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Bread Recipe Calculator

Scale bread recipes by flour weight or loaf count. Automatically calculates all ingredients using baker’s percentages.

Quick Answer

Baker’s percentages express every ingredient as a percentage of flour weight. A 65% hydration dough with 500g flour uses 325g water. Salt is typically 2%, yeast 1%. This calculator handles all the math for you.

Recipe Inputs

Flour Weight (g)

Hydration (%)

Salt (%)

Yeast (%)

Sugar (%)

Fat/Butter (%)

Presets:

Recipe

Flour

500g(100%)

Water

325g(65%)

Salt

10g(2%)

Yeast

5.0g(1%)

Total Dough840g

About This Tool

The Bread Recipe Calculator helps home bakers scale any bread recipe using baker’s percentages, the universal system professional bakers use to express recipes. Every ingredient is described as a percentage of the total flour weight, making it easy to scale up or down without breaking the ratio that makes your bread work.

What Are Baker’s Percentages?

Baker’s percentages always treat flour as 100%. If a recipe calls for 65% hydration, that means the water weighs 65% of whatever the flour weighs. With 500g of flour, you use 325g of water. With 1000g of flour, 650g of water. The ratios stay constant regardless of batch size, which is why professional bakeries rely on this system. It also makes it straightforward to compare recipes: a 65% hydration dough behaves very differently from an 80% hydration dough, and you can see that immediately from the percentages.

Understanding Hydration

Hydration is the single most important percentage in bread baking. Low-hydration doughs around 55-60% produce dense, tight crumbs suitable for bagels and sandwich bread. Medium hydration around 65-70% gives you classic artisan loaves with a moderate open crumb. High-hydration doughs at 75-85% create those coveted large, irregular holes found in ciabatta and rustic sourdough. Higher hydration doughs are stickier and harder to handle but reward you with a more open crumb structure and a thinner, crispier crust.

Salt, Yeast, and Enrichments

Salt typically runs at 1.8-2.2% of flour weight. It controls fermentation speed, strengthens gluten, and adds flavor. Too little and the dough rises too fast and tastes bland. Too much and it kills the yeast. Active dry yeast is usually 1-2% for same-day baking, while sourdough relies on a levain instead. Enrichments like sugar and fat create softer breads. Brioche can run 10% sugar and 20% butter for an incredibly rich, tender crumb. These additions affect gluten development and fermentation timing, so adjusting them changes more than just flavor.

Scaling Tips

When scaling recipes up, the math is straightforward but the baking may not be. Larger loaves need longer bake times at slightly lower temperatures. Two small loaves bake differently than one large one. This calculator handles the ingredient math. For timing adjustments, a good rule of thumb is to add 5 minutes of bake time for every 250g increase in total dough weight above a standard 750g loaf.

Frequently Asked Questions

What hydration should I use for my first loaf?

Start with 65% hydration. It produces a manageable dough that is not too sticky while still giving a nice open crumb. As you gain experience handling wet doughs, gradually increase hydration to 70% and beyond for more artisan-style loaves.

Can I use baker's percentages with gluten-free flour?

Yes, baker's percentages work with any flour type. However, gluten-free flours absorb water differently, so you may need to adjust hydration. Most gluten-free bread recipes run higher hydration (75-90%) because alternative flours need more moisture to achieve a workable consistency.

How do I convert a cup-based recipe to baker's percentages?

First convert all ingredients to grams by weight. Then divide each ingredient weight by the total flour weight and multiply by 100. For example, if you have 500g flour and 10g salt, the salt percentage is (10/500) times 100 = 2%. Weight-based recipes are always more accurate than volume.

What is the difference between instant and active dry yeast in percentages?

Instant yeast is about 25% more potent than active dry yeast. If a recipe calls for 1% active dry yeast, use about 0.75% instant yeast. Instant yeast can be mixed directly into flour, while active dry yeast should be dissolved in warm water first.

Why does my bread taste bland even with the right percentages?

Salt is likely the issue. Ensure you are using 2% salt relative to flour weight. Also, longer fermentation times develop more flavor. Try a cold overnight retard in the refrigerator after initial rising. The slow fermentation produces organic acids that add depth and complexity to the flavor.