Using Baker’s Percent

If you examine the examples given for simple scaling, formula percent, and baker’s percent, you will notice that they all yield the same results.  Mathematically, this makes sense.  You are simply taking an amount and multiplying it.  It doesn’t matter what type of mathematical manipulation you do, 2 * 2 still equals 4.

Why not use the basic method all the time then?  If all you ever want to do is to multiply the recipe by a scale factor, then the basic method is the best.  You don’t really need to calculate formula percents or baker’s percents.  If, however, you want to manipulate the recipe in other ways (i.e. total batch size, limiting ingredient, etc.), it is much easier to use the formula percent or baker’s percent formulas.

• Basic Scaling

• General Scaling Information

• Baker's Percent

• Formula Percent

• Using Formula Percent

• Precision and Errors

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Baker’s percent, as the name implies, makes working with baking formulas much easier.

In the corn tortilla formula using baker’s percent, the flour is the masa (2 cups = 228g = 100%).  The other ingredients are water (1 cup = 237g = 103.9%) and salt (1 tsp = 6g = 2.6%).

If you want to use 10 kg of masa in your new formula, you would have to calculate the ratio of masa in your current formula to the new amount (.228 kg/10 kg), and then use that ratio to determine the amounts of the other ingredients.  If your formula is in Baker’s percent, the calculations are simplified immensely.  In this example, you would multiply the baker’s percent of each ingredient times the amount of masa.  The formula is 10 kg masa (100%), water = (103.9% * 10 kg) = 10.39 kg, and salt (2.6% * 10 kg) = .26 kg.

It is also simple to calculate new formula amounts based on a limiting ingredient.  Suppose you only have 100g (.10 kg) of salt and you want to determine how much dough you can make based on the amount of salt that you have.   Divide the amount of the ingredient by the baker’s percent of the ingredient (.10 kg/2.6% =.10 kg/.026 = 3.85 kg).  The result is the amount of flour you will need (3.85 kg).  The water is figured as before, multiply the amount of flour by the baker’s percent of the water (103.9% * 3.85 kg = 4.00 kg).  The new formula would be masa, 3.85 kg, water 4.00 kg, and salt .10 kg.

You may also use the baker’s percent to figure new formula amounts based on a new batch size (as opposed to a single ingredient).  In this example, a single batch weighs 471 grams.  Suppose you want to make a 1 kg batch.  Divide the new batch size by the total formula percent (100% + 103.9% + 2.6% = 206.5%):  1 kg/206.5% = 1 kg/2.065 = .484 kg.  The result is the amount of flour you will need (.484 kg or 484g).  Water is 484g * 103.9% = 503g.  Salt is 484 g * 2.6% = 13g.  The total formula weight is 484g + 503g + 13g = 1000g (1 kg).