Food & Cooking
Bread Dough Recipe Scaling Calculator
Calculate total dough, total flour and water, salt, starter, starter flour and water, and the flour and water added at final mix. The purpose-built baker's-percentage visual reconciles every ingredient back to the exact target dough weight.
Total target dough weight-
Total flour in formula-
Total water in formula-
Salt required-
Starter required-
Flour contributed by starter-
Water contributed by starter-
Flour added in final mix-
Water added in final mix-
Decision view
Baker's-percentage dough balance
Baker's-percentage dough balanceStarter flour and water are reconciled with the final mix and target dough mass.
Exact scenario comparisonNumber of loaves changes while all other entered assumptions remain constant.
| Number of loaves | Total target dough weight | Total flour in formula | Total water in formula | Salt required | Starter required | Flour contributed by starter | Water contributed by starter | Flour added in final mix | Water added in final mix |
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Formula detail
Ingredient formula and batch scaling table
How to use Bread Dough Recipe Scaling Calculator
- Choose loaf count and target dough weight after allowing for the desired baked loaf size.
- Enter hydration, salt, starter percentage, and the starter's own hydration on a total-flour basis.
- Weigh the displayed final-mix flour and water separately from starter, then adjust only for known process loss or inclusions.
Calculator guide
Understanding Bread Dough Recipe Scaling Calculator
Bread formulas scale from total flour, not from finished dough weight alone. This calculator solves the flour basis first, then separates flour and water already carried by the starter so the final mix still reaches the requested hydration and dough mass.
Calculation method
How the calculation works
Scale a bread formula from target dough weight using baker's percentages, then split the starter into its flour and water contributions so the final-mix additions reconcile to total flour and hydration. Solve total flour from the sum of 100% flour, hydration, salt percentage, and starter percentage; split starter by its own hydration; subtract those starter contributions from total flour and water.
Mixing bench
Turn the formula into a workable dough plan
Correct ingredient weights are the start of the process, not the end.
Worked situations
Practical examples
- Two 850 g loaves require 1,700 g of target dough.
- A 100% hydration starter contains equal flour and water by weight.
- Starter flour plus final-mix flour equals total formula flour; the same reconciliation applies to water.
Better inputs
Useful tips
- Treat every baker percentage as a share of total flour unless a recipe explicitly says otherwise.
- Account for seeds, fats, sugar, eggs, and other inclusions before using target dough weight for a richer dough.
- Use a small process-loss allowance when dough remains on tools or the mixer.
Before relying on the result
Limitations and common mistakes
- The formula does not predict flour absorption, fermentation speed, dough temperature, evaporation, or baked weight loss.
- Starter maturity, acidity, flour strength, salt type, inclusions, mixing method, and ambient conditions remain outside the arithmetic.
- Very high starter or hydration combinations can make final-mix flour or water impractical even when the mass balance is correct.
Reference
Key terms
- Baker's percentage
- Ingredient weight expressed as a percentage of total flour.
- Hydration
- Total water divided by total flour.
- Starter hydration
- Water-to-flour percentage inside the starter itself.
- Final mix
- Ingredients added after starter flour and water are accounted for.
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 can starter exceed the flour added in the final mix?
Starter percentage is measured against total flour and may carry a large share of that flour.
Does 70% hydration include starter water?
Yes. Total hydration includes all water from starter and final mix.
Can I add oil or sugar?
Not with this base formula unless their percentages are included in the target-mass equation separately.
Why is baked loaf weight lower?
Water evaporates and some dough is lost during handling and baking.