Ingredients & Science
Baker's Percentage
The universal formula system every serious baker needs to understand.
Overview
Baker's percentage is the simplest math in baking, and the most powerful. Every ingredient is expressed as a percentage of the total flour weight. Flour is always 100%. If you use 1000g of flour and 700g of water, your hydration is 70%. That's it. Once you understand this system, you can scale any recipe up or down without guessing. You can compare formulas across different recipes and immediately see what makes them different. You can adjust hydration, salt, or prefermented flour and know exactly what you're changing. Most home bakers skip this because it sounds technical. It's not. It's the language professional bakers speak, and it takes five minutes to learn. This page breaks it down with real examples so you can start using baker's percentage in your own baking today. No calculator degree required.
Watch
Baker's Percentage Explained -- Stop Guessing, Start Baking
Watch on YouTubeMastering the Baker's Percentage
Watch on YouTubeStop Being Scared Of Wet Dough: Hydration Explained
Watch on YouTubeFlavor From Fermentation: Why Time and Patience Build Better Bread Than Any Ingredient #fermentation
Watch on YouTubeHow to Poke Test and Pre-Shape Low Hydration Dough for Easter Bunny Bread
Watch on YouTubeHow to Bake Artisan Bread Two Ways (Yeasted AND Sourdough) | Road to Sourdough Week 2
Watch on YouTubeRecipes
Henry's Foolproof Sourdough Loaf(opens in a new tab)
PantryCountry Sourdough with Levain(opens in a new tab)
PantryClassic Poolish Baguette(opens in a new tab)
PantryLigurian-Style Focaccia(opens in a new tab)
PantryRustic Italian Ciabatta(opens in a new tab)
PantrySourdough Italian Ciabatta(opens in a new tab)
PantryRead
Baker's Math Made Simple(opens in a new tab)
Baking Great Bread BlogWhy Wet Dough Terrifies Beginners (And Why It Shouldn't)(opens in a new tab)
Baking Great Bread BlogHot Cross Buns at Home: History, Science, and Two Recipes You'll Actually Love(opens in a new tab)
Baking Great Bread BlogWhen 20 Bakers Made Vietnamese Baguettes Through a Snowstorm (And What Happened Next)(opens in a new tab)
Baking Great Bread BlogThe Best Sourdough ↔ Yeast Recipe Converter for Home Bakers(opens in a new tab)
Baking Great Bread BlogThe Baking Great Bread At Home Community Cookbook(opens in a new tab)
Baking Great Bread BlogWhy Summer Changes Your Dough(opens in a new tab)
Baking Great Bread BlogBaking at Altitude: Mastering Bread at Any Elevation(opens in a new tab)
Baking Great Bread BlogMastering Dough Hydration(opens in a new tab)
Baking Great Bread BlogSourdough Hydration Calculator(opens in a new tab)
Baking Great Bread BlogThe Great Hooch Debate 2.0(opens in a new tab)
Baking Great Bread BlogNavigating the Sourdough Journey: Hooch, Hydration and More(opens in a new tab)
Baking Great Bread BlogLearn
Tools
Glossary
Related Topics
Keep goingHenry's Apps for This Topic
Free tools built to take what you're learning here and put it to work in your kitchen.
