{"id":119018,"date":"2025-03-08T01:49:19","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T01:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/recipes\/category-a-b\/bread\/bakers-percentages-handy-calculators-included\/"},"modified":"2025-03-08T01:49:19","modified_gmt":"2025-03-08T01:49:19","slug":"bakers-percentages-handy-calculators-included","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=119018","title":{"rendered":"Baker’s Percentages (Handy Calculators Included)"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The two most commonly used terms in bread making world are baker\u2019s percentages<\/strong>, also called baker\u2019s math, and dough hydration<\/strong>. Novice or experienced baker, yeast or sourdough bread baking \u2013 I\u2019m sure you came across those terms.<\/p>\n

What is the baker\u2019s percentage and how do you calculate it?<\/h2>\n

The baker\u2019s percentage<\/strong> is a formula<\/strong> used to calculate the ingredients for a bread recipe. It\u2019s expressed as a percentage relative to the flour. The weight of flour is always regarded as 100%, regardless of the amount.<\/p>\n

The baker\u2019s percentage is calculated by taking the ingredient weight, dividing it by the total flour weight, then multiplying by 100.<\/p>\n

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Ingredient % =( Ingredient weight \u00f7 Total flour weight ) x 100<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Don\u2019t fret! You don\u2019t have to calculate every single ingredient each time you\u2019re baking and no serious math is required \u2013 below you can find easy to use baker\u2019s percentages calculators <\/strong>for both sourdough <\/strong>and yeast baking <\/strong>as <\/strong>calculating baker\u2019s percentages for sourdough baking and yeast baking differ slightly. <\/p>\n

What is dough hydration and how is hydration calculated in bread dough?<\/h2>\n

The amount of water (and other liquids) in relation to flour in a bread recipe is called hydration<\/strong> and is expressed in percentages. Dough hydration is very important as it changes the structure of the dough considerably.<\/p>\n

High hydration dough<\/strong> is wet and usually doesn\u2019t require traditional kneading. It produces an open crumb structure and is more difficult to shape and score. Ciabatta is an example of a bread made with high hydration dough.<\/p>\n

Low hydration dough<\/strong> is easier to shape and produces a close crumb structure. Bagels and pretzels are typically made with low hydration dough.<\/p>\n

To calculate the hydration percentage in a recipe, you divide the total water amount by total flour, then multiply by 100.<\/p>\n

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Hydration % =( Water\/liquids weight \u00f7 Total flour weight ) x 100<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

For example, 650g of water and 1000g of flour will produce a 65% hydration dough:<\/p>\n

(650 \u00f7 1000) x 100 = 65%<\/p>\n

How do you use baker\u2019s percentage calculators?<\/h2>\n

Baker\u2019s percentages calculators can be used to scale up or down a recipe you already have. You enter the amount of flour and adjust the hydration bar to reflect the amount of water you have for your original recipe. Then you change the flour weight up or down to give you the new ingredient amount.<\/p>\n

You can use the calculator to increase or decrease dough hydration. Enter the flour amount, then adjust the hydration percentage on the sliding bar to get different water amounts.<\/p>\n

I mostly use the baker\u2019s percentage calculator to scale up a sourdough bread recipe, or when I increase or decrease the amount of starter. Changing the amount of sourdough starter affects the dough formula as you are adding or deducting extra flour and water, and the total amount changes for both.<\/p>\n

Notes<\/h2>\n

Flour<\/strong> \u2013 White bakers flour is the default for calculating percentages. If using all or part wholemeal or wholegrain flours, more water is needed and the amount will depend on the ratio and type of the flour. Even white flour from different types of wheat or different mills absorbs a different amount of water. Seasons, date of milling and how long the flour was sitting in the warehouse or on the shelf also impact liquid absorption.<\/p>\n

Liquids<\/strong> \u2013 If using liquids other than water, you need to calculate the amount of water in it. For example, if you add butter, egg or milk, they all have a different amount of water in them. Milk will be similar to water, but has milk fats and solids as well. Eggs have more solids than liquids.<\/p>\n

Weight <\/strong>\u2013 The default measurement unit is the gram. However, baker\u2019s math works with a pound or ounce measurement, too. Please note that water is measured in grams, as 1 ml of water is exactly 1 g, so using a digital scale is definitely a more precise way of measuring.<\/p>\n

Baker\u2019s Percentage \u2013 Yeast<\/h2>\n

Medium hydration for yeasted bread using white bakers flour is 65%. This is also the default hydration for our yeast baking calculator. The other ingredients\u2019 default percentages are salt \u2013 2% and dry yeast \u2013 1%. As you can see, there\u2019s no sugar listed at all. There is <\/strong>no need to add sugar <\/a>when making bread as there is enough food in flour for the yeast to multiply. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the complete formula:<\/p>\n