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Calculator
Fresh-flour & milling calculator
Work backwards from the bread you want to the grain you need to mill. Everything runs in your browser; share or print the result as a recipe card.
Start from a preset or type your own
How the calculation works
Dough weight is the baked weight divided by (1 − bake loss). Total flour is dough divided by (1 + hydration + salt), plus the yeast percentage if you use yeast. A sourdough starter at 100% hydration is half flour and half water, so it counts towards the total flour and water and the calculator subtracts it from what you add. Grain to mill is the flour you add divided by the extraction rate, plus a small dusting buffer. At 100% extraction nothing is sifted, so grain and flour weigh the same.
Typical starting values
| Bread | Hydration | Bake loss | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole-wheat free-form loaf | 75–85% | 10–15% | Fresh whole-wheat flour absorbs more water than white flour. |
| Whole spelt | 65–75% | 10–14% | Spelt gluten is more extensible; go easy on water and mixing. |
| Rye (in a tin) | 80–95% | 10–15% | Rye needs sourdough acidity, not kneading. |
| Rolls | 65–72% | 8–12% | Small pieces lose proportionally less to the oven. |
Ranges are typical home-baking starting points, not rules. Your grain, mill setting and oven will move them.
New to milling? Read the home milling guide and baking with freshly milled flour.
Frequently asked questions
How much grain do I need for one loaf?
For a typical 900 g whole-wheat loaf at 75% hydration you need roughly 500–520 g of flour, and at 100% extraction the same weight of grain. The calculator works it out exactly for your loaf size, hydration and leaven.
Does grain weigh the same as the flour it makes?
At 100% extraction (whole-grain, unsifted) yes, apart from a few grams of dust. When you sift out bran, you need more grain: at about 85% extraction, 1 kg of grain gives about 850 g of flour.
Why does my freshly milled dough feel wetter later?
Whole-grain flour, and especially its bran, keeps absorbing water for 30–60 minutes. Mix to a slightly loose dough, rest it, then judge. See our guide to baking with fresh flour.