Calculate the ratios of ingredients in your bread dough relative to the total flour weight.
Last updated: March 2026
Total weight of all flours used (100%)
Baker's percentages add precision to recipes, but results vary with flour type, protein content, hydration measurement technique, and environmental humidity. Use a kitchen scale for accuracy (not volume cups). Test adjustments on small batches first. These percentages are accurate only if your measurements are—1-2% variance in ingredient ratios can noticeably affect dough behavior.
Baker's percentage is a notation method used by professional bakers to express a formula as a percentage of the total flour weight. In this system, the total weight of all flours is always 100%, and every other ingredient is calculated relative to that weight. This system revolutionized bread making by making recipes truly scalable.
This system is superior to traditional recipes because it allows for easy scaling (making 5 loaves instead of 1) and provides immediate insight into the dough's characteristics. For example, a "70% hydration" dough tells a baker exactly how wet and sticky the dough will be, regardless of the batch size. It's the bridge between home baking and professional bakery standards.
Let's analyze a standard sourdough recipe:
Step 1: (375 / 500) × 100 = 75% Hydration
Step 2: (10 / 500) × 100 = 2% Salt
Final Answer: This is a 75% hydration dough with 2% salt.
In baker's percentage, the total is always 100% + everything else. A typical bread dough might have a total percentage of 175% (100% flour + 72% water + 2% salt + 1% yeast).
Neapolitan pizza is usually 55-62% hydration. New York style is 60-65%. High-hydration 'artisan' styles can go up to 75-80%.
For precision, you must split the starter into its flour and water components (usually 50/50) and add them to the total flour and water weights before calculating percentages.
Yes. While most common in bread, baker's percentage works for any baked good. It's the best way to compare the 'richness' of different cake recipes by looking at the fat and sugar percentages.
Salt typically ranges from 1.5% to 2.5% of flour weight, with fine breads around 2% and artisan loaves sometimes lower. In baker's percentage, salt is always calculated as a percentage of flour alone, never the combined total of all ingredients.
Fresh yeast typically ranges from 0.5% to 2% of flour weight depending on fermentation time and flavor goals. Instant dry yeast uses about 30–40% of the fresh yeast percentage due to its higher concentration. Cold fermentation (>12 hours) uses lower percentages (0.2–0.5%), while same-day bakes use higher percentages (1.5–2%).
Many bakers forget that flour is the base (100%), not the total dough weight. When you add all percentages and get 150%+ (flour 100% + hydration 65% + salt 2%), this is correct—percentages show ingredient ratios relative to flour, not total dough composition.
Baker's percentage emerged because it automatically scales recipes while maintaining hydration and ratios—just change the flour weight and all other ingredients scale proportionally. Unlike cup measurements (which vary by ingredient density), percentages work across all ingredient types and are internationally reproducible.
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