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Bread Formula & Dough Calculator

Scale dough batches by total flour weight, yeast percentage, and water hydration.

Bread Formula Calculator

Calculated Bread Dough Batch

Flour: 500g
Water: 340g
Salt: 10.0g
Yeast: 6.0g
Total Dough Mass: 856g

Purpose of the Baking Bread Formula Calculator

Formulate consistent artisan and sandwich loaves using standard baker's percentages.

How to Use This Tool

  1. Enter your desired total flour weight (e.g. 500g for a standard 8.5x4.5 loaf).
  2. Set water hydration percentage (typically 65% to 75%).
  3. Set salt percentage (2% is standard culinary balance).
  4. Set yeast percentage (1% to 1.5% for commercial instant dry yeast).
  5. View the calculated ingredient masses and total dough weight.

Input & Output Definitions

Input Parameters

  • Flour (g): Total flour weight (100% baseline).
  • Water (%): 60% (stiff dough) to 80% (open ciabatta crumb).
  • Salt (%): Standard 2% of total flour.
  • Yeast (%): Instant dry yeast (1% to 1.5%).

Calculated Outputs

  • Flour (g): 100% flour weight.
  • Water (g): Liquid requirement.
  • Salt (g): Salt mass.
  • Yeast (g): Yeast mass.
  • Total Loaf Weight (g): Total dough before baking.

Worked Culinary Example

Scenario: 500g flour sandwich bread with 68% water, 2% salt, and 1.2% instant yeast.

  1. Water = 500g × 0.68 = 340 grams.
  2. Salt = 500g × 0.02 = 10 grams.
  3. Yeast = 500g × 0.012 = 6 grams.
  4. Total Dough = 500 + 340 + 10 + 6 = 856 grams.
Result: Produces an 856g dough loaf, yielding an ~770g baked sandwich loaf after baking moisture loss.

Common Kitchen Mistakes to Avoid

Not accounting for moisture loss during baking

Dough loses 10% to 15% of its weight as water vapor in the oven.

Adding hot water to yeast

Water above 120°F (49°C) will kill yeast cells. Aim for lukewarm water (80°F - 90°F / 27°C - 32°C).

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