Specialized Kitchen Tools
Bread Recipe Calculator
Build a bread recipe from flour weight and percentages, for sourdough or yeast, including the starter's flour and water.
Measurement System PreferenceAuto-saved
Currently active across all 60 calculators: US Customary (cups, tbsp, oz, °F, in)
g
%
65-80% is typical.
%
1.8-2.2% is standard.
%
10-25% of the flour weight.
%
100% = equal flour and water.
Your recipe
450 gFlour
338 gWater
90 gStarter
9 gSalt
887 gTotal dough weight
77.3%Overall hydration (including starter)
A sourdough starter is part flour and part water, so it nudges the real hydration up. The overall figure counts the starter's flour and water, which is what the dough actually feels like in your hands. About 850-900 g of dough fits a 9-inch (23 cm) round banneton or a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
How to use this calculator
- 1Choose sourdough starter or yeast.
- 2Enter the flour weight, then water, salt, and starter (or yeast) as percentages of the flour.
- 3Read the grams to weigh, the total dough weight, and the overall hydration.
Tip: The overall hydration counts the flour and water inside your starter, which is what the dough really feels like.
How it's calculated
Each ingredient = Flour × its %. Overall hydration = (Water + Starter water) ÷ (Flour + Starter flour)
We do the math at full precision and only round the final answer, so the numbers you see are as close as kitchen measurements allow. The assumptions and limits are listed alongside.
Worked example
Scenario: 1 loaf from 450g flour, 75% hydration (338g water), 20% starter (90g), 2% salt (9g).
Inputs450g flour base
CalculationDough weight = 450 + 338 + 90 + 9 = 887g loaf
Result887g total dough weight for a 9" round banneton
Common questions
How much salt should bread contain?
Most bread uses about 1.8-2.2% of the flour weight. Less tastes flat and makes a slack dough; noticeably more tastes salty and slows the rise.