Baker's Percentage Chart: Bread Formulas, Dough Hydration and Yeast Swaps

Baker's percentages write every ingredient as a share of the flour weight, with the flour always at 100%. This chart explains the rule, gives typical formulas for common breads, sets out dough hydration from very stiff upward, and shows how to swap between yeast types by weight.

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Every ingredient as a percentage of the flour weight, with flour always at 100%.

How it works

The rule	Flour = 100%. Every other ingredient = its weight / total flour weight x 100.
Example	1000 g flour, 650 g water, 20 g salt and 10 g yeast is 100%, 65%, 2% and 1%.
To scale	Multiply your flour weight by each percentage. 500 g flour at 65% water = 325 g water.
Total dough weight	Divide the dough weight you want by the sum of all percentages, then x 100 to get the flour weight.
Hydration	Water (and other liquids) as a percentage of flour. Higher hydration gives a looser dough and more open crumb.

Typical formulas (yeast as instant)

Dough	Water	Salt	Yeast	Sugar	Fat	Other
White sandwich loaf	60-66%	2%	1-1.5%	4-8%	4-8%	Milk powder 2-4%
French bread	65-68%	2%	1-1.25%	-	-	Lean dough
Ciabatta	73-80%	1.8-2%	0.5-1.1%	-	Olive oil 0-3%	Very slack, open crumb
Sourdough	70-80%	2%	-	-	-	Levain (starter) 15-25%
Pizza dough	60-65%	2-3%	0.3-1%	0-2%	Oil 0-3%	Long cold rise for flavour
Bagels	50-58%	2%	0.5-1%	Malt 1-3%	-	Very stiff dough
Brioche	Milk 0-20%	2%	1-2%	10-15%	Butter 40-60%	Eggs 40-60%

Typical starting ranges; recipes vary. Wholegrain flours absorb more water, so add 5-10% more.

Dough hydration bands

Hydration	Dough
Under 57%	Very stiff: bagels, pretzels
57-65%	Stiff to firm: sandwich loaves, rolls, pizza
65-70%	Soft: French bread, many rustic loaves
70-80%	Soft to slack: ciabatta, high-hydration sourdough, focaccia
About 95%	Drop batter: muffins, quick breads
About 190%	Pour batter: pancakes, crêpes

Yeast swaps (by weight)

Instant yeast	1 part (the reference)
Active dry yeast	About 1.25 parts; dissolve in warm water first
Fresh (cake) yeast	About 3 parts

Notes and sources

Weigh, don't scoop: baker's percentages only work with weights, and grams make the maths easy.

Definitions and hydration bands follow standard baking references; formula figures are typical ranges, not fixed recipes.