Pooja Reddy

2 Months Ago · 128 views

how much dough for a 500g loaf tin? recipe maths is defeating me

Baking & Technique scalingloafbreadportioning

Want to sell standard 500g loaves. Do I portion 500g of dough? Something tells me the oven steals some weight but I can't find a straight answer on how much extra to add.

2 replies

Want the version of this answer that comes with a kitchen?

Truffle Nation's professional programme runs at our Delhi (Saket) campus — hands-on, small batches, and built around actually earning from what you bake.

4–6 month professional programme, Delhi campus
1:8 chef-to-student ratio — real bench time, not demos
Full eggless curriculum alongside classic French technique
400+ students placed and running their own bakeries
Business & pricing strategy built into the course

Book a Free Demo Class → Call Us Now

2 replies

Truffle Nation Team Truffle Nation 2 Months Ago

Your instinct is right - the oven takes its cut in steam. Bread loses roughly 10% of its weight in baking (moisture evaporating), a bit more for longer bakes and crusty styles, a bit less for soft covered breads.

The working maths: for a 500g FINISHED loaf, portion about 550g of dough. Weigh one finished cooled loaf from your actual recipe and oven, and you'll have your personal loss number in one bake - then it's just target ÷ (1 − your loss %) forever.

And the leftover 40-50g question every batch produces: collect the odd remainders into dinner rolls alongside the loaves, or fold them into the next portioning. Selling by labelled weight means the finished loaf should meet what the label promises - portion generous, never short.

One scale, one test bake, and the maths stops being maths and becomes habit 🙂

Gurpreet Kaur 2 Months Ago

"the oven takes its cut in steam" - finally an explanation for why my "500g" loaves kept weighing 460 and making me look like a scam artist 😅

Add your reply

Replies are reviewed by our team before they appear, to keep the community useful and spam-free.

Related discussions

Can entremets be assembled in silicone moulds, hemispheres or cake rings?

Baking & Technique · 11 Days Ago

Which fillings work in macarons, and does a pink shell need a strawberry filling?

Baking & Technique · 11 Days Ago

Should the jelly insert and sponge be frozen before entremet assembly?

Baking & Technique · 11 Days Ago

Can whipping cream replace heavy cream, and which fat percentage is needed?

Baking & Technique · 11 Days Ago

Browse all discussions →