Baker's Percentage made easy
Total Dough Weight
985 g
per loaf
Baker's percentage expresses each ingredient as a percentage of total flour weight. For example, 70% hydration means 700g water per 1000g flour. This makes recipes scalable to any batch size.
Most sourdough breads use 65–80% hydration. Beginners should start around 65–70% for easier handling. Higher hydration (75–85%) produces more open crumb but is harder to shape.
A typical sourdough recipe uses 15–25% starter relative to flour weight. More starter means faster fermentation. Use less starter (10–15%) for longer, more flavorful cold ferments.
Use baker's percentages to scale. Decide your total flour weight, then multiply by each ingredient's percentage. Our calculator handles this automatically for any batch size.
Autolyse is mixing flour and water 30–60 minutes before adding starter and salt. It develops gluten structure without kneading. Highly recommended — it makes dough easier to handle and improves crumb.
Standard salt is 1.8–2.2% of flour weight. 2% is the most common. Too little salt weakens gluten and makes dough sticky; too much slows fermentation. Always weigh salt — don't measure by volume.
The poke test: gently press the dough with a floured finger. If it springs back slowly and leaves a small indent, it's ready. If it springs back immediately, give it more time. If the indent stays without springing back, it's over-proofed.
Yes. Replace 10–30% of white flour with whole wheat. Start with 10% and increase gradually — whole wheat absorbs more water, so increase hydration by 2–5% per 10% whole wheat added. It adds flavor and nutrition but can make dough heavier.