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Baker's percentages for bread

Baker's percentages set flour at 100% and express every other ingredient as a percentage of that flour weight. A 70% hydration loaf contains 700 g of water per 1000 g of flour. This standard makes it easy to compare recipes — a 65% hydration loaf is noticeably tighter and denser than an 80% hydration sourdough — and to scale quantities without re-rationing by volume.

The total dough weight includes all ingredients: flour, water, salt, and yeast. To find the flour weight that produces a given total, divide total dough by the sum of all baker's percentage factors: (1 + hydration/100 + salt/100 + yeast/100).

Hydration, crumb structure, and crust

Bread hydration directly shapes the final loaf. A 65% hydration sandwich loaf has a fine, even crumb that is easy to slice. A 75% ciabatta has large, irregular holes and a chewy, open texture. Sourdoughs and artisan loaves typically run 72–82%. Very high hydration doughs (85%+) are slack and best shaped in tins or bannetons rather than freeform.

Salt at around 2% of flour weight is essential for flavour, gluten development, and fermentation control. Too little salt produces flat, sticky dough; too much inhibits yeast. Instant dry yeast at 1% of flour weight is a standard starting point for a direct-mix loaf with a 1–2 hour rise at room temperature. Longer, cold fermentation uses 0.1–0.5% yeast.

Loaf weight before baking accounts for the full dough weight. Expect 10–15% moisture loss during baking. An 800 g dough ball produces approximately a 680–720 g baked loaf.