Free flatbread dough calculator. Enter how many flatbreads you are making to find the flour in grams and the water in millilitres you need.
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Enter the number of flatbreads. This calculator allows 150 grams of flour and 90 ml of water per flatbread, a 60 percent hydration dough.
This calculator allows 150 grams of flour and 90 ml of water per flatbread, a 60 percent hydration dough. Four flatbreads need 600 grams of flour and 360 ml of water, 6 flatbreads need 900 grams of flour and 540 ml of water, and 8 flatbreads need 1200 grams of flour and 720 ml of water. How many flatbreads from 500g flour? At 150 grams each, 500g of flour makes about 3 flatbreads, with a little dough to spare.
Baker percentage expresses every ingredient as a percentage of flour weight, with flour always set at 100 percent. Water at 60 percent means 60 grams of water for every 100 grams of flour, salt at 2 percent means 10 grams per 500 grams of flour, and yeast at 1 to 2 percent means 5 to 10 grams per 500 grams of flour. A worked example: 500 grams of flour at 65 percent water, 2 percent salt and 1 percent yeast gives 325 grams of water, 10 grams of salt and 5 grams of yeast, for 840 grams of dough in total.
Flatbread dough hydration varies by type. Grilled flatbread runs about 68.8 percent hydration, from 227 grams of water over 330 grams of flour. Puffy flatbread runs about 74.4 percent, from 227 grams of water over 305 grams of flour. Pita runs about 63.3 percent, from 190 grams of water over 300 grams of flour. Roti and chapati run about 60 percent, flour tortillas about 55 percent, and pizza and flatbread dough in general sits in the 58 to 72 percent band. This calculator uses 60 percent, which is firm enough to shape easily.
Grilled flatbread uses 330 grams of flour for 6 flatbreads, with 7 grams of salt, 4 grams of yeast, 15 grams of olive oil and 227 grams of water, and grills about 2 minutes per side. Puffy flatbread uses 305 grams of flour for 8 flatbreads, with 15 grams of oil, 4 grams of yeast, 7 grams of salt and 227 grams of water, and cooks in a skillet over medium low heat about 2 minutes per side. Pita uses 300 grams of flour for 6 pitas, with 8 grams of sugar, 6 grams of salt, 6 grams of yeast, 16 grams of oil and 190 grams of water, and bakes in a hot oven to balloon into a pocket.
Flatbread dough ball weight decides the finished size. A grilled flatbread ball weighs about 97 grams, a puffy flatbread ball weighs about 70 to 80 grams for a 4.5 inch round, and a pita ball weighs about 88 grams for a 6 inch circle. Shape each ball to its finished diameter before cooking, since flatbread puffs up, not out, during cooking. If dough resists stretching, rest it for 5 minutes and try again rather than forcing it.
When scaling a flatbread recipe down, watch the yeast floor. If scaling down pushes yeast below 4 or 5 grams, the dough takes a very long time to rise. For just one flatbread, use 6 to 8 grams of yeast and ignore the calculated amount. Salt and yeast percentages should still scale exactly for larger batches, but the yeast floor matters most for single flatbread batches. For long slow ferments, yeast can drop as low as 0.2 to 0.5 percent, since time replaces quantity.
Flour type changes how much water dough needs. All purpose flour suits 60 to 72 percent hydration, bread flour suits 65 to 78 percent, whole wheat suits 70 to 85 percent, whole grain and rye suit 75 to 90 percent, fine 00 flour suits 55 to 65 percent, and spelt suits 65 to 75 percent. Whole wheat absorbs more water because bran soaks it up, so raise water by about 5 percent and rest the dough longer when using whole wheat flour.
Grill method: preheat the grill or grill pan for about 10 minutes, grill each flatbread about 2 minutes per side, and press down with a spatula. Skillet method: cook over medium low heat about 2 minutes per side until brown spots appear, pressing down if the bread puffs. Oven method for pita: bake at 500 degrees F on the lowest rack for 4 to 5 minutes until ballooned, then move to a higher rack for 1 to 2 minutes. Rest every cooked flatbread under a clean towel so it steams and stays pliable.
Flatbread that does not puff usually suffers from an oven or pan that is not hot enough, dough rolled too thick, or dough that is too dry. For pita, the oven must be fully preheated and the rounds must rest uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes before baking. If a dough feels stickier than its hydration suggests, the flour may absorb less water than expected, so hold back a little water and add it only if the dough feels dry. A dough that feels stiff at 60 percent hydration may need a longer rest rather than more water.
Baker percentage sets flour at 100 percent and expresses every other ingredient as a percentage of flour weight, not of total dough weight.
Flour is the defining structural ingredient, so fixing it at 100 percent makes formulas comparable and scalable, and hydration readable at a glance.
Dough hydration is water weight divided by flour weight, times 100. This calculator uses 60 percent hydration: 90 ml of water per 150 grams of flour.
Divide water weight by flour weight and multiply by 100. For 500 grams of flour and 350 grams of water, hydration is 70 percent.
Higher hydration gives a more extensible dough and a more open crumb, while lower hydration gives a firmer dough that is easier to shape and a denser crumb.
Often 65 to 80 percent, giving a lighter texture with an open crumb. Flatbread sits lower, around 55 to 72 percent.
Yes, add any ingredient as a percentage of flour weight. Pita adds about 2.7 percent sugar and 5.3 percent oil, and naan adds yoghurt as an enriched liquid.
About 1 to 2 percent instant yeast for a same day bake, or 0.2 to 0.5 percent for a long slow overnight ferment. Never scale a single flatbread below 6 to 8 grams of yeast.
Cups work, but grams are more accurate, since cup measures vary with packing. Convert a flatbread recipe from cups to grams with a scale for repeatable results.
Yes for larger batches. The exception is tiny batches, where yeast has a floor of 6 to 8 grams for a single flatbread.
At 60 percent hydration, 90 ml per flatbread in this calculator, or 600 grams of water per 1000 grams of flour for a large batch.
Grilled flatbread about 69 percent, puffy flatbread about 74 percent, pita about 63 percent, and roti about 60 percent. Naan is enriched with yoghurt, so its water figure alone looks lower.