liminfoBaker's Percentage Calculator
Free web tool: Baker's Percentage Calculator
Enter ingredients in grams. Baker's percentages are calculated relative to flour weight.
About Baker's Percentage Calculator
The Baker's Percentage Calculator converts bread recipe ingredient weights into baker's percentages — a standardized ratio system used by professional bakers worldwide. Enter the flour weight as the base (always 100%) along with the weights of water, salt, yeast, sugar, and butter in grams. The tool instantly shows each ingredient's percentage relative to flour and the total dough weight, making it easy to scale recipes up or down without re-calculating every component manually.
Baker's percentage is the cornerstone of professional bread baking because it expresses every ingredient as a fraction of the total flour weight. This allows bakers to compare recipes at a glance, diagnose formulation problems, and scale batches for any production volume. For example, a water percentage (hydration) of 65% means for every 1000 g of flour you add 650 g of water — a lean baguette formula. A high hydration ciabatta might run 80–85%, while an enriched brioche adds sugar at 15% and butter at 30–60%.
All calculations happen client-side in your browser using React's useMemo hook for zero-latency real-time updates. The tool supports the six most common bread ingredients (flour, water, salt, yeast, sugar, butter), omits any ingredient left blank from the output, and displays the total dough weight as a practical bonus. Whether you are a home baker experimenting with sourdough or a bakery professional formulating commercial recipes, this free tool delivers instant, accurate results.
Key Features
- Flour fixed at 100% — all other ingredients shown as percentage of flour weight
- Water hydration percentage for diagnosing dough consistency (soft vs. stiff)
- Salt percentage display — professional standard is 1.8–2.2% for most bread
- Yeast percentage to guide fermentation speed (instant vs. slow cold ferment)
- Sugar and butter percentage for enriched doughs like brioche and milk bread
- Total dough weight calculated and displayed for batch planning
- Any ingredient left blank is automatically excluded from the output
- Real-time recalculation as any gram value is typed, with bilingual Korean/English UI
Frequently Asked Questions
What is baker's percentage?
Baker's percentage expresses each ingredient's weight as a percentage of the total flour weight in the recipe. Flour is always 100%. If a recipe has 1000 g flour and 650 g water, the water is 65%. This system makes scaling and comparing formulas straightforward regardless of batch size.
How do I use this calculator?
Enter the flour weight first, then the weight of each other ingredient you are using. Any field left empty is ignored. The calculator immediately shows the percentage of each ingredient relative to flour and the total dough weight.
What is a good hydration percentage for bread?
Typical hydration ranges: sandwich bread 65–70%, baguette 68–75%, ciabatta 78–85%, sourdough 75–85%. Higher hydration produces a more open crumb and chewy texture but is harder to shape. Lower hydration gives a tighter crumb and easier handling.
What percentage of salt should I use?
Professional bakers use 1.8–2.2% salt relative to flour weight. Salt strengthens gluten, controls fermentation speed, and enhances flavor. Below 1.5% the bread tastes flat; above 2.5% fermentation is significantly slowed.
How much yeast should I add?
For active dry or instant yeast in a direct method (same-day bake), 1–2% is typical. For slower cold fermentation over 12–24 hours, drop to 0.1–0.5% to avoid over-proofing. Sourdough replaces commercial yeast with a levain, which this calculator does not calculate separately.
Can I use this for scaling up a recipe?
Yes. Change the flour weight to your desired batch size and all percentages remain the same — just multiply flour weight by each percentage to get the gram amount for that ingredient. The calculator also shows the new total dough weight automatically.
What is the typical butter percentage in brioche?
Classic brioche uses 40–60% butter relative to flour weight. Lighter enriched breads like milk bread (shokupan) use 8–15% butter. The high fat content in brioche coats gluten strands, creating the characteristic rich, tender crumb.
How is total dough weight calculated?
Total dough weight is the sum of all entered ingredient weights (flour + water + salt + yeast + sugar + butter). It represents the raw dough before any baking loss. Expect a 10–15% reduction in weight during baking due to moisture evaporation.