Dough Hydration Calculator
Dough hydration is a baker's percentage: the weight of water expressed as a percentage of the flour weight, not of the whole dough.
Enter Values
How to use this calculator
- Enter the flour weight in grams (this is always the 100% baseline for baker's percentages).
- Enter EITHER the water weight (to find the hydration %) OR a target hydration % (to find the water needed) — not both.
- Optionally add a salt percentage (typically 2%) to include salt in the total dough weight.
How it works
Dough hydration is a baker's percentage: the weight of water expressed as a percentage of the flour weight, not of the whole dough. The formula is hydration % = water ÷ flour × 100. Rearranged, the water needed for a target hydration is water = flour × hydration ÷ 100. Flour is always treated as 100%, so a 500 g flour, 350 g water dough is 70% hydrated.
Higher hydration means a wetter, stickier dough that tends to give a more open crumb but is harder to shape; lower hydration is stiffer and easier to handle. Because everything is scaled against flour, the ratio is independent of batch size — the same percentages apply whether you mix 500 g or 5 kg of flour. Salt and other add-ins are quoted as their own baker's percentages and are excluded from the hydration figure, though this tool adds them into the reported total dough weight.
Worked example
70% hydration from 500 g flour and 350 g water. Enter 500 g flour and 350 g water. Hydration = 350 ÷ 500 × 100 = 70.0%. The tool also reports the total dough weight of 850.0 g (add a salt % to include salt). A 70% dough is a typical soft, workable rustic-loaf consistency.
Common mistakes
- Calculating water as a percentage of the total dough weight instead of the flour weight — hydration is always water ÷ flour, so it can exceed 100% for very wet doughs.
- Entering both water and a target hydration at once. Fill only one; the tool solves for the other.
- Forgetting that flour or water carried in a preferment/starter also counts. Include those weights in your flour and water totals for an accurate hydration figure.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good hydration level for bread?
It depends on the loaf. Bagels and pretzels sit around 50–60%, sandwich and everyday breads around 60–70%, rustic and artisan loaves 70–80%, and ciabatta or focaccia often 80% or higher. Higher hydration gives a more open crumb but a stickier, harder-to-shape dough