What is baker's percentage?
Flour is 100 %. Everything else is measured against it.
It is a notation where flour is always 100 % and every ingredient is expressed as a percentage of that flour. That is why the percentages total more than 100, and it is not a mistake.
A full example
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| Ingredient | Weight | Baker's percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1,000 g | 100 % |
| Water | 680 g | 68 % |
| Salt | 20 g | 2 % |
| Instant yeast | 7 g | 0.7 % |
| Total | 1,707 g | 170.7 % |
The total exceeds 100 % because the percentages refer to the flour, not to the whole dough. It is counterintuitive the first time and obvious from the second.
What it is actually for
The advantage is practical rather than mathematical: the formula stops depending on quantity. A dough at 68 % hydration and 2 % salt behaves the same with one kilo of flour or fifty. You scale to any size by multiplying the flour and applying the same percentages.
It also lets you compare recipes at a glance: 65 % water and 2 % salt tells you what kind of dough it is before you read the method.
Reference percentages
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| Ingredient | Usual range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 55-85 % | Hydration defines the crumb texture |
| Salt | 1.8-2.2 % | Less tastes flat, more slows fermentation |
| Instant yeast | 0.5-2 % | Less yeast, more time, better flavour |
| Sourdough starter | 15-30 % | Brings its own flour and water |
| Oil or butter | 0-15 % | Above 10 % it is an enriched dough |
| Sugar | 0-20 % | Lots of sugar slows the yeast |
How to calculate it
With several flours, together they make up the 100 %. For example 80 % wheat and 20 % rye: their combined weight is the reference for everything else.
Sourdough complicates the sum
A 100 % hydration starter is half flour and half water. To get the real hydration you have to add that flour and water into the totals, which many published recipes do not do. It is the most common reason two bakers working from the same written recipe end up with different doughs.
Sources and methodology
Baker's percentage is a standard convention in professional baking. The ranges in the table are common working values, not rules.
Frequently asked questions
What is baker's percentage?
A notation where flour is 100 % and all other ingredients are expressed as a percentage of that flour, which lets you scale a formula to any quantity.
Why do they add up to more than 100 %?
Because they are percentages of the flour, not of the whole dough. A dough at 68 % water and 2 % salt totals 170 %, which is correct.
How much salt goes in a bread dough?
1.8 to 2.2 % of the flour weight. For a kilo of flour, 18 to 22 g.
How does it work with two flours?
All the flours together are the 100 %. With 800 g of wheat and 200 g of rye, the reference is 1,000 g.
Does it apply to pastry?
It is mainly a bread tool, but it works for any dough where flour is the dominant ingredient.