Cheng’s calculations determined the average bite taken from an 11-inch pizza has 10 percent more topping than the average bite from a 14-inch pizza. So, a smaller pizza equates to more toppings per bite. However, a larger pizza provides a more even spread of toppings per bite.

Cheng’s formula which uses “d” as the constant volume of dough and “t” for the constant volume of toppings also helped her discover that the size of the crust is proportional to the thickness of the pizza and that a larger pizza will have a thinner base. Further, although the smaller pizzas have more toppings per bite, there is a larger risk of their pizza having a “soggy bottom”…a point that anyone who has made pizzas is probably already aware of…the more toppings a pizza has, and the more concentrated those toppings, the harder it is for heat to transfer all the way through the pie as it is baking.

Why the interest in coming up with the perfect pizza formula? Cheng’s assistance was summoned by a UK-based pizza chain, PizzaExpress, to help work out why their 14-inch Romana pizzas which have a thinner and crispier base than their Classic 11-inch pizzas are so much more popular. As a result of Cheng’s formula, PizzaExpress is changing their dough recipe for the first time since 1965. It remains to be seen if the formula proves itself conducive to selling more Romana pizzas.