Free bread dough hydration calculator. Enter flour and water weights to find hydration percentage and total dough weight for any loaf.
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Hydration is water weight divided by flour weight, times 100. Flour is always 100 percent in bakers percentages, so 350 g of water with 500 g of flour is 70 percent hydration, and total dough weight is flour plus water.
The dough hydration percentage formula is water weight divided by flour weight, times 100. Flour is always 100 percent in bakers percentages, so every other ingredient is a percentage of flour weight. With 500 grams of flour and 350 grams of water, hydration is 350 divided by 500 times 100, which is 70 percent. This calculator gives total dough weight as flour plus water. If you add salt and yeast, add their weights to the total separately, because this simple total counts flour and water only.
A bread hydration chart helps you pick a target before you mix. Hydration for bagels and pretzels is typically 55 to 65 percent, giving a stiff dough. Sandwich bread and tin loaves suit 60 to 65 percent. Baguettes suit 65 to 70 percent. Hydration for sourdough is typically 70 to 78 percent for everyday loaves. Ciabatta and country loaves suit 75 to 85 percent. Hydration for focaccia is typically 80 to 90 percent, pan baked. Batter doughs can go over 100 percent. Ranges vary by flour and source, so treat them as starting points, not fixed rules.
Flour type changes how much water a dough needs. Bread flour absorbs more than all purpose flour, so it often suits 70 to 80 percent hydration, while all purpose flour suits 65 to 75 percent. Whole wheat hydration is higher, because bran absorbs more water: add about 5 to 10 percent more water than a white flour recipe. Rye hydration is higher again, about 10 to 15 percent more. Spelt and einkorn need care, because their gluten is more fragile, so start lower and adjust in small steps.
Starter hydration matters, because starter contains both flour and water. A 100 percent hydration starter is half flour and half water by weight. True hydration counts the starter: total flour equals added flour plus flour in the starter, and total water equals added water plus water in the starter. Example: 500 grams added flour plus 350 grams added water plus 100 grams of 100 percent starter gives total flour 550 grams and total water 400 grams, so true hydration is 400 divided by 550 times 100, which is 72.7 percent, not 70 percent.
High hydration dough is wetter, stickier, and harder to shape, but it gives an open crumb. Use stretch and fold instead of heavy kneading, wet your hands instead of adding flour, and give a longer fermentation with a bench rest. A cold proof of 8 to 12 hours helps flavour and handling, and a Dutch oven or a pan helps a very wet dough hold its shape. Beginners should start near 70 percent and raise hydration in small steps, rather than jumping straight to 85 percent.
Dough hydration scaling uses a scale factor: new flour weight divided by old flour weight, then multiply every ingredient by that factor. To double a recipe that uses 500 grams of flour, multiply water, salt, and yeast by 2 as well, keeping the same percentages. To scale down, use the same rule in reverse. Weighing in grams, not cups, keeps scaling accurate, because 1 millilitre of water weighs 1 gram, while flour weight per cup varies by type and packing.
To reach a target hydration, work out target water as flour weight times target percentage divided by 100. For 500 grams of flour at 70 percent, target water is 500 times 70 divided by 100, which is 350 grams. If a recipe is at 65 percent, it uses 325 grams of water on the same flour, so reaching 70 percent needs 25 grams more water. Adjust in 5 percent steps, mix, rest, and check the feel before adding more, because flour absorption varies.
Common mistakes are forgetting starter flour and water, chasing high hydration before learning handling, and measuring water by volume instead of weight. Salt is counted separately, at about 1.8 to 2.2 percent of flour, and it is not counted as water. Oil, eggs, and milk are not counted as water for simple hydration either, although milk is about 87 percent water and eggs are about 75 percent water if you need a precise enriched dough calculation. Another mistake is changing flour, hydration, and fermentation all at once, which makes it impossible to know what helped.
Bread hydration is water weight as a percentage of flour weight. With 500 grams of flour and 350 grams of water, hydration is 70 percent.
Bakers percentage sets flour at 100 percent, and every other ingredient is a percentage of flour weight. Water at 70 percent, salt at 2 percent, and yeast at 1 percent are all measured against flour weight, so totals can exceed 100 percent. This flour to water ratio is the core of every hydration calculation.
Divide water weight by flour weight and multiply by 100. For 350 grams of water and 500 grams of flour, 350 divided by 500 is 0.70, and times 100 is 70 percent.
Start at 65 to 70 percent. That range gives a firm, easy dough that is simple to shape, while still giving a good crumb. Raise hydration in small steps as handling improves.
Most sourdough recipes use 70 to 78 percent hydration. Beginners should start near 70 to 72 percent, because wetter dough is harder to shape.
Yes, for true hydration. A 100 percent starter is half flour and half water, so add both parts to the totals before dividing water by flour. Ignoring the starter understates true hydration.
Yes. Whole wheat and rye absorb more water than white flour, so they need higher hydration. Bread flour also absorbs more than all purpose flour, while cake flour needs less.
Add about 5 to 10 percent more water than a white flour recipe, and for rye add about 10 to 15 percent more. Adjust in small steps and check dough feel, because flour age and protein content also matter.
Not for simple hydration, which counts water only. For a precise enriched dough calculation, eggs are about 75 percent water and milk is about 87 percent water, so count those fractions separately.
Use a scale factor of new flour weight divided by old flour weight, then multiply every ingredient by that factor. Doubling flour doubles water, salt, and yeast as well, keeping the same percentages.
Focaccia typically uses 80 to 90 percent hydration, pan baked. That wet dough gives an open, oily crumb, but it needs confident handling and a pan to hold its shape.
No. Higher hydration gives a more open crumb, but it is harder to shape and can collapse if fermentation or flour strength cannot support it. The best hydration is the highest one you can handle well for that flour and recipe.