Batch scaling calculator
How many pieces, how heavy each one, and how much you lose to the bowl: that gives the total dough, and baker’s percentages turn it into grams.
Flours should add up to 100%. Don’t know the percentages? Enter the recipe in grams on the baker’s percentage calculator first.
Total dough to mix
1,483 g
24 × 60 g = 1,440 g, plus 3% for loss. Flour: 810 g.
| Ingredient | % | Grams |
|---|---|---|
| Bread flour | 100 | 810 |
| Milk | 62 | 502 |
| Butter | 10 | 81 |
| Sugar | 8 | 65 |
| Salt | 2 | 16 |
| Instant yeast | 1.2 | 9.7 |
| Total | 183.2 | 1,483 |
The batch formula
Production bakers scale from the finished piece backwards. Total dough = pieces × piece weight × (1 + loss %). Flour = total dough ÷ total baker’s % × 100. Every other ingredient is flour × its percentage. It’s the method taught in professional texts such as Hamelman’s Bread and the Bread Bakers Guild of America’s formula sheets.
Same formula, different batch sizes
At 60 g a piece and 3% loss, the formula above needs:
| Pieces | Dough | Flour | Milk | Butter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 371 g | 202 g | 125 g | 20 g |
| 12 | 742 g | 405 g | 251 g | 40 g |
| 24 | 1,483 g | 810 g | 502 g | 81 g |
| 48 | 2,966 g | 1,619 g | 1,004 g | 162 g |
| 100 | 6,180 g | 3,373 g | 2,091 g | 337 g |
Typical scaling weights
- Dinner rolls: 50–70 g. Burger buns: 80–100 g.
- Baguette: 250–350 g. Sandwich loaf in a 9×5 inch tin: 450–550 g.
- Large boule or bâtard: 800–1000 g. Neapolitan pizza ball: 230–280 g.
Big batches warm up in the mixer. Use the desired dough temperature calculator to pick water temperature, and the recipe cost calculator to price each piece.
Questions bakers ask
How do I scale a bread recipe to a number of loaves?
Multiply the number of pieces by the dough weight of each piece to get total dough. Add a few percent for dough that sticks to the bowl and bench. Divide that total by the sum of the baker’s percentages to get the flour weight, then multiply flour by each percentage.
How much extra dough should I add for loss?
Small home batches lose 1–3% to the bowl, hands and bench. Bakeries with mixers and dividers often plan 2–5%. If you shape by eye and weigh each piece, 3% is a sensible default.
Why scale with baker’s percentages instead of multiplying the recipe?
Multiplying works for whole batches (×2, ×3). For a target like 37 rolls at 65 g you need total dough weight, and baker’s percentages turn a dough weight straight into ingredient weights without rounding errors piling up.
Do I scale yeast and salt exactly?
Salt, yes: keep it at the same percentage. Yeast also scales by percentage, but a very large dough holds heat longer and ferments faster, so production bakers often trim yeast slightly or use cooler water. Check the desired dough temperature.
What is a standard dough weight per piece?
Typical scaling weights are about 50–70 g for dinner rolls, 80–100 g for burger buns, 250–350 g for baguettes, 450–550 g for a sandwich loaf in a 9×5 inch tin and 800–1000 g for a large boule. Weigh your own pans to be sure.