THE NUMBERS, EXPLAINED
How to use this calculator.
Divides the preferment into flour and water. Other preferment ingredients are ignored.
Start with your inputs
Enter preferment mass (g), hydration (%), total recipe flour (g), total recipe water (g). Keep amounts in the units shown on each field. The example is a starting point, not a recommended value.
| Input | Example value |
|---|---|
| Preferment mass (g) | 200 |
| Hydration (%) | 100 |
| Total recipe flour (g) | 500 |
| Total recipe water (g) | 350 |
A worked example
With the example inputs above, preferment flour (g) is 100. Change the inputs to explore your own scenario.
Putting the example numbers into the formula
Preferment flour (g)
(200) ÷ (1+(100) ÷ 100) = 100
Additional flour (g)
(500)-(200) ÷ (1+(100) ÷ 100) = 400
Additional water (g)
(350)-(200) × (100) ÷ (100+(100)) = 250
| Result | Example answer |
|---|---|
| Preferment flour (g) | 100 |
| Additional flour (g) | 400 |
| Additional water (g) | 250 |
How this is calculated
Preferment flour (g)
a ÷ (1+b ÷ 100)
Additional flour (g)
c-a ÷ (1+b ÷ 100)
Additional water (g)
d-a × b ÷ (100+b)
Symbols and units
- a
- Preferment mass (g)
- b
- Hydration (%)
- c
- Total recipe flour (g)
- d
- Total recipe water (g)
Use the units shown. A list keeps the order in which you enter its values. The symbol ^ means “raised to the power of”.
Assumptions and limits
Divides the preferment into flour and water. Other preferment ingredients are ignored.
Calculations use the values you enter. Blank or invalid inputs show an error instead of silently substituting zero. Results are displayed to useful precision; calculations retain the underlying numeric precision.
Questions about this tool
What does the result tell me?
Preferment flour (g); Additional flour (g); Additional water (g). The result applies to the method and inputs described above. Check the units and assumptions before using it in a decision.
Why might another calculator differ?
Differences in units, rounding, timing or model definitions can produce different answers. Compare the input definitions and the method, rather than only the final number. For this tool: Divides the preferment into flour and water. Other preferment ingredients are ignored.
Are my inputs stored or sent to AI?
Calculations on this page happen in your browser. The separate AI question finder sends its submitted conversation to OpenAI; these calculator fields are not sent. Favourites and recent tool names are stored locally. A shared link contains the inputs you choose to include.
Review status
Software example and browser checks are recorded in our quality report. No external expert review is claimed. Created with coding assistance; calculations run as ordinary browser code.
Read the quality report →