Baker’s percentages for common breads at a glance. Everything is expressed as a percentage of the total flour weight, which is always 100 percent. This is the same math professional bakers use to scale and compare formulas.
The Formula
For any bread:
Hydration % = (water weight / flour weight) × 100
Salt % = (salt weight / flour weight) × 100
Yeast % = (yeast weight / flour weight) × 100
Example: 500 g flour, 350 g water, 10 g salt, 5 g instant yeast → 70% hydration, 2% salt, 1% yeast.
Common Breads by Hydration
| Bread | Hydration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bagel | 55 to 60% | Stiff, tight crumb, holds the boil |
| Pretzel | 55 to 60% | Similar to bagel, needs firm shape |
| Pizza (Neapolitan) | 60 to 65% | Cold ferment friendly, thin crust |
| Sandwich loaf (pan) | 62 to 68% | Soft crumb, enriched often |
| Baguette | 65 to 72% | Open crumb, crackly crust |
| Country loaf / boule | 70 to 78% | Standard sourdough range |
| Ciabatta | 75 to 85% | Wet, sticky, big holes |
| Focaccia | 75 to 90% | Very wet, dimpled, olive oil finish |
| No-knead crusty loaf | 75 to 80% | Long ferment does the work |
| High-hydration sourdough | 80 to 90% | Open crumb, advanced handling |
| Whole wheat / rye | +5 to 10% | These flours absorb more; add water |
Salt
| Salt Level | Ratio | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Low | 1.5% | Under-seasoned, faster ferment |
| Standard | 1.8 to 2.0% | Target for most breads |
| High | 2.2 to 2.5% | Pretzels, focaccia, enriched breads |
| Too much | 3%+ | Slows or stops fermentation |
Salt slows yeast, so more salt equals a longer proof. If a recipe skips salt entirely, your dough will ferment fast, taste flat, and have weak gluten structure.
Yeast
| Yeast Type | Standard Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Instant yeast | 0.5 to 1.0% | Mix directly with flour |
| Active dry yeast | 0.7 to 1.3% | Bloom in warm water first (or use 25% more than instant) |
| Fresh cake yeast | 1.5 to 3.0% | Use 3x the instant amount |
| Sourdough starter | 15 to 25% | Levain built at 100% hydration by default |
For an overnight cold retard, cut instant yeast to 0.3 to 0.5%. Long ferments build flavor; less yeast slows the rise so the timing works.
Enrichments (Percentages of Flour Weight)
| Ingredient | Typical Range | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 2 to 10% | Softer crumb, browner crust; 10%+ slows yeast |
| Butter or oil | 3 to 15% | Softer texture, tighter crumb |
| Egg | 10 to 25% | Richer, tender, brioche territory |
| Milk (or milk powder) | 5 to 15% | Softer crumb, brown crust |
| Honey / malt | 1 to 5% | Flavor, crust color, yeast food |
Brioche is where enrichments run wild: 50%+ butter and 25%+ egg are normal for the richest versions.
A Full Formula, Written Out
Standard country boule at 74% hydration:
| Ingredient | Baker’s % | Grams (500 g flour) |
|---|---|---|
| Bread flour | 100% | 500 |
| Water | 74% | 370 |
| Levain (100% hydration) | 20% | 100 |
| Salt | 2% | 10 |
Total dough weight: 980 g.
To scale up or down, keep the percentages fixed and change only the flour weight; everything else scales with it.
Quick Conversions
| I have | Multiply flour by | To get |
|---|---|---|
| Hydration % | 0.01 × flour g | Water grams |
| Salt % | 0.01 × flour g | Salt grams |
| 500 g flour, 75% hydration | 500 × 0.75 | 375 g water |
| 1000 g flour, 2% salt | 1000 × 0.02 | 20 g salt |
Rules of Thumb
- Higher hydration equals more open crumb and a softer, wetter dough that is harder to shape. Practice at 70% before jumping to 80%.
- Whole grains absorb more water. Bump hydration 5 to 10% when substituting whole wheat, rye, or spelt for AP or bread flour.
- Colder ambient temperature slows fermentation proportionally. Every 15°F drop roughly doubles proof time.
- The dough tells you. Percentages are a starting point. Flour absorption varies by brand, humidity, and age, so hold back 5% of the water on a new recipe and add if the dough feels dry.