Free recipe builder
Sourdough recipe builder: scale a formula to your loaves and pans
Most recipes make one loaf, one pan or one batch. This builder takes a formula in baker's percentages and scales it to the number of loaves, pan size or piece weight you want, in grams or ounces, with the starter's flour and water counted.
🔒 Runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
Build your recipe
Arithmetic, not a tested recipe. The builder multiplies a formula you choose. We haven't baked it, and the pan and piece sizes are published figures from the sources listed below.
How the builder works
- Choose how to scale: by dough weight (a pan or piece size, or a weight you type) or by flour weight. Then pick how many pans, loaves or pieces.
- It multiplies the dough per piece by that count, then divides by 1 + hydration + salt + inclusions (all as fractions of flour) to find the total flour. That is the same baker's percentage rule as the hydration calculator [1]. The flour and water inside the starter are counted toward the totals and taken out of the flour and water to add.
- If you open Use sourdough discard, the discard swap calculator's math removes the discard's own flour and water from what you add. The total flour, water and dough stay the same [21] [22].
- If you open mixing water temperature, the water temperature calculator's desired-dough-temperature formula gives the water temperature for your target [17] [18] [19].
- Print recipe card gives a one-page card with a blank Actual column. It is built on your device.
Where every number comes from
The arithmetic is the three calculators' own, unchanged. Only the pan and piece sizes are new to this page, and each one is a published figure from a guide on this site, listed below with its sources. Dough weights follow the pan or piece, not the recipe, so set the hydration, salt and starter to your own formula; each guide's formula table is a good starting point.
Focaccia: dough by pan area
The five published focaccias in our focaccia guide use between about 6.6 and 10.9 g of dough per square inch of pan [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]. The builder uses 7, 9 and 11 g per square inch as thin, medium and thick, multiplies by the pan area (π × radius² for round pans) and rounds to 10 g.
| Published focaccia | Pan area | Dough per sq in |
|---|---|---|
| King Arthur Baking | 234 sq in (13 × 18) | 6.6 g |
| Amy Bakes Bread | 117 sq in (9 × 13) | 8.9 g |
| Baking with Butter | 117 sq in (9 × 13) | 9.8 g |
| The Perfect Loaf | 117 sq in (9 × 13) | 10.3 g |
| BBC Good Food | about 93 sq in (20 × 30 cm) | 10.9 g |
| Pan | Area | Thin (7 g/sq in) | Medium (9) | Thick (11) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 × 8 in square | 64 sq in | 450 g | 580 g | 700 g |
| 9 × 9 in square | 81 sq in | 570 g | 730 g | 890 g |
| 10 in round | 79 sq in | 550 g | 710 g | 860 g |
| 12 in round | 113 sq in | 790 g | 1,020 g | 1,240 g |
| 9 × 13 in rectangle | 117 sq in | 820 g | 1,050 g | 1,290 g |
| Half sheet, 13 × 18 in | 234 sq in | 1,640 g | 2,110 g | 2,570 g |
A pan of your own size uses the same ratio. That is a focaccia figure, so for any other bread type the dough weight yourself.
Sandwich loaves: published dough weight per pan
The sandwich bread guide found no rule for moving between pans, only the dough weight each recipe used. The builder uses the lowest published figure for each pan, because the higher ones were reported to crest over the rim. You can override any of them with your own weight.
| Loaf pan | Builder uses | Other published dough weights for that pan |
|---|---|---|
| 8 × 4 in | 896 g | Only 896 g [11] |
| 8½ × 4½ in | 700 g | About 700 g per loaf [8]; about 899 g, which may crest over the rim [9] |
| 9 × 5 in | 850 g | About 850 g [12]; about 899 g [9]; 896 g [11] |
| 10 × 5 in | 1,052 g | Only about 1,052 g [10] |
Pizza and bagels: published piece weights
From the pizza dough guide and the bagel guide:
| Piece | Builder uses | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Pizza, 10–12 in | 230 g | 225–235 g a ball [13] |
| Pizza, sturdier 12 in | 290 g | 290 g a ball [14] |
| Bagel, about 4 in | 130 g | About 130 g [15] |
| Bagel | 125 g | 125 g [16] |
Ounces
Ounces are avoirdupois ounces; 1 oz = 28.349 523 125 g exactly [2]. The builder shows two decimals and rounds only for display.
Mixing water temperature
Published friction factors disagree: King Arthur gives 6–8°F for hand mixing and 22–24°F for its stand-mixer method [17] [18]; America's Test Kitchen gives 5°F by hand, 20°F stand mixer, 25°F food processor [19]; Sourdough Archive uses 0°F by hand [20]. The builder starts at 6°F and you can change it. In °C a friction factor is the °F value divided by 1.8.
What the builder can't know
- Inclusion amounts. Olives, seeds, cheese, nuts and fruit change how a dough handles, and none of our guides publishes an inclusion ratio. So the builder doesn't suggest one: you type each as a percentage of flour, and it adds them to the dough. If an inclusion is wet, such as olives in brine, your hydration may need adjusting; the builder does not model that.
- Hydration for the style. The builder doesn't change your hydration when you pick a pan or piece. The guides' formula tables show where published doughs sit, such as about 78–92% for focaccia and 54.5–56.5% for bagels.
- Timing at a bigger scale. More dough doesn't change the recipe's steps, but a bigger batch holds heat differently. Use the bake planner for times, and judge the dough rather than the clock.
