Hydration Calculator
Calculate your dough's hydration percentage or find out how much water you need for a target hydration.
Calculate Your Hydration
Enter your flour and water weights to calculate the hydration percentage.
Include all flours (bread, whole wheat, etc.)
Include water in starter if using sourdough
Your dough hydration is
70.0%
Medium Hydration
Understanding Hydration
Hydration is the ratio of water to flour in your dough, expressed as a percentage. It's calculated as:
Hydration % = (Water Weight ÷ Flour Weight) × 100
For example, if you have 500g flour and 350g water, your hydration is 70%.
Hydration Guide
50-57% (Low)
Bagels, pretzels. Very stiff dough, easy to shape, dense crumb.
58-65% (Medium-Low)
Sandwich bread, rolls. Manageable dough, tight crumb structure.
65-75% (Medium)
French bread, country loaves. Good balance of handling and open crumb.
75-85% (High)
Ciabatta, focaccia. Sticky, requires techniques like stretch and fold. Very open crumb.
85%+ (Very High)
Pan de cristal, some ciabattas. Very challenging to handle, extremely open, irregular crumb. Advanced bakers only.
Tips for High Hydration Doughs
- •Use bread flour with higher protein (12-14%) for better gluten structure.
- •Autolyse for 30-60 minutes before adding salt and yeast.
- •Use stretch and fold technique instead of traditional kneading.
- •Wet your hands when handling the dough to prevent sticking.
- •Cold retard in the fridge overnight for easier shaping and better flavor.