Why isn’t there one hydration percent?

The recipe uses 113 g of milk and a range of water. Milk is not counted as water on this site. The result lists milk and water as two percentages of the flour and does not add them together.

Which water amount is the default?

113 g per loaf, the lesser amount King Arthur prints. The greater amount is 152 g. They say to use less in summer or humid weather and more in winter or dry weather. The page does not invent a midpoint and call it the recipe.

The recipe says 57 g melted butter or 50 g vegetable oil. The form has both. Only the one you select is in the dough weight.

Is the yeast printed in grams?

No. It is 2 teaspoons of instant yeast. King Arthur’s ingredient chart lists 2 teaspoons of instant yeast as 6 g, so this page shows 6 g and labels it as a conversion.

What pan and bake does the recipe print?

An 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch pan. Rise 1–2 hours until puffy, not necessarily doubled. Shape an 8-inch log, then proof about 60 minutes until the dough domes about 1 inch above the pan. The recipe header says the bake is 30 to 40 minutes. The bake step says 350°F for 30–35 minutes, to an internal temperature of 190°F.

Calculator

Sandwich bread dough, milk kept apart from water

This scales King Arthur’s classic sandwich bread, updated 13 April 2026. Milk stays in its own row. The water field starts at the lesser amount they print, and the range stays visible.

Quick answer. One loaf starts at 360 g all-purpose flour, 113 g milk, and 113 g water, the lesser amount in the printed 113–152 g range. Milk is 31.4% of the flour. Water is 31.4% of the flour. Those two are not added into one hydration percent. The yeast is 2 teaspoons, converted to 6 g.

Weights

1 loaf. Milk and water are separate percentages of the flour. They are not added into one water percentage.

Scaled printed grams. The yeast line is the teaspoon conversion.
Ingredient	% of flour	Weight
All-purpose flour	100%	360 g
Milk	31.4%	113 g
Water	31.4%	113 g
Sugar	6.94%	25 g
Salt	2.22%	8 g
Melted butter	15.8%	57 g
Instant yeast (converted)	1.67%	6 g

2 tsp instant yeast, converted at 3 g per teaspoon. The other fat in the recipe is left out.

The printed formula

Each percentage is that ingredient’s grams divided by 360 g of all-purpose flour. Milk is 113 ÷ 360. Water, at the default, is 113 ÷ 360. Sugar is 25 ÷ 360. Salt is 8 ÷ 360. Butter is 57 ÷ 360, or oil is 50 ÷ 360. The recipe says the milk can be any fat level. This page does not add the milk to the water and call the sum hydration.

The yeast is 2 teaspoons of instant yeast, with no gram weight on the recipe. King Arthur’s chart lists 2 teaspoons of instant yeast as 6 g, so the yeast line is that conversion. The water is hot, and the note says to mix it with cold milk so the liquid is lukewarm. The pan is 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches. Rise 1–2 hours until the dough is puffy, not necessarily doubled. Shape an 8-inch log, then proof about 60 minutes until it domes about 1 inch above the pan. The recipe header says the bake is 30 to 40 minutes. The bake step says 350°F for 30–35 minutes, to 190°F inside.

Their tips also describe a tangzhong: 3 tablespoons of the measured flour cooked with 1/2 cup of the greater water amount. That is optional and it is not the default formula, so the calculator does not remove that flour and water on its own.

The baker’s percentage calculator has one water field. The link below puts only the default water percent there, and it leaves the milk out, on purpose. Milk is not water.

Questions

Why isn’t there one hydration percent?: The recipe uses 113 g of milk and a range of water. Milk is not counted as water on this site. The result lists milk and water as two percentages of the flour and does not add them together.
Which water amount is the default?: 113 g per loaf, the lesser amount King Arthur prints. The greater amount is 152 g. They say to use less in summer or humid weather and more in winter or dry weather. The page does not invent a midpoint and call it the recipe.
Butter or oil?: The recipe says 57 g melted butter or 50 g vegetable oil. The form has both. Only the one you select is in the dough weight.
Is the yeast printed in grams?: No. It is 2 teaspoons of instant yeast. King Arthur’s ingredient chart lists 2 teaspoons of instant yeast as 6 g, so this page shows 6 g and labels it as a conversion.
What pan and bake does the recipe print?: An 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch pan. Rise 1–2 hours until puffy, not necessarily doubled. Shape an 8-inch log, then proof about 60 minutes until the dough domes about 1 inch above the pan. The recipe header says the bake is 30 to 40 minutes. The bake step says 350°F for 30–35 minutes, to an internal temperature of 190°F.

Last reviewed 1 November 2026.

Sources

Flour, milk, the water range, butter, oil, sugar, salt, the 2 teaspoons of yeast, the pan, and the bake are from King Arthur’s classic sandwich bread. The yeast grams are this site’s conversion of that teaspoon. Milk is not folded into a hydration percent.