Bread Hydration Calculator
Calculate bread dough hydration and baker's percentages from flour, water, salt, and yeast weights.
Instantly see hydration level and all ingredient ratios.
Bread dough hydration is the ratio of water to flour by weight, expressed as a percentage. It is one of the most fundamental variables in bread baking — directly controlling dough texture, crumb structure, crust character, and handling difficulty.
Core formula: Hydration % = (Total Water Weight ÷ Total Flour Weight) × 100
Adjusted hydration (for sourdough with starter): True Hydration % = (Water in recipe + Water in starter) ÷ (Flour in recipe + Flour in starter) × 100
Note: A 100% hydration starter (equal weights flour and water) contributes equal amounts of each.
What each variable means:
- Hydration % — describes the water-to-flour ratio. At 60%, for every 100g flour, use 60g water.
- Flour weight — the denominator. Always calculated on flour weight (baker’s percentages, or “baker’s math”).
- Water weight — all liquid sources count: water, milk, beer, buttermilk. Eggs (75% water) and honey (17% water) contribute fractional amounts.
- Baker’s percentage — every ingredient in bread formulas is expressed as a % of total flour weight. Salt at 2% means 2g salt per 100g flour.
Hydration guide by bread type:
| Bread Type | Hydration Range | Dough Texture |
|---|---|---|
| Bagels | 55–58% | Stiff, dense, easy to shape |
| Standard sandwich loaf | 62–68% | Smooth, workable |
| Focaccia | 75–80% | Sticky, spread easily |
| Sourdough boule | 70–80% | Tacky, requires technique |
| Ciabatta | 80–90% | Very wet, pourable almost |
| High-hydration artisan | 90–100% | Expert level, minimal shaping |
Worked example — basic sourdough: Recipe calls for 450g bread flour, 325g water, 90g active starter (100% hydration), 9g salt.
Starter contains: 45g flour + 45g water (equal split at 100% hydration) Total flour = 450 + 45 = 495g Total water = 325 + 45 = 370g True Hydration = 370 ÷ 495 × 100 = 74.7%
Adjusting to 78% hydration: Water needed = 495 × 0.78 − 45 = 386.1 − 45 = 341g water in the recipe.
Troubleshooting:
- Dough too sticky: reduce hydration 2–3% or add flour 1 tablespoon at a time
- Dough too stiff: increase hydration 2–3%
- Flat loaf: may be over-hydrated for your flour strength (protein content)