# Question re Bakers Percentage and the CIA



## subfuscpersona (Feb 1, 2005)

Not sure where this should go?...

I know what the Bakers' Percentage is and how to calculate so it you don't have to enlighten me there - my questions is about the forumula shown for some of the bread recipes in _Baking and Pastry_ by the Culinary Institute of America (Wiley, 2004 edition). i can't figure out the formula they're using to calculate the percentages and the book is no help. :?  :? 

For example, take a look at this recipe, copied verbatim from the book. The percentages in the "Final Dough" part are not Bakers Percentage but my mathematically feeble mind can't figure out how they're getting the % values they're printing. 

```
Lean Dough with Biga [p 159]

               Pct     Oz / Fl Oz    Gm / Ml
               ------------------------------
Biga
Bread flour    100.00%   24.00       680
Water           55.00%   13.25       398
Instant yeast    0.03%   pinch       pinch

Final Dough
Bread flour     70.00%   56.00      1590
Water           50.60%   40.50      1220
Instant yeast    0.63%    0.50        14
Biga{above)     46.60%   37.25      1060
Salt             2.20%    1.75        50
```

Can anyone enlighten me? TIA


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## Michael in FtW (Feb 1, 2005)

I've got an old (1979) baker's manual written by the head baking/pastry instructor at the CIA - boy does it leave a lot to the imagination! It was no help here, either, but I did manage to figure out what they did.

The % for water and yeast in the biga are based on the weight of the flour in the biga. But, the % in the final dough are based on the total weight of flour (biga + final dough flour = 80 oz in this example). So, take any weight (oz) in the final dough and divide by 80 and you get the %.


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## norgeskog (Feb 1, 2005)

sub, we need to find a gradulate of Stanford who has a PhD in physics for this one.  I was a wiz at math, but I have not clue what message they are sending out.    :?


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## subfuscpersona (Feb 1, 2005)

Michael in FtW said:
			
		

> The % for water and yeast in the biga are based on the weight of the flour in the biga.


Exactly - this is what I understand as the _bakers' percentage_, where the divisor is the amount (by weight) of the flour and all other ingredients are expressed as a % of this amount



			
				Michael in FtW said:
			
		

> But, the % in the final dough are based on the total weight of flour (biga + final dough flour = 80 oz in this example). So, take any weight (oz) in the final dough and divide by 80 and you get the %.









 to Michael in FtW

Thanks to all who took the time to reply   This was driving me nuts, in part b/c the _bakers' percentage_ in this book was sometimes presented in the "normal" manner and at times this way. Given Michal's explanation plus a review of the recipes in the book, I think now I understand their logic.


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## Michael in FtW (Feb 1, 2005)

Sub - no problem ... just took a few minutes to untangle.

Using the straight (dump) method it would have been obvious - but they threw us a twist in how they calculated things in the "sponge" method.


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## Darkstream (Feb 2, 2005)

Michael, 

What the F$"%!  does the CIA have to do with BAKING BREAD????

Did I misunderstand something here?


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## marmalady (Feb 2, 2005)

Lol, Darkstream, the 'CIA' here is the 'Culinary Institute of America'


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## buckytom (Feb 2, 2005)

someone should open a "scotland yard-long sandwich shoppe"...


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## Darkstream (Feb 2, 2005)

Wow!! 

Guess I did.

Perhaps my American English needs a bit of polishing.

Still, I'm glad YOU ALL thought it was funny.

I am minded of " ....two great peoples seperated by a common language......."


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## Michael in FtW (Feb 2, 2005)

Ah, don't feel bad Dark ... I'm still trying to find an American equivalent measurement for an English "knob" of butter!


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## subfuscpersona (Feb 3, 2005)

Darkstream said:
			
		

> I am minded of " ....two great peoples seperated by a common language......."



As a child, being force-fed British history in school, I was totally confused when we got to the English *Corn* Laws. The teacher was explaining that the Corn Laws actually started in the Middle Ages. I innocently raised my hand and asked, "Since corn came from the Americas and the English didn't even know that continent existed in the Middle Ages how could they have laws about corn production?"


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## Darkstream (Feb 4, 2005)

Anyone being force fed anybody elses history, or anything else, is in for a rough ride.

Just think of it as " a character inducing experience" over which you have no control.

It may give you a more objective and forceful approach to situations later in life.


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