{
  "slug": "dough-batch-scaling",
  "title": "Dough Batch Scaling Calculator (Baker's Percentage)",
  "heading": "Dough Batch Scaling Calculator",
  "category": "math",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dough-batch-scaling",
  "summary": "Scale a dough formula using baker's percentages to any flour weight.",
  "description": "Baker's percentage expresses every ingredient as a percentage of total flour weight (flour is always 100%), which is the standard professional method for scaling dough because it works regardless of batch size or unit system. A typical lean bread dough runs roughly 60-68% hydration, 2% salt, and 1-2% instant yeast. This calculator takes your target flour weight and the baker's percentages for water, salt, and yeast, and returns exact ingredient weights plus total dough weight, so you can scale a formula from a 2kg test batch to a 25kg production batch without arithmetic errors. It also computes total dough weight including a typical 1-2% mixing loss allowance, since flour on the bench and dough left in the mixer bowl are real losses at scale that matter when you're trying to hit an exact number of finished loaves or pizza balls.",
  "formula": "Ingredient weight = flour weight × (ingredient baker's % ÷ 100). Total dough = sum of all ingredient weights.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=dough-batch-scaling",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "flourWeight",
      "label": "Flour weight",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 5000,
      "unit": "g",
      "min": 10,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "hydrationPct",
      "label": "Hydration (water %)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 65,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 30,
      "max": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "saltPct",
      "label": "Salt %",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 2,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 5
    },
    {
      "id": "yeastPct",
      "label": "Yeast %",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1.2,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 5
    },
    {
      "id": "unitWeight",
      "label": "Target unit (ball) weight",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 250,
      "unit": "g",
      "min": 10,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "totalDough",
      "label": "Total dough weight",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "water",
      "label": "Water weight",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "salt",
      "label": "Salt weight",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "yeast",
      "label": "Yeast weight",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "units",
      "label": "Dough balls/units produced",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Flour weight: 5000 g",
      "Hydration (water %): 65 %",
      "Salt %: 2 %",
      "Yeast %: 1.2 %",
      "Target unit (ball) weight: 250 g"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Total dough weight: 8,410",
      "Water weight: 3,250",
      "Salt weight: 100",
      "Yeast weight: 60",
      "Dough balls/units produced: 33.6"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter flour weight (g).",
      "Enter hydration (water %) (%).",
      "Enter salt % (%).",
      "Enter yeast % (%).",
      "Enter target unit (ball) weight (g).",
      "Read your total dough weight on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "flourWeight": 3000,
        "hydrationPct": 39,
        "saltPct": 1.2,
        "yeastPct": 0.72,
        "unitWeight": 150
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "flourWeight": 5000,
        "hydrationPct": 65,
        "saltPct": 2,
        "yeastPct": 1.2,
        "unitWeight": 250
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "flourWeight": 8000,
        "hydrationPct": 100,
        "saltPct": 3.2,
        "yeastPct": 1.92,
        "unitWeight": 400
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are rounded for display; the underlying calculation keeps full precision.",
    "Very large or very small inputs may hit floating-point limits in the browser.",
    "Inputs outside the accepted range are clamped rather than rejected."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Why does professional baking use baker's percentage instead of cups?",
      "a": "Volume measures like cups vary with how flour is scooped and packed, causing 10-20% inconsistency batch to batch. Weight-based baker's percentage scales perfectly linearly to any batch size and is the only method that works reliably for commercial production."
    },
    {
      "q": "What hydration percentage should I use?",
      "a": "Lean bread doughs run 60-68%, pizza dough commonly 58-65% for New York style or higher (65-70%) for Neapolitan, and enriched doughs like brioche run lower, 50-55%, because eggs and butter add moisture that isn't counted in the water percentage."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does this account for mixing loss?",
      "a": "Not by default — add 1-2% to your flour weight input before scaling if you need to hit an exact number of finished units, since dough left on mixer paddles and bench flour typically account for that much loss at commercial scale."
    },
    {
      "q": "How do I add other ingredients like oil or sugar?",
      "a": "Calculate them the same way: target weight × (ingredient % ÷ 100), using flour weight as the 100% base. Enriched formulas commonly add oil (2-6%), sugar (3-8%), and eggs (as a percentage of total egg weight) on top of the base four ingredients here."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/recipe-yield-scaling",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/food-cost-percentage",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/keg-yield-calculator"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Dough Batch Scaling Calculator (Baker's Percentage) (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/dough-batch-scaling)"
}