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Food Science, Preparation, and Product Quality

9 unitsabout 25 minutes6 objectivesView complete lesson

I.A.1 · Unit 3 of 9about 3 min · 3 objectives

Unit 3 of 9

Scale formulas and control protein setting

Calculate baker's percentages and predict how heat, acid, fat, sugar, and agitation affect dairy and egg proteins.

About 3 minutes · 3 objectives · 1 check

Worked example

Calculate baker's percentages

  1. Set flour as the reference

    A dough uses 600 g flour. In baker's percentage, total flour is always 100%.

  2. Calculate hydration

    Water is 390 g. Divide 390 by 600 and multiply by 100. Hydration is 65%.

  3. Calculate salt and yeast

    Salt is 12 g, so 12 divided by 600 times 100 equals 2%. Yeast is 6 g, so 6 divided by 600 times 100 equals 1%.

  4. Scale the formula

    For 900 g flour, water is 900 times 0.65, or 585 g. Salt is 900 times 0.02, or 18 g. Yeast is 900 times 0.01, or 9 g. Percentages preserve the formula when batch size changes.

Formula

Baker's percentage formula

Each ingredient is expressed as a percentage of total flour weight.
Source: Professional Baking
Text version
Flour is the 100% reference for baker's percentage. The example formula uses water at 65%, salt at 2%, and yeast at 1% relative to the flour weight.
Formula
Baker's percentage = ingredient weight / flour weight x 100
Terms
I
Ingredient weight (g)
F
Total flour weight (g)
Example inputs
  • F = 1000 g
  • Water = 650 g
  • Salt = 20 g
  • Yeast = 10 g
Example steps
  1. Water: 650 / 1,000 x 100 = 65%
  2. Salt: 20 / 1,000 x 100 = 2%
  3. Yeast: 10 / 1,000 x 100 = 1%
Example result
Water | Salt | Yeast = 65% | 2% | 1%

Milk is an oil-in-water emulsion and protein dispersion. Acid, enzymes, salt, and heat can destabilize proteins, producing curds or a skin. Gentle heat limits scorching and whey-protein changes. Egg proteins denature and coagulate with heat, acid, or agitation. Dilution, sugar, and fat can delay coagulation, while excessive heat squeezes water from the protein network. Egg yolk phospholipids help emulsify; egg-white proteins form foams when unfolded at an air-water interface. Fat or yolk weakens a white foam, and overbeating makes it dry and unstable. Use pasteurized egg products when a preparation will not receive an adequate kill step.

Lesson sourcesLesson-level sources
Unit outline9
  1. Food structure determines process control
  2. Start with the food system, continued
  3. Scale formulas and control protein setting
  4. Structure and formulation determine food performance
  5. Ingredient functions guide preparation choices
  6. Choose the sensory test by the decision
  7. Safety and shelf life require matched controls
  8. Evaluate each food process by its evidence
  9. Solve product failures without weakening safety
Learning objectives6
  • Explain how water, carbohydrate, protein, fat, acids, gases, and dispersed phases determine food structure, stability, and ingredient function.
  • Predict how preparation methods change fruits, vegetables, sugars, grains, dairy, eggs, meats, seafood, poultry, alternatives, fats, oils, and beverages.
  • Differentiate batters, doughs, and biological, chemical, mechanical, and steam leavening and select controls for desired product quality.
  • Select food safety, processing, preservation, and packaging controls that address the relevant biological, chemical, and physical hazards.
  • Design and interpret sensory evaluation while balancing nutrient retention, safety, yield, and consumer acceptance.
  • Evaluate functional foods, food additives, biotechnology, and genetic engineering by function, evidence, safety, and regulatory context.
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