MATERIALS required

To determine the ideal amount of bread dough for your tin, you'll require two key pieces of information:

1. Actual Volume of Your Tin To ascertain the volume, place the empty tin on a set of scales and zero it. Fill the tin with water,  avoiding spillage, and note the weight in grams. Since 1g of water equals 1ml, this weight represents the tin's volume.

2. The Divisible Number The magic divisible number varies based on the type of dough:

• For White Bread: 1.78

• For 50/50 White and Wholemeal Bread: 1.71

• For 100% Wholemeal Bread: 1.66

THE FORMULA

Now, armed with these figures, you can calculate the ideal dough size for your tin using this formula:

Actual Tin Volume (in grams)/Magic Number=Target Dough Weight (in grams)

EXAMPLE: If your tin holds 1500g of water and you're making white bread (use the number 1.78), the calculation is 1500 / 1.78=842

Therefore, 842g of dough is the Target Dough Weight you can use for that tin.

ADAPTATIONS AND LIMITATIONS

However, it's crucial to acknowledge that factors like flour strength, kneading intensity, flour brand, temperature, and water quantity can impact dough volume differently. The divisible number is a guide and adjustments can be made as necessary based on your conditions

HOW TO ACHIEVE YOUR TARGET DOUGH WEIGHT

For example  you have a recipe for an 842g dough but wish to bake a larger loaf with a volume of 1800g. Calculate the new ingredient quantities using the formula: First I calculate my target dough weight using the magic number of 1.78.

1800 / 1.78 = 1011

1011g is my Target Dough Weight

Ingredient Quantity/Actual Dough Weight × target Dough Weight=New Ingredient Quantity

For instance, for flour: 500 / 842×1011=600.

For the salt – 10 / 842 x 1011 = 12 Repeat this for each ingredient, and you'll have a modified recipe suitable for the larger tin.

PRACTICAL APPROACH

If this seems intricate, a simpler method is doubling the recipe for a larger tin and adjusting the portions during the process. Experiment and adopt what best suits your baking preferences.( If you double your recipe, fill your tin with the desired amount of dough and make the balance into buns.)

This has been adapted from bakewithjack’s blog.