What is Baker's Percentage? | Baker's Math Explained

Watch this video to learn and understand the basics of baker’s percentages to easily scale up or down your recipes, add ingredients and better understand your baking with incredible accuracy. Use the baker’s percentages calculator in this guide as a tool to find your recipe formula and the dough’s final hydration.
Baker’s percentages or baker’s math (also sometimes called formula percentage) is a universal baker’s language mainly used to easily calculate, scale and adjust bread baking formulas. By understanding baker’s percentages, you will easily be able to make small changes that you can track to help you improve your baking. You can also use fundamental rules to help you diversify your baking and adapt your standard recipe.
⭐ Key Reasons for Using Baker’s Percentages:
▶Allows you to work with more precision
▶Simplifies scaling formulas up and down
▶Allows you to share a common baker’s language.
▶The ability to share a common language helps us communicate with other bakers easily and helps us quickly troubleshoot a formula by seeing the percentage breakdown.
▼ ▽ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Introduction
00:50 - What baker's percentage?
01:43 - Three key's of understanding baker's percentages
02:30 - Baker's percentage dough calculator
2:45 - Baker's percentage explained
03:56 - Calculate baker's percentage quickly
05:15 - Potato and rosemary sourdough example
07:45 - Recap
07:50 - Outro
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In this guide you will learn how to quickly and accurately calculate baker’s percentage:
👉 matthewjamesduffy.com/understanding-bakers-percentages/
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#bakerspercentages #beginnerbread #sourduogh #bakersmath

[@patrickscafe7]

When I listened to you at the IBIE, it occurred to me that I should convert from our current system to the bakers percentage so that my bakers have an easier way to read and work with my formulas.

[@inietobacsal8209]

Well Explained!💙👍

[@vister6757]

Do we need to include the weight of the egg, water from sourdough to determine the total hydration in the dough? In your example you do not include the hydration of the sourdough (if it's 100% hydration starter) . I am a little confused because I was told that I need to include the hydration from the sourdough (e.g. if I am using 20g then there would be 10g of water) and eggs to determine the total hydration in the dough. So with all that considered the water amount which I should add to the dough would be lesser than the actual calculation based on your explanation above.

[@matthewjamesduffy]

Hello! When I write formulas they are in 3 parts. 1. Total formula, 2. Levain build, 3. Final dough. When you are looking at the final dough (like in this video example) you are referring to the amount of water in relation to the amount of flour and NOT the doughs total hydration. When we look at the total formula (the combination of the levain AND final dough) we would include the levain in our total hydration. If you take a look at the sourdough formulas on my site you will see the difference between the two. You can also download any of my excel dough calculators and it will automatically include the levains hydration for you. Hope this helps!

[@user-ey9bt7fs6n]

Looking forward to your knowledge on baking sourdough goods

[@matthewjamesduffy]

Thank you for your kinds words. I am setting up a better filming space so I can continue to share my passion for baking!

[@joaopedroalmeidadasilva9285]

Thanks for the video. I was wondering why do you treat the starter differently? Is it not part of the flour and water of the total formula?

[@matthewjamesduffy]

When I calculate the total formula I include the flour and water that has been used to build the starter. When talking about final dough I do not as we are talking about the ingredients added to the final dough in relation to flour. If you check the excel spreadsheets on my site this is reflected. Another good example of this is the dough's hydration. In the final dough, it is the water in the dough in relation to the flour being used but in the total formula, we account for the water and flour in levain. There might be other ways to do this but this is how I have learned and just sort of stuck with it. Hope that clarifies!

[@khirouah]

Thanks please Can you give an exemple for Panettone hydratation ?

[@matthewjamesduffy]

For the dough I make, water is about 40%. That is not including the yolks. I am actually not sure how to calculate the hydration with yolks and will do some research as to how to properly do it. MJD

[@khirouah]

@@matthewjamesduffy thanks

[@matthewjamesduffy]

@@khirouah I will try to put a full demo on YT in Janurary. Have been overly busy but I will be posting full length demos come Jan.

[@ritalife9128]

Thanks u so much. Well understood

[@thecakecanvasstudio]

Hi where did you get the weight in grams from in the first example? I understand the math but if I’m formulating a recipe, do I just make up the amount of grams that each ingredient weighs?

[@matthewjamesduffy]

Start with the % or the loaf size. You can download my free dough calculator in any of my newer recipe videos.

[@scottsmith805]

What about the hydration in the starter? Doesn’t that effect the total hydration? And wouldn’t the flour from the starter effect the whole formula?

[@matthewjamesduffy]

Sure but you only factor that in the total formula not the final dough.

[@theunretireddesigner6448]

Does this formula apply to gluten free bread?

[@matthewjamesduffy]

Yes, you can use the alternate flours to make 100%

[@usmc2309]

I am trying to figure out how to double my recipe for my bread rolls. The original recipe makes only 8 rolls. Because it's so good, I want to make 16 rolls. Do I need to double everything in the recipe?

[@Xtammy5800]

I have this same question... but I see it was answered...

[@usmc2309]

@@Xtammy5800 where? Maybe I missed it.