Baking Ratio Calculator
Baker's percentages are the professional standard for expressing bread formulas. Every ingredient is stated as a percentage of the total flour weight, which is always set to 100%. This means that if you know the hydration is 65% and you are using 500 grams of flour, you need exactly 325 grams of water. The system scales effortlessly: change the flour weight and every other ingredient adjusts proportionally. Standard bread dough consists of flour (100%), water (60% to 80%), salt (1.8% to 2.2%), and yeast (0.5% to 2%). Bread with hydration below 60% is a stiff dough used for bagels and pretzels. Hydration of 60% to 65% suits sandwich bread. Wetter doughs at 70% to 80% produce the open, holey crumb of ciabatta and sourdough. This calculator takes your flour weight in grams and lets you adjust hydration percentage and salt percentage. It outputs the exact weight of water, salt, and yeast needed, along with the total dough weight.
Hydration levels and dough types
| Hydration | Dough type | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Below 60% | Stiff dough | Bagels, pretzels, some pasta |
| 60% to 65% | Standard dough | Sandwich bread, dinner rolls |
| 65% to 70% | Slightly wet | Baguettes, hearth bread |
| 70% to 80% | Wet dough | Ciabatta, focaccia, sourdough |
| Above 80% | Very wet dough | Certain artisan sourdoughs |
Baking ratios: frequently asked questions
What is a baker's percentage?
A baker's percentage expresses each ingredient's weight as a percentage of the flour weight. Flour is always 100%. If a recipe uses 500 grams of flour and 325 grams of water, the hydration (water percentage) is 65%. This system makes it easy to scale recipes and compare formulas because all ingredients are relative to flour.
What is a good hydration percentage for beginner bakers?
For beginners, a hydration of 65% to 68% is recommended. At this level, the dough is manageable and not excessively sticky. Higher hydrations (75% to 80%) produce an open crumb with large air holes (typical of artisan breads) but are much harder to handle. Start at 65% and increase gradually as your technique improves.
How much salt should I use in bread?
Standard salt percentage in bread dough is 1.8% to 2.2% of flour weight. At 2%, 500 grams of flour requires 10 grams of salt. Salt strengthens gluten structure, controls yeast activity, and enhances flavour. Too little (below 1.5%) produces bland bread with poor structure; too much (above 2.5%) inhibits yeast and can make bread excessively salty.
How much yeast should I use?
For standard active dry yeast or instant yeast, 1% of flour weight is a typical starting point for a 2-hour bulk fermentation at room temperature (21 degrees C). Reduce to 0.1% to 0.5% for overnight cold fermentation in the refrigerator. More yeast accelerates fermentation; less yeast allows slower, flavour-developing fermentation.
What is total dough weight and why does it matter?
Total dough weight is the sum of all ingredients: flour, water, salt, yeast, and any enrichments. It helps you calculate how many loaves or rolls you can make from a batch. For example, a standard sandwich loaf requires approximately 900 grams of dough. Knowing total dough weight lets you pre-calculate yield before baking.
References
- USDA Agricultural Research Service: FoodData Central.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 14 June 2026. See our methodology.