Bread Baking Calculator — Hydration & Quantities

Bread Baking Guide

Baker's Percentages

Professional bakers express all ingredients as percentages of the flour weight — this is baker's percentage. Flour is always 100%. Water = hydration% of flour weight. Salt = 1.8-2% of flour weight (typically 2g per 100g flour). Instant yeast = 0.5-1% of flour weight (0.5-1g per 100g flour). This system means recipes scale perfectly: a recipe calling for '65% hydration' means add 65g water per 100g flour regardless of batch size. It also allows direct comparison of recipes — a 70% hydration focac

Hydration and Dough Handling

Low hydration (55-65%): firm, easy to handle, rolls and shapes easily. Good for bagels, pretzels, traditional sandwich bread. Medium hydration (65-75%): slightly sticky but manageable with floured hands and bench. Good crumb structure. Most everyday loaves. High hydration (75-85%): very sticky — requires wet hands or bench scraper technique, not flour (additional flour changes the recipe). Produces open, irregular crumb (ciabatta, sourdough tartine). Folding technique replaces kneading for high-

Yeast Conversion

The three forms of yeast are not interchangeable by weight. Fresh yeast → active dry: multiply by 0.5. Fresh yeast → instant: multiply by 0.4. Active dry → instant: multiply by 0.75. A standard 7g sachet of instant yeast (the common UK packet size) leavens approximately 500g flour. Reducing yeast amount increases fermentation time — a long, slow rise at lower temperatures produces more flavour: use 0.1-0.2% instant yeast for a 12-18 hour room-temperature fermentation, or 0.5-1% for a 1-2 hour pr

Baking Temperature and Steam

Steam in the first 10-15 minutes of baking is crucial for bread crust. Steam prevents the crust from setting too early, allowing the loaf to spring and expand fully. Without steam: the crust sets quickly and the loaf cannot rise — producing a dense, tight crumb. Steam methods at home: place a baking tray in the bottom of the oven during preheating, pour boiling water in when you load the bread. Bake inside a preheated Dutch oven for the first 20 minutes (lid on), then remove lid. Professional de