# Baker Percentage



## nolapastrygirl (Feb 24, 2011)

I am a first year pastry student. I need help learning how to apply bakers percentage. I know flour is always 100% and that's about it. I need the 1st grade version please. Thanks in advance.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

For a pretty good view of baking formulas and other technical data, see if your school library has a copy of Daniel t. DiMuzio's _Bread Baking: An Artisan's Perspective."_

Meanwhile, here's the simple version: Formulas are valuable because the provide an easy way for bakers to multiply or divide a "recipe." You already know the key part: that flour is always expressed as 100% *by weight. *

So, to keep the math easy, let's say you have a formula that calls for:

Pate fermentee: 168.4%

Bread flour: 82.4%

Whole wheat flour: 15.8 %

Salt: 2%

Yeast:1.2%

Water: 63.2%

and you'll be starting with a 100 pound sack of flour. Just multiply everything to establish the other needs. Thus:

Pate fermentee=168 pounds

Bread flour=82.4 pounds

Etc.

What if you only have a 50 pound bag? Just do the same math:

Bread flour=82.4%, therefore .824 x 50=41.2 pounds.

Water= 63.2%, therefore .632 x 50=31.15 pounds.

It's really quite simple.


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## panini (Jul 28, 2001)

Nola

Lots of good books out there, Mr. Joseph Amendola was my mentor and friend. He left behind a few books on the subject. Also they are priced well.

pan


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