Guides · Updated 23 October 2026
Baker's percentages explained
Bakers write recipes as percentages of flour weight. Flour is always 100%, and everything else is expressed relative to it. That makes recipes easy to compare and easy to scale.
Example
A formula of 100% flour, 72% water, 20% starter and 2% salt means: for every 1,000 g of flour, use 720 g water, 200 g starter and 20 g salt. The percentages add up to more than 100% (194% here), which is normal.
Scaling a recipe
To make a specific dough weight, divide the weight by the total percentage. For 1,800 g of dough at 194%: 1,800 ÷ 1.94 ≈ 928 g flour, then 668 g water, 186 g starter and 18.6 g salt. The baker's percentage calculator does this for you.
Recipe hydration vs true hydration
Recipes usually list water as a percentage of the added flour only. Your starter also contains flour and water, so the true hydration of the dough is slightly different. A 100%-hydration starter at 20% of flour adds 10% flour and 10% water, turning a 70% recipe into roughly 72.7% true hydration. Use the hydration calculator to check.
Typical ranges
| Ingredient | Typical % |
|---|---|
| Water | 60–85% |
| Sourdough starter | 10–25% |
| Salt | 1.8–2.2% |
| Whole-grain flour (as share of flour) | 0–30% for a light loaf |
Tools for this guide
Hydration calculator · Baker's percentage calculator · Starter feeding calculator