A worked example
Two 9 × 5 in loaf pans at 850 g each is 1,700 g of dough. At 75% hydration, 2% salt and 10% of the flour in a 100% hydration starter, total flour is 1,700 ÷ (1 + 0.75 + 0.02) = 960.5 g. Salt is 19.2 g, total water 720.3 g, and the starter is 96.0 g of flour plus 96.0 g of water (192.1 g). That leaves 864.4 g of flour and 624.3 g of water to add, and 864.4 + 624.3 + 19.2 + 192.1 = 1,700 g. In ounces the dough is 59.97 oz. This example is one of the builder's unit tests, worked by hand first.
The single calculators still work
The three calculators this builder is made from keep their own pages: the hydration calculator, the discard swap calculator and the water temperature calculator. For timing, use the bake planner. The baker's percentage guide explains the math.
Sources (checked 2026-10-23)
- King Arthur Baking, "Hydration in bread dough, explained" (2023-01-11): https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2023/01/11/bread-hydration (checked 2026-10-23)
- NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C, "General Tables of Units of Measurement" (1 avoirdupois ounce = 28.349 523 125 g): https://www.nist.gov/system/files/documents/2024/01/14/NIST%20HB%2044%202024%20Appendix%20C%20General%20Tables%20of%20Units%20of%20Measurement.pdf (checked 2026-10-23)
- King Arthur Baking (Charlotte Rutledge), "Sourdough Focaccia" recipe (updated 2025-10-23): https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-focaccia-recipe (checked 2026-10-23)
- BBC Good Food (Barney Desmazery), "Sourdough focaccia": https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/sourdough-focaccia (checked 2026-10-23)
- The Perfect Loaf (Maurizio Leo), "A Simple Sourdough Focaccia" (updated 2025-04-13): https://www.theperfectloaf.com/a-simple-focaccia/ (checked 2026-10-23)
- Amy Bakes Bread (Amy Coyne), "Sourdough Focaccia Recipe" (updated 2025-05-01): https://amybakesbread.com/sourdough-focaccia/ (checked 2026-10-17; the site blocks automated link checks, so it was not re-fetched on 2026-10-23)
- Baking with Butter (Elien Lewis), "The Best Sourdough Focaccia Recipe" (updated 2026-06-04): https://bakingwithbutter.com/sourdough-focaccia/ (checked 2026-10-23)
- King Arthur Baking (Amber Eisler), "Sourdough Sandwich Bread" recipe (updated 2026-09-17): https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-sandwich-bread-recipe (checked 2026-10-23)
- Breadtopia (Melissa Johnson), "Basic All Purpose Sourdough Sandwich Bread" (2024-02-17): https://breadtopia.com/basic-all-purpose-sourdough-sandwich-bread/ (checked 2026-10-23)
- Alexandra's Kitchen (Alexandra Stafford), "Easy Sourdough Sandwich Bread" (updated 2026-03-04): https://alexandracooks.com/2019/04/17/easy-sourdough-sandwich-or-toasting-bread/ (checked 2026-10-23)
- Let's Make Sourdough (Mandy Jackson), "The Softest Sourdough Sandwich Bread" (modified 2024-04-13): https://letsmakesourdough.com/695/the-softest-sourdough-sandwich-bread/ (checked 2026-10-23)
- Baking Sense (Eileen Gray), "Sourdough Sandwich Bread" (updated 2026-02-17): https://www.baking-sense.com/2019/10/03/sourdough-sandwich-bread/ (checked 2026-10-23)
- King Arthur Baking, "Sourdough Pizza Crust" recipe: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-pizza-crust-recipe (checked 2026-10-23)
- The Perfect Loaf (Maurizio Leo), "Sourdough Pizza Dough" (updated 2025-04-13): https://www.theperfectloaf.com/sourdough-pizza-dough-and-recipes/ (checked 2026-10-23)
- King Arthur Baking (David Turner), "Sourdough Bagels" (updated 2026-05-22): https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-bagels-recipe (checked 2026-10-23)
- The Perfect Loaf (Maurizio Leo), "Sourdough Bagel (New York Style)" (updated 2026-02-26): https://www.theperfectloaf.com/sourdough-bagel/ (checked 2026-10-23)
- King Arthur Baking, "Desired dough temperature" (2018-05-29): https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2018/05/29/desired-dough-temperature (checked 2026-10-23)
- King Arthur Baking (Pro), "Dough Temperature": https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/pro/reference/dough-temperature (checked 2026-10-23)
- America's Test Kitchen, "Precise Water Temperature for the Perfect Loaf": https://www.americastestkitchen.com/how_tos/5818-precise-water-temperature-for-the-perfect-loaf (checked 2026-10-23)
- Sourdough Archive, "Sourdough Bulk Fermentation Chart: Complete Temperature + Time Guide": https://sourdougharchive.com/sourdough-bulk-fermentation-chart/ (checked 2026-10-23)
- King Arthur Baking, "What is sourdough discard? And what should I do with it?" (2024-04-18): https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2024/04/18/sourdough-discard (checked 2026-10-23)
- King Arthur Baking (PJ Hamel), "Adding sourdough to a recipe" (2015-10-29): https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2015/10/29/adding-sourdough-recipe (checked 2026-10-23)
Other free calculators
PlannerSourdough Bake PlannerFree sourdough planner: pick when you want bread and your kitchen temperature, and get timed steps worked backward, with bulk time from a cited temperature table.
CalculatorSourdough Hydration Calculator (Baker's Percentage)Free baker's percentage calculator: enter dough weight or flour weight, hydration, salt and starter, and get grams with the starter's flour and water counted.
CalculatorSourdough Discard Swap Calculator (Any Hydration)Work out how much flour and liquid to take out of a recipe when you add sourdough discard, for a starter at any hydration.
CalculatorMixing Water Temperature Calculator for SourdoughFind the water temperature that gets your sourdough to its target dough temperature, using the desired dough temperature formula. Works in °F or °C.