Baker's Percentage Calculator (Dough Hydration)
By Santaji GadepatilinUpdated October 27, 2026
Baker's percentage expresses every ingredient as a percentage of the flour weight. It makes recipes easy to scale and shows dough hydration at a glance.
How to use the Baker’s percentage calculator
Enter the flour weight and the percentages for water, salt and yeast. Ingredient weights and the total dough weight are calculated.
Example
500 g flour at 70% hydration, 2% salt, 1% instant yeast:
- Water 350 g, salt 10 g, yeast 5 g
- Total dough 865 g
Common bread formulas
| Bread | Hydration | Salt | Yeast (instant) | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandwich loaf | 60–65% | 2% | 1–1.5% | 5–8% sugar, 5–10% butter |
| French baguette | 65–70% | 2% | 0.5–1% | — |
| Pizza (Neapolitan style) | 58–65% | 2.5–3% | 0.1–0.3% | — |
| Ciabatta | 75–85% | 2% | 0.5–1% | — |
| Sourdough | 70–80% | 2% | — | 15–25% levain |
| Bagels | 55–60% | 2% | 1% | Malt |
Scaling with baker’s percentages
To make 4 loaves of 900 g dough at 70% hydration, 2% salt and 1% yeast:
- Total percentage = 100 + 70 + 2 + 1 = 173%
- Flour = 3,600 g ÷ 1.73 = 2,081 g
- Water = 1,457 g, salt = 42 g, yeast = 21 g
Hydration and flour type
Whole-wheat and high-protein flours absorb more water, so the same dough feels stiffer. Add 5–10% more water when swapping in whole-wheat flour.
Sourdough levain
When the formula includes a levain (starter), remember it contains flour and water. For precise hydration, add the levain’s flour and water to the totals.
Weighing matters
Baker’s percentages work best by weight. A cup of flour can weigh 120–150 g depending on how it is scooped. See the grams to cups converter if a recipe uses cups.
Typical hydration
| Bread | Hydration |
|---|---|
| Bagels | 55–58% |
| Sandwich loaf | 60–65% |
| Neapolitan pizza | 60–65% |
| Rustic sourdough | 70–80% |
| Ciabatta / focaccia | 75–85% |
Frequently asked questions
What is baker's percentage?
Each ingredient expressed as a percentage of the flour weight. Flour is always 100%.
What is dough hydration?
Water ÷ flour. Sandwich bread is often 60–65%, ciabatta and focaccia 75–80%.
How much salt is typical?
About 1.8–2.2% of the flour weight.
What is 70% hydration?
The water weighs 70% of the flour weight — 350 g of water for 500 g of flour.
How much salt should bread have?
Usually 1.8–2.2% of the flour weight.