Baker's Percentage Calculator

Baker's percentage is a system used by bakers to create and modify recipes. Each ingredient is listed as a percentage of the total weight of flour, with the flour itself always being 100% (100%). When you write down recipes this way, it allows for flexible amounts of flour, easy comparison between different recipes, and checking hydration directly from the recipe.

What is the Baker's Percentage?

The Baker's Percentage indicates the weight ratio of an ingredient to flour, not the weight ratio to the total recipe amount. For example, if 65 grams of water is used for 100 grams of flour, this means a hydration level of 65%. As the flour is set as the reference point at 100%, salt, yeast, water, sugar and fats are all given in percentages of the flour.

It may be surprising at first but the sum of the percentages can sometimes exceed 100%. This is normal. Each value is calculated individually based on flour. For a simple bread with only water (65%), salt (2%) and yeast (1%) the total percentage for the recipe will be 168%. This is because flour makes up 100% and then other ingredients are added to it.

How to use the calculator.

The calculator has two modes. In the recipe mode you enter the total weight of flour and the baker's percentage for each ingredient. The tool then calculates the weights of water, salt, yeast, sugar and fat as well as the total weight of dough and hydration level. If you set a target weight per piece you can determine how many loaves or rolls can be made from this recipe.

In the single ingredient mode only one type of ingredient is processed at a time. If you enter two of the following three values - ingredient weight, flour quantity or baker's percentage - the tool will calculate the third value. This can answer questions like "How much salt should I use for 1000 grams of flour with a ratio of 2%" or "What is the percentage equivalent to 20 grams of salt?"

Calculation of the baker's percentage:

For each ingredient the baker's percentage is calculated by dividing the weight of that ingredient by the total weight of flour and multiplying it by 100.

Alternatively, you can also calculate weight as a percentage.

Start with 1000 grams of flour and want a water content of 65%, salt of 2% and yeast of 1%. Calculate the amounts by multiplying the weight of the flour by the respective percentages.

This gives the following amounts: flour 1,000 grams, water 650 grams, salt 20 grams and yeast 10 grams. The total weight of the dough is 1,680 grams. The table below shows the individual ingredients for this recipe.

What you can find out based on water content and these values:

The hydration level is the ratio of water to flour by weight. It's the single most useful number in a bread recipe because it predicts how well the dough will work. At about 60% hydration, the dough is firm and easy to shape. The standard hydration for breads is between 65% and 75%. Above 75%, the dough becomes wetter and softer, leading to a more open crumb with lots of air pockets.

If you are using a sourdough or poolish starter, do not forget to include the flour and water in that mixture into your total amount. As the actual water content of a recipe includes the water and flour contained in the starter, it is possible for the texture to be different when processing even if the stated water amount is the same.

Adapting recipes.

Because each ingredient is used proportionally to the flour, it's easy to scale a recipe up or down. Once you've decided on the amount of flour required, everything else can be based on proportions. If you double the amount of flour, then all other ingredients and the weight of dough will also double while the proportions and water content remain the same. This is why professional recipes are often given in percentages. The same recipe can be used for a single loaf or to produce enough bread for an entire day's production.

Tips for reliable recipes:

To ensure accuracy, weigh the ingredients by grams. Measuring volume can lead to errors depending on how you scoop or pack the ingredient. Salt should be between 1.8% and 2.3% for sufficient flavor without overwhelming the yeast effect. When adjusting a recipe, only change one variable at a time so that you know what caused any differences. If you write down your final recipe in percentages, then you can calculate out how much of each ingredient to use anytime you want to make the bread again.

This calculator is a versatile tool for baking. As the actual dough will vary depending on flour type, temperature and technique, these values should be considered as a solid starting point and adjusted accordingly to the state of the dough.