Radar Brief · 1 min read
Baker’s math turns a recipe into a shared language
Baker’s percentages make recipes easier to compare and scale. The key is knowing that every percentage refers to the flour weight.
King Arthur Baking · Baker’s Percentage
Why flour is 100%
In baker’s math, flour is the reference point. King Arthur Baking’s professional guide assigns it 100%, then expresses each other ingredient as a proportion of that weight. This makes the relationship between ingredients visible, whatever size batch you need.
For example, 800 grams of flour with 520 grams of water has 65% hydration: the water weighs 65% as much as the flour. Adding 16 grams of salt gives 2% salt. These numbers describe proportions, rather than a complete bread recipe.
A recipe that travels
Increase the flour to 1,200 grams and the same proportions call for 780 grams of water and 24 grams of salt. The batch changes; the relationships stay the same. Percentages can add up to more than 100% because they refer to flour weight, not total dough weight.
King Arthur also explains why flour and water in a preferment—a mixture prepared before the final dough—belong in the overall calculation. Leaving them out changes the picture. The value of the system is a shared way to read a formula, whether you are developing one loaf or planning a larger production run.
Original work & further reading
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