Baker’s Percentage & Dough Hydration Calculator
Calculate artisan bread, sourdough levain, focaccia, and pizza dough formulas in exact gram weights with total flour anchored at 100%, multi-flour percentage blends, individual dough ball sizing, and true preferment hydration math for consistent bakery loaves every bake.
Lean dough (0% enrichments). Click + Add Enrichment for butter, sugar, oil, or eggs.
| Ingredient | Baker’s % | Grams (g) | Ounces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread Flour (→ cups) | 85% | 388.3g | 13.7 oz |
| Whole Wheat Flour (→ cups) | 15% | 68.5g | 2.42 oz |
| Water | 75% | 342.6g | 12.08 oz |
| Sourdough Levain (100% hyd)Contains 45.7g flour + 45.7g water | 20% | 91.4g | 3.22 oz |
| Fine Sea Salt | 2% | 9.1g | 0.32 oz |
Commercial Yeast ↔ Sourdough Starter Converter →
Convert a 7g yeast packet to 100% hydration starter with exact flour and water deductions.
Sourdough Starter Hydration & Levain Guide →
How 100% liquid levain vs. 60% stiff pasta madre shifts fermentation speed and dough extensibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Baker’s Percentage and why does flour always equal 100%? ▾
In baker’s math, every ingredient weight is expressed as a percentage of the total flour weight (set to 100%), rather than a percentage of total dough weight. At 75% hydration, 2% salt, and 20% sourdough levain, the formula sums to 197% — making it effortless to scale any loaf or pizza batch up or down.
What is the difference between Recipe Water % and True Dough Hydration %? ▾
Recipe water % measures only the main mixing water divided by the base flour. True dough hydration includes both the flour and water contributed by your sourdough levain, poolish, or biga: (Main Water + Preferment Water) ÷ (Base Flour + Preferment Flour). For example, 75% water with 20% 100%-hydration levain produces 77.3% true dough hydration.
How do I calculate exact flour and water weights for 4 × 250g Neapolitan pizza balls? ▾
Switch the Dough Sizing mode to "Pizza / Bun Balls", enter 4 balls × 250g (= 1,000g total dough), and set hydration (e.g., 65%), salt (2.8%), and instant yeast (0.3%). Our calculator divides total dough weight by total baker’s percent (168.1%) to give 594.9g flour, 386.7g water, 16.7g salt, and 1.78g yeast.