907
g
589
g
18
g
9.1
g
1,523
g
762
g
0.65
907
g
589
g
18
g
9.1
g
1,523
g
762
g
0.65
Home bread baking is experiencing a renaissance, and for good reason — few aromas are as welcoming as fresh bread, and the craft rewards attention to detail. The Bread Calculator provides precise baker's percentages and ingredient weights for any number of loaves, accounting for baking loss (evaporation reduces dough weight by about 10–12% during baking), so your finished loaves hit the target weight reliably.
The foundation of all bread baking is the baker's percentage system, which expresses every ingredient as a percentage of flour weight. Water (hydration), salt, and yeast are all measured relative to flour. This system is what makes bread recipes infinitely scalable — once you know a recipe in baker's percentages, you can adjust it to any batch size simply by changing the flour weight. The calculator uses this system internally.
Hydration percentage is the ratio of water to flour by weight and is the single most important variable in bread texture. A 60% hydration dough produces a tight, even crumb typical of sandwich bread — easy to handle and shape, yielding a fine, consistent interior good for slicing. At 70–75%, dough becomes noticeably wetter and stickier, but the open, irregular crumb structure (the kind with large air holes) that characterizes artisan loaves and sourdough emerges. Above 80%, the dough is a very wet mass that requires special shaping techniques but produces the most open, lacy crumb structure.
Bread type adjusts the formulation appropriately. White sandwich bread works best at 60–65% hydration. Whole wheat flour absorbs significantly more water due to bran particles, so increase hydration by 5–10% compared to white flour recipes. Sourdough uses a starter (natural yeast culture) instead of commercial yeast — the calculator shows 0g of added yeast and a note to plan for your starter quantity separately. Enriched breads (brioche, milk bread) include butter, milk, and sometimes eggs in addition to the basic formula.
Salt at 2% of flour weight is the near-universal standard in professional baking. This is the minimum necessary to strengthen gluten, control fermentation rate, and develop flavor. Never reduce salt significantly — undersalted bread is flat in flavor and has a weaker, less structured crumb.
Target loaf weight × 1.12 (baking loss factor) = raw dough needed per loaf. Total raw dough = loaves × raw dough per loaf. Flour = total dough / (1 + hydration + 0.02 salt + 0.01 yeast). Water = flour × hydration%. Salt = flour × 2%. Yeast = flour × 1% (0 for sourdough). Total dough displayed as sum of all ingredients.
For sourdough, yeast shows 0g — calculate your starter quantity separately (typically 20% of flour weight for active starter). The total dough weight accounts for baking loss, so your finished loaves should weigh approximately the target size. Enriched bread needs additional butter equal to ~15% of flour weight.
Inputs
Results
2 × 680g × 1.12 = 1524g raw dough. Flour calculated by baker's percentages at 65% hydration, 2% salt, 1% yeast.
Inputs
Results
No commercial yeast for sourdough. Use ~113g (20% of flour) active starter. 75% hydration produces an open, irregular crumb.
Baker's percentage expresses every ingredient as a fraction of the total flour weight, with flour always at 100%. For example, 65% hydration means water weighs 65% as much as flour. This system makes scaling bread recipes straightforward for any batch size.
Flour especially can vary by 20–30% in weight when measured by cup depending on how it is scooped versus spooned. Bread baking requires precision; weight measurement eliminates this variability and produces consistent results every time.
Hydration is the ratio of water to flour by weight. Lower hydration (60–65%) produces a tight, even crumb suitable for sandwich bread. Higher hydration (70–80%) produces an open, irregular crumb with large air holes typical of artisan loaves. Wet doughs are stickier and require more practice to handle.
Bread typically loses 10–15% of its raw dough weight during baking due to water evaporation. A 800g dough ball will produce a finished loaf of about 680–720g. The calculator accounts for this with a 1.12 multiplier on target loaf weight.
Yes, but active dry yeast requires proofing in warm water first and is used in slightly larger quantities. Multiply the instant yeast amount by 1.25 to convert to active dry yeast. Instant yeast can be added directly to dry ingredients without proofing.
First rise (bulk fermentation): 1–2 hours at room temperature until doubled in size. Second rise (after shaping): 45–90 minutes. Times vary with temperature — warmer rooms speed fermentation, cooler rooms slow it. The dough is ready when it has doubled and springs back slowly when poked.
Most enriched and white breads are fully baked at an internal temperature of 190–200°F (88–93°C). Sourdough and rustic artisan breads benefit from baking to 205–210°F (96–99°C) for a fully developed crust and proper interior structure.
Dense bread is usually caused by under-proofed dough (insufficient rise), killed yeast (water too hot), too much flour, or insufficient kneading/gluten development. Ensure water temperature for dissolving yeast is 95–105°F (35–40°C), not hotter.
Scoring controls where the bread expands during the oven spring — the rapid rise that occurs in the first 10 minutes of baking. Without scoring, pressure escapes randomly, causing irregular bursting. Proper scoring produces a clean ear and controlled expansion.
Bake with steam in the first 10–15 minutes. Home bakers can create steam by placing a pan of boiling water on the oven floor, covering the dough with a Dutch oven (removes cover halfway through), or spritzing the oven walls with water. Steam prevents the crust from setting too early, allowing full oven spring.
Roboculator Team
The Roboculator Team explains calculations, planning tools, and practical formulas in clear language for real-life situations.
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