Food & Cooking
Bread Dough Batch Calculator
Calculate starter composition, added water, salt, total mixed dough, dough per loaf, estimated baked mass, and target loaf-mass gap from baker-percentage inputs.
Starter mass (g)-
Flour contributed by starter (g)-
Water contributed by starter (g)-
Flour to add beyond starter (g)-
Total formula water (g)-
Water to add beyond starter (g)-
Salt mass (g)-
Total mixed dough mass (g)-
Mixed dough per loaf-
Estimated baked mass after loss-
Estimated baked mass per loaf-
Estimated minus target loaf mass-
Decision view
Dough composition and baked-mass reconciliation
Dough composition and baked-mass reconciliationFlour, starter, added water, salt, mixed dough, process loss, and baked per-loaf mass reconcile visually.
Exact scenario comparisonWater as baker percent changes while all other entered assumptions remain constant.
| Water as baker percent | Starter mass (g) | Flour contributed by starter (g) | Water contributed by starter (g) | Flour to add beyond starter (g) | Total formula water (g) | Water to add beyond starter (g) | Salt mass (g) | Total mixed dough mass (g) | Mixed dough per loaf | Estimated baked mass after loss | Estimated baked mass per loaf | Estimated minus target loaf mass |
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How to use Bread Dough Batch Calculator
- Enter flour basis and baker percentages.
- Enter starter hydration and loaf count.
- Add process loss and target baked loaf mass.
- Read the ingredient composition and mixed-to-baked reconciliation.
Calculator guide
Understanding Bread Dough Batch Calculator
A bread batch combines an entered flour basis with starter, target water, salt, loaf count, and an explicit process-loss assumption. Separating starter flour and starter water prevents the starter's water from being added a second time.
Calculation method
How the calculation works
Use baker percentages from total flour, separate starter flour and water, and reconcile added water, salt, mixed dough, process loss, and per-loaf mass. Total flour includes starter flour, and signed added-flour or added-water values expose an incompatible formula. Calculate starter mass from the entered flour basis, split starter by hydration, subtract starter water from the target water amount, add salt, then apply process loss and divide by loaf count.
Detailed calculation process
Reconcile starter, added water, salt, and baked loaf mass
The default batch uses 1,000 g flour basis, 72% water, 2% salt, 20% starter at 100% hydration, two loaves, and 3% process loss.
General formula: S = F(s/100)F_s = S[100/(100+h_s)]W_s = S-F_sW_add = max[F(h/100)-W_s,0]M_mix = F+S+W_add+F(z/100)M_baked = M_mix(1-l/100)M_loaf = M_baked/n Starter mass is split into flour and water according to starter hydration. Its water is credited against the target water amount, after which the model reconciles mixed dough and applies one entered loss factor before dividing the batch.
What each symbol means
Worked substitution with the default inputs
The default batch mixes to 1,840 g and produces an estimated 1,784.8 g after loss, or 892.4 g per loaf.
Dough composition
See ingredients become mixed dough and baked loaf mass
A stacked ingredient bar and loss bridge show where every gram enters and how the entered loss changes the final loaf estimate.
Worked situations
Practical examples
- Twenty percent starter equals 200 g on the entered flour basis.
- The 100%-hydration starter contributes 100 g water, leaving 620 g to add.
- Three percent process loss reduces 1,840 g to 1,784.8 g.
Better inputs
Useful tips
- Measure all ingredients by mass.
- Use starter hydration that matches the actual starter build.
- Calibrate process loss from repeated batches and oven conditions.
Before relying on the result
Limitations and common mistakes
- The entered flour basis and starter convention must match the recipe's baker-percentage method.
- Flour absorption, fermentation loss, inclusions, shaping flour, and evaporation vary.
- The calculation does not determine fermentation readiness or food safety.
Reference
Key terms
- Baker percentage
- Ingredient mass expressed as a percentage of the entered flour basis.
- Starter hydration
- Starter water mass relative to starter flour mass.
- Mixed dough mass
- All entered ingredient masses before process loss.
- Process loss
- Entered percentage reduction between mixed dough and estimated baked mass.
Important note
Calculated from the entered quantities using the displayed scaling or conversion method. Ingredient properties, preparation losses, serving needs, and food-safety requirements remain application-specific.
Frequently asked questions
Why subtract starter water from added water?
That water already contributes to the batch's entered water target.
Does the result predict exact baked weight?
No. It applies the entered process-loss percentage.
Why can the target gap be positive?
The modeled baked mass per loaf exceeds the entered target.
Should inclusions be added to flour mass?
Not automatically; the current model has no separate inclusion field.