baker’s percentage
Baker's percentage, also known as "baker's maths", is a system of measurement used by professionals in baking formulas where the main ingredient is flour, such as in bread, brioche and croissants.
The total amount of flour is always set at 100%; the quantities of all the other ingredients are then calculated as a percentage of this figure. For example, in a croissant recipe containing 600 g of flour, 60 g of sugar represents 10%. In the same recipe, 300 g of butter for lamination would represent 50%.
This system has several advantages: it allows you to (i) compare recipes regardless of batch size; (ii) assess the balance of a formula; (iii) anticipate how the dough will behave; (iv) identify potential errors; (v) modify a recipe in a controlled way; (vi) adapt the formula to a particular process, such as a longer fermentation; and (vii) reproduce results more accurately.
The laminated yeasted dough used to make croissants can be temperamental and difficult to laminate without specialist equipment. Professional bakeries therefore work within certain standard parameters, which recipe authors adjust slightly to make the dough easier for home bakers to handle. The ranges most commonly used in professional baking and in professional recipes for home bakers are given below.
If you are interested in recipes by these authors, find the full list on the croissant page.
Reference ranges for croissants
| ingredients | Professional baking | Home baking | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | Source for minimum | Source for maximum | |
| Flour | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | – | – |
| Sugar | 5% | 15% | 9% | 14% | Amaury Guichon | Aïda Ben (2) |
| Salt | 1% | 2% | 1.6% | 2.4% | Amaury Guichon | Svitlana Popivnyak |
| Yeast | 2% | 8% | 3.47% | 5% | Claire Saffitz | Ricardo Burgos |
| Total liquid* | 50% | 60% | 42% | 56% | Amaury Guichon | Aïda Ben (1) |
| Butter in the dough | 5% | 15% | 4% | 23% | Svitlana Popivnyak | Amaury Guichon |
| Lamination butter | 50% | 55% | 50% | 55% | ||
| Milk powder (opcional) | – | – | 2% | 6% | Ricardo Burgos | Aïda Ben (1) |
| Honey or invert sugar (opcional) | – | – | 1% | 3% | Ricardo Burgos | Amaury Guichon |
| * Total liquid: combined amount of water and milk. | ||||||
| Water | 24% | 56% | Svitlana Popivnyak | Aïda Ben (1) | ||
| Milk | 13% | 24% | Amaury Guichon | Svitlana Popivnyak | ||
Practical application
Enter your own quantities here and compare them with my suggested recipe and the professional reference percentages.
| ingredients | My croissant recipe | Your croissant recipe | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight/g | Baker’s percentage | Weight/g | Baker’s percentage | |
| Flour | 600 g | 100% | 100% | |
| Sugar | 60 g | 10% | 10% | |
| Salt | 12 g | 2% | 2% | |
| Yeast | 21 g | 3.5% | 3.5% | |
| Total liquid* | 315 g | 52.5% | 315 g · auto | 52.5% |
| Butter in the dough | 40 g | 6.67% | 6.67% | |
| Lamination butter | 300 g | 50% | 50% | |
| Milk powder (opcional) | 12 g | 2% | 2% | |
| Raw honey (opcional) | 14 g | 2.33% | 2.33% | |
| * Total liquid: this field is calculated automatically by adding together the water and milk quantities you enter below. | ||||
| Water | 185 g | 30.83% | 30.83% | |
| Milk | 130 g | 21.67% | 21.67% | |
Watch out! Changing the ingredient ratios too much can throw the formula out of balance.