Artisan Bread Reference & Recipe Tool
Enter gram weights for each ingredient you're using — baker's percentages are calculated when you click Calculate. Flour is always 100%.
For any ingredient not listed above. Select Liquid to choose the water content used in the hydration calculation.
Tangzhong (湯種) is an Asian bread-making technique — sometimes called a water roux — in which a small portion of a recipe's flour and liquid are cooked into a thick paste before being added to the final dough. The technique was popularized in the 1990s by Chinese writer Yvonne Chen in her book The 65° Bread Doctor, named after the critical starch gelatinization temperature of 65°C / 149°F.
When flour and water are heated past 65°C, the starch granules absorb and lock in water, swelling into a smooth, glossy paste. This trapped moisture stays bound within the dough even during baking — creating what bakers call stealth hydration: a dough that is technically wetter but still easy and comfortable to handle.
Tangzhong suits enriched, soft breads: sandwich loaves, dinner rolls, brioche, pain de mie, cinnamon rolls, milk bread, and hamburger buns. It is not recommended for lean artisan breads like baguettes or open-crumb sourdoughs — the tenderizing effect works against the chewy crumb and crisp crust you want.
The tangzhong uses flour and liquid already in your recipe — you are not adding extra. Both the flour and the liquid for the tangzhong must be subtracted from your original recipe amounts before mixing the final dough.
Use 5–10% of the total recipe flour weight for the tangzhong, combined with 5× that flour weight in liquid. Starting at 7% is a reliable middle ground. Going above 10% can cause the crumb to become dense and tight.
Enter your original recipe flour and water weights to get the tangzhong breakdown and adjusted dough amounts.
Tangzhong combined weight ≈ 210.0 g. Note: some liquid evaporates during cooking — the finished paste will weigh slightly less.
Use this when your recipe lists a total finished tangzhong amount rather than the individual flour and liquid components. Enter the total and this will break it back down for you.
Based on the standard 1:5 flour-to-liquid ratio (1 part flour + 5 parts liquid = 6 parts total tangzhong).
These are the raw ingredient weights to combine before cooking. Cook to 65°C / 149°F until thickened. The finished paste will weigh slightly less than the total due to evaporation.
Open-top pans where dough crowns above the rim.
| Pan | Dimensions | White / Sourdough | Whole Wheat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini Loaf | 5.75" × 3" × 2" | 200–250 g | 250–300 g |
| Small Loaf | 8.5" × 4.5" × 2.75" | 450–550 g | 550–650 g |
| Standard Loaf | 9.25" × 5.25" × 2.75" | 680–800 g | 800–950 g |
| Large Loaf | 10" × 5" × 3" | 900–1,000 g | 1,000–1,150 g |
| Extra Large Loaf | 12" × 5" × 3" | 1,100–1,200 g | 1,200–1,400 g |
Closed-lid pans requiring more precise dough weight to achieve a square, even loaf profile.
| Pan | Dimensions | White Bread | Whole Wheat | High Rye |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Pullman | 9" × 4" × 4" | 720–870 g | 900–1,100 g | 1,050–1,250 g |
| Large Pullman | 13" × 4" × 4" | 1,040–1,250 g | 1,200–1,400 g | 1,400–1,650 g |
Banneton size should match the total dough weight of your recipe.
| Shape / Vessel | Size | Dough Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Mini Boule | — | 150 g |
| Bread Bowl | — | 250 g |
| Small Boule or Batard | — | 750 g |
| Regular Boule / Batard (sourdough) | — | 900–1,000 g |
| Multigrain or Dense Boule | — | 1,000–1,200 g |
| Round Banneton | 8" | 225–450 g |
| Round Banneton | 9" | 450–900 g |
| Round Banneton | 10" | 900–1,360 g |
| Round Banneton | 11.75" | 1,360–1,530 g |
| Home Oven Baguette | — | 200–250 g |
| Standard Baguette | — | 340 g |
Pre-bake dough weights per individual piece.
| Item | Dough Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Small Dinner Roll / Hawaiian Roll | 50 g | — |
| Standard Dinner Roll | 75–85 g | — |
| Hot Dog Roll | 80–100 g | — |
| Hamburger Bun (small) | 90 g | — |
| Hamburger Bun (large) | 140 g | — |
| Hero / Hoagie Roll (6") | 150–180 g | — |
| Foot-Long Sub Roll (12") | 350 g | — |
| Bagel | 96–113 g | — |
| Large Soft Pretzel | 160 g | — |
| Sourdough Bread Bowl | 250 g | Bakes free-form |
Dough weight per ball by diameter and style.
| Diameter | Neapolitan / Thin | NY Style | Thick / Pan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8" | 130–150 g | — | 180–200 g |
| 10" | 150–180 g | 200–220 g | 250 g |
| 12" | 180–250 g | 250–300 g | 300–350 g |
| 14" | 230–280 g | 300–350 g | 400–540 g |
| 16" | 340–400 g | 400–450 g | 500–680 g |
| Detroit 8"×10" | — | 300–400 g | |
| Detroit 10"×14" | — | 500–600 g | |
Dough weights by pan size and desired finished thickness.
| Pan | Dimensions | Thin (sandwich) | Standard | Thick & Pillowy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter Sheet / 9×13 Pan | 9" × 13" | ~500 g | 700–900 g | 1,000–1,200 g |
| Half Sheet Pan | 13" × 18" | 900–1,000 g | 1,100–1,400 g | 1,400+ g |
| 9" Square Pan | 9" × 9" | ~350 g | 450–600 g | 650–800 g |
| 10" Round Pan | Ø 10" | ~300 g | 400–500 g | 550–650 g |
| Cast Iron Skillet | Ø 10–12" | — | 400–600 g | 600–800 g |