How I Figure Out the Right Dough Amount for Any Loaf Pan
(for 100% Fresh Milled Whole Grain Bread)
How Much Dough Should Go in a Loaf Pan?
One of the most common questions I get is:
“How much dough should I put in this pan?”
If you’re baking with 100% fresh-milled whole grain flour, most of the answers out there just don’t work very well. So I want to walk you through exactly how I do it, step by step, using a method that works with any loaf pan, shape, or dough hydration — even if your pan isn’t a “standard” size.
I want to keep this simple.
No complicated math. I promise.
The Big Idea (Before We Start)
Instead of guessing how much flour to use, I let the pan tell me how much dough it wants.
The simplest way to do that is with water.
Water is easy to measure, and it gives us a number we can work from every single time.
Recommended equipment:
Waterproof rechargeable digital scale
My favorite bread pans:
Lodge cast iron loaf pans
Step-by-Step: Let the Pan Decide
Put your pan on a gram scale and press the tare / zero button.
The scale is ready when it shows 0 grams.Fill the pan all the way to the top with water — right up to the rim.
When the water settles, write down the number in grams.
That number is your pan’s total water capacity.Calculate the ideal dough weight
For 100% fresh-milled whole grain bread, I use 55–65% of the pan’s water capacity as my final dough weight.
To keep things simple for beginners, I start right in the middle:
60% of the pan’s water capacityMultiply your number from Step 2 by 0.60 and that’s your ideal dough weight.
A Real Example
Let’s say your pan holds 1,420 grams of water.
1,420 × 0.60 = 852 grams of dough
That amount of dough will fill the pan nicely for most whole-grain loaves.
If numbers make you nervous, just remember this:
Fill the pan with water.
Multiply that number by 0.60.
Make that much dough.
That alone will get you baking confidently.
Want to Fine-Tune Later? Hydration Matters
Once you’re comfortable, you can adjust where you land in the 55–65% range based on how wet your dough is.
Here’s a general guideline:
Dough hydration | Use about |
|---|---|
80–85% (firmer, beginner-friendly) | 55–58% |
90–100% (soft sandwich bread) | 58–62% |
105–120% (very soft, extra moist) | 62–65% |
Notice that the amount of dough to fill the pan increases as the water increases.
Standard Loaf Pan Reference Charts
(These are starting points, not rules)
Every pan is shaped a little differently, but these averages are helpful if you want a quick reference.
Approximate Pan Water Capacities
Pan type | Water capacity |
|---|---|
Mini loaf pan | ~700 g |
8 × 4" loaf pan | ~1,300 g |
8.5 × 4.5" loaf pan | ~1,450 g |
9 × 5" loaf pan | ~1,800 g |
USA Pullman 9 × 4 × 4" | ~1,650 g |
USA Pullman 13 × 4 × 4" | ~2,600 g |
What That Means for Dough Weight
Mini Loaf Pan (~700 g capacity)
Hydration | Dough weight |
|---|---|
80% | ~385 g |
90% | ~420 g |
100% | ~455 g |
110% | ~480 g |
120% | ~455–460 g |
8 × 4" Loaf Pan (~1,300 g capacity)
Hydration | Dough weight |
|---|---|
80% | ~715 g |
90% | ~750 g |
100% | ~780 g |
110% | ~820 g |
120% | ~845 g |
8.5 × 4.5" Loaf Pan (~1,450 g capacity)
Hydration | Dough weight |
|---|---|
80% | ~800 g |
90% | ~840 g |
100% | ~870 g |
110% | ~915 g |
120% | ~940 g |
9 × 5" Loaf Pan (~1,800 g capacity)
Hydration | Dough weight |
|---|---|
80% | ~990 g |
90% | ~1,045 g |
100% | ~1,080 g |
110% | ~1,135 g |
120% | ~1,170 g |
USA Pullman 9 × 4 × 4" (~1,650 g capacity)
Hydration | Dough weight |
|---|---|
80% | ~910 g |
90% | ~950 g |
100% | ~990 g |
110% | ~1,040 g |
120% | ~1,070 g |
USA Pullman 13 × 4 × 4" (~2,600 g capacity)
Hydration | Dough weight |
|---|---|
80% | ~1,430 g |
90% | ~1,500 g |
100% | ~1,560 g |
110% | ~1,640 g |
120% | ~1,690 g |
Want to learn more about my quick, no wait yudane technique?
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