Score the bake · Free calculator
Rise Factor Calculator
"It rose well" is a feeling; specific volume is a measurement. Measure your baked, cooled loaf, and this calculator estimates its volume, specific volume (mL/g), density, and a rise score you can compare across bakes.
Tracking the number across bakes is how you find out whether that new flour, longer autolyse, or different proof time actually changed anything.
Opened from the Bread Recipe Supercalculator: the cooled bread weight is being supplied by the Statistics card of the recipe on screen, and is highlighted in green below. Change it there if it needs adjusting. The measured loaf dimensions below remain yours to enter.
? Estimate baked-and-cooled loaf volume, specific volume, density, and rise score from measured loaf dimensions.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| ? Cooled Bread Weight | |
| ? Diameter | |
| ? Length | |
| ? Width | |
| ? Height | |
| ? Volume | -- cm³ |
| ? Scientific Rise Factor | -- cm³/g |
| ? Density | -- g/cm³ |
| ? Scaled Display Score | -- |
Worked example
Weigh and measure a finished loaf — say 800 g of dough that baked and cooled to 690 g (a healthy 10–25% bake loss), measuring about 23 cm long, 14 cm wide, and 10 cm tall. Enter those above and the calculator estimates the loaf's volume from its shape, then derives specific volume (cm³ per gram), density, and a rise score you can log. Bake the same recipe next week, enter the new numbers, and you have an objective answer to “did that tweak actually help?”
Where it fits in the bake
This is the post-bake report card for the Baker's Process: oven spring is the sum of every decision you made from mix to score, and putting a number on it turns “I think this one rose better” into data. Pair it with the Rise Time Calculator — if the score says under-proofed, that's the dial to turn next bake.
Rise Factor Calculator FAQ
What is a good rise for sourdough bread?
For hearth-style sourdough, a specific volume around 2–3 cm³ per gram of baked loaf is solid; airy pan breads run higher, dense whole-grain loaves lower. The most useful comparison isn't a universal number — it's your own last bake of the same recipe.
How can I measure my loaf’s volume at home?
You don't have to — that's the point of this calculator. Measure length, width, and height with a ruler and it estimates volume from the loaf's geometry, no seed-displacement bucket required.
Why did my loaf come out dense?
The usual suspects, in order: under-fermented bulk (most common), a weak or unready leaven, degassed dough from rough shaping, or a dull blade dragging the score. A low rise score plus a gummy, tight crumb points at fermentation; a flat loaf with a blown-out side points at scoring or shaping.
Does weight loss during baking matter?
Yes — a fully baked loaf sheds 10–25% of its dough weight as steam, and cooling adds another 1–2%. Less loss than that often means an under-baked, gummy center, which also drags down specific volume. It's a quiet doneness check hiding inside the math.
Can I compare different recipes with the rise score?
Compare like with like. Hydration, flour mix, and pan-versus-hearth all shift the achievable numbers, so track each recipe against its own history — that's where the score turns tweaks into verdicts.
Want to know why this works? Every model and constant behind this calculator is explained, derived, and put to work in The Book of Sourjoe — the interactive book this calculator was built for.
These calculators are just the crust. Check out the Public Preview of the Sourjoe App — The Book of Sourjoe, recipes, and every baking tool in one place.
Questions? Comments? Send us a note at info@sourjoe.com.