Focaccia recipe: adjust quantities for your pan
A worked guide to changing focaccia pan size, preserving hydration, handling starter and oil, and checking dough thickness.
Calculate quantities for my pan →
Start with a recipe and the pan it was written for
A focaccia recipe and a pan form a pair: the same dough in a wider pan spreads more thinly. To adapt a recipe you already use, measure the inside base of its original pan and the pan you have. Enter the full original ingredient quantities in the calculator, then choose your target pan. You do not need to change hydration simply because the pan is larger.
If you need a starting recipe, the linked King Arthur No-Fuss Focaccia includes a pan size and baking instructions. Use its actual quantities in the calculator rather than treating our default numbers as a baking recipe. We have verified the calculations here; we have not run a baking trial of the example.
Multiply the ingredients by the area ratio
For a rectangle, base area is length × width. For a round pan, it is π × (diameter ÷ 2)². Multiply each pan’s area by the number of identical pans in that group. The recipe multiplier is total target area ÷ total original area. All ingredients scale by the same multiplier, so the ingredient proportions stay the same.
A 20 × 30 cm base has an area of 600 cm²; a 30 × 40 cm base has 1,200 cm². The multiplier is 2. In this example, 500 g flour and 400 g water become 1,000 g flour and 800 g water. Two target pans of the original size also give a multiplier of 2. When your pans have different sizes, calculate a separate target batch for each size.
Round pans, inches and useful measurements
A round pan’s diameter is the full distance across its inside base, not its radius. Measure the base rather than the rim, especially for a tapered pan. Use centimetres or inches independently for the two pans; the calculator converts them before comparing areas. Changing the unit selector converts the numbers without changing the pan’s physical size.
Area scaling is a starting point for a similar thickness, not a promise of an identical finished loaf. A deep pan does not require extra dough if you want the same thickness. Pan material, taper and oven behaviour still matter. Avoid filling a pan based on its full volume: dough needs room to rise.
Keep starter, dough oil and finishing oil distinct
If your recipe uses starter, enter its total weight and hydration. A 100 g starter at 100% hydration contains 50 g flour and 50 g water. Those quantities belong in the hydration calculation; do not add them to the ingredient table again. Enter zero starter for a yeast recipe. The calculator scales starter or yeast without converting one fermentation method to the other.
Oil mixed into dough contributes to dough weight but is not water. Oil for coating the pan or drizzling over the top has its own row and is excluded from dough weight and hydration. Split any oil quantity described as “divided” in your source recipe accordingly. Other dough ingredients scale by weight, but this tool does not estimate water from milk, eggs or wet toppings; for enriched recipes its displayed hydration covers only added water and starter water.
Use the result, then watch the dough
The result shows full batch weights and dough per target pan. Divide the dough evenly among identical pans. Copy the quantities for your notes, save the recipe locally with a name, or share a link containing the numbers and pan settings. Saved names stay in this browser and are excluded from shared links. Rounding is for display; the calculation keeps full precision.
Keep your recipe’s folding, proofing and baking process as the starting method. Do not multiply baking or fermentation time by the area ratio. Check its stated rise and colour cues, and adjust for your oven and pan. If you also want a different hydration, send the scaled dough to the recipe converter as a separate step; it keeps the pan calculation and water adjustment understandable.
Does a larger pan need a higher hydration?
No. Pan area determines the batch multiplier here. Scaling every ingredient together preserves the original hydration. A separate water adjustment changes the recipe and may change handling.
Will doubling the recipe double baking time?
No. This calculator scales ingredient weights, not baking time. Follow your recipe’s baking cues and check the dough in your actual pans.
Can I use it for pizza or cake?
The area arithmetic works for dough spread to a similar thickness, but the guidance here is for focaccia. It does not calculate cake-pan capacity or guarantee the right thickness for a different style of pizza.
Formula reference
External baking references in English. Use the recipe’s own method, ingredients and baking instructions.