Bread Hydration Calculator
Your dough’s hydration percentage from flour and water weights, what kind of dough that is, and how to hit a target.
How it works
hydration % = water ÷ flour × 100 (both by weight) · water for a target = flour × target %
Hydration is the baker’s-percentage measure of how wet a dough is: water weight over flour weight. It predicts handling more than any other number — under 60% kneads like clay, 65% is the classic beginner zone, and past 75% you trade kneading for stretch-and-folds because the dough pours more than it holds. Wetter doughs generally give a more open, glossy crumb and crisper crust.
Worked example
500 g of flour and 340 g of water: 340 ÷ 500 = 0.68 → 68% hydration, standard territory. To reach 75% you’d need 500 × 0.75 = 375 g of water — 35 g more.
Frequently asked questions
Does flour type change how a hydration feels?
Massively. High-protein bread flour drinks more than all-purpose, and whole wheat more still — 75% with whole grain handles like 68% with white flour. Judge by feel and adjust a few grams at a time when switching flours.
How does sourdough starter figure in?
Count what’s inside it. A 100%-hydration starter is half flour, half water by weight: 100 g of starter adds 50 g to your flour total and 50 g to your water total before you compute the percentage.
Will higher hydration give me bigger holes?
It helps, but it’s not the whole story — full fermentation, gentle shaping and strong gluten matter as much. An over-proofed 80% dough bakes flatter and denser than a well-handled 70% one.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.