Baker's Percentage
A method of expressing bread recipe ingredients as percentages relative to the total flour weight, making recipes infinitely scalable.
Baker's percentage (also called baker's math) is a notation system used in baking where each ingredient's weight is expressed as a percentage of the total flour weight. Flour is always 100%.
How it works
In baker's percentage, flour is always the reference point at 100%. Every other ingredient is expressed relative to it:
| Ingredient | Weight | Baker's % |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1000g | 100% |
| Water | 650g | 65% |
| Salt | 20g | 2% |
| Yeast | 10g | 1% |
This recipe has 65% hydration — a common term in bread baking.
Why bakers use it
- Infinitely scalable: Want to make 3kg of dough? Set flour to 3000g, apply percentages
- Universal language: Bakers worldwide share recipes this way
- Easier to compare: You can instantly see if a recipe is high-hydration or low-salt
- Consistency: Ratios stay the same regardless of batch size
Common bread ratios
- Basic white bread: 60-65% hydration, 2% salt, 1% yeast
- Ciabatta: 75-80% hydration (very wet dough)
- Sourdough: 70-75% hydration, 20% starter, 2% salt
- Pizza dough: 60-70% hydration depending on style
Baker's percentage in Fond
Fond's Bread Studio and Pizza Workshop both speak baker's percentages natively. Just set your target dough weight or ball count and it handles all the math for you.
Related Fond featureBread Studio & Pizza Workshop
