Baker's Percentage Calculator
Convert a bread recipe to baker's percentages, scale it to any flour weight or dough quantity, and adjust hydration, salt and starter while keeping the ratios correct.
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Why bakers count in percentages
In a bread formula every ingredient is expressed as a percentage of the total flour weight, and flour itself is always one hundred percent. That is why the percentages add up to more than a hundred, which confuses everyone the first time they see it. The point is that the formula is scale free: a recipe at seventy percent hydration behaves the same whether you are making one loaf or four hundred, and doubling it is a single multiplication rather than a series of fraction conversions.
Hydration is the number that changes the bread
Hydration is water as a percentage of flour, and it does more to determine the crumb than any other variable. Sandwich loaves sit around sixty to sixty five percent, everyday sourdough around seventy to seventy five, and open crumb ciabatta and focaccia at eighty percent and above where the dough becomes genuinely hard to handle. Moving hydration by five percent is a noticeable change in both the finished bread and the technique required to shape it.
Preferments carry flour and water with them
A levain or poolish contains flour and water that must be counted in the totals, or the real hydration of the dough is higher than the formula claims. A recipe using twenty percent starter at a hundred percent hydration is carrying ten percent of the flour and ten percent of the water in that starter. This calculator subtracts both from the final mix so the figures you weigh out produce the hydration you specified rather than one several points above it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why do the percentages add up to more than 100?
Because flour is the base at 100 percent and everything else is expressed relative to it. A formula at 70 percent water, 2 percent salt and 20 percent starter totals 192 percent, which is correct and expected.
How do I convert a recipe I already have?
Divide each ingredient weight by the total flour weight and multiply by a hundred. Paste your weights into the scaling section and the tool does it, which also reveals the hydration your existing recipe was actually at.
Does the starter count toward hydration?
Yes. A levain contains flour and water and both must be counted. The calculator splits the starter into its flour and water components and subtracts them from what you add separately, so the stated hydration is the real one.
How much salt should bread have?
Around 1.8 to 2.2 percent of the flour weight for most breads. Below 1.5 percent the dough ferments faster and tastes flat; above 2.5 percent fermentation slows noticeably and the bread tastes salty.
What dough weight should I use for a loaf?
Around 900 to 1000 grams of dough for a standard loaf tin, 750 to 900 for a round boule, and 250 to 300 for a large roll. Enter the number of pieces and the tool works backwards to the flour weight you need.
Privacy & Security
Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
How to Use
Enter your flour weight and the percentages for each ingredient, or scale an existing recipe to a new batch size.
Disclaimer: This tool is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Results are for educational and utility purposes.
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