Work out bake loss percentage instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
Bake loss is the water evaporated in the oven as a percentage of dough weight, typically 10-14% for a tin loaf and up to 20% for a small crusty roll with high surface area. Cooling adds a further 1-2%. Dough scaling weight must be set so the cooled loaf meets the declared sale weight.
Bake loss
Bake loss % = (dough weight - baked weight) x 100 / dough weight
Scaling
Dough weight = target sale weight / (1 - total loss fraction)
Bread and bakery products sold by weight are subject to average quantity legislation. Verify cooled net weight against the declared weight with a calibrated scale.
It scales with surface area to volume ratio and with bake time and temperature. Small rolls lose far more proportionally than a large loaf, and steam injection reduces early loss.
Yes. Average quantity rules apply to bread sold by weight, so scaling must account for bake and cooling loss with enough margin that the cooled product meets the declared weight.