What Is Baker’s Percentage?
Baker’s percentage (also called baker’s math) is the standardized method bakers use to express ingredient ratios in bread formulas. In this system, flour is always 100%, and every other ingredient is expressed as a percentage relative to the flour weight. This allows recipes to scale easily and maintain accuracy regardless of batch size.
Why Bakers Use This System
- Accuracy: Ensures consistent hydration and dough behavior.
- Scalability: Double, triple, or multiply formulas with no structural change.
- Clarity: Instantly shows hydration and ingredient strength.
- Professional standard: Used in commercial bakeries worldwide.
How Baker’s Percentage Works
The formula is simple:
Ingredient % = (Ingredient weight ÷ Flour weight) × 100Example:
- Flour: 1000 g → always 100%
- Water: 700 g → 70% hydration
- Salt: 20 g → 2%
- Yeast: 10 g → 1%
This gives a full formula:
Flour: 100%
Water: 70%
Salt: 2%
Yeast: 1%Common Baker’s Percentages
- Baguette: 65–70% hydration
- Sourdough: 70–80% hydration
- Ciabatta: 80–100% hydration
- Sandwich bread: 60–65% hydration
- Enriched dough: Added fat, sugar, eggs (20–60% added weight)
How to Scale Formulas
To scale a formula, choose your flour weight, then multiply:
New ingredient weight = Flour weight × (Percent ÷ 100)Example: Making a small batch with 500 g flour:
- Water: 500 × 0.70 = 350 g
- Salt: 500 × 0.02 = 10 g
- Yeast: 500 × 0.01 = 5 g
Key Takeaways
- Flour is always 100%.
- Baker’s math ensures precision and repeatability.
- Dough hydration is instantly visible from the formula.
- Scaling formulas becomes predictable and simple.