Quick Answer — What Baker's Percentage Means
Baker's percentage (also called baker's math) expresses every ingredient in a dough formula as a percentage of the total flour weight, with flour itself always fixed at 100% — regardless of how much flour the recipe actually uses. Baker's % = (Ingredient Weight)/(Flour Weight) × 100.
This is different from a normal recipe percentage (where every ingredient's share of the *total* weight adds up to 100%). In baker's percentage, the percentages don't need to add up to any particular number — a simple lean bread might total around 168% (100% flour + 65% water + 2% salt + 1% yeast), and that's completely normal.
The most commonly highlighted baker's percentage is hydration: water weight as a percentage of flour weight. A 65% hydration dough uses 65 g of water for every 100 g of flour — higher hydration doughs (70%+) tend to be more open-crumbed and harder to handle; lower hydration doughs (55-60%) are firmer and easier to shape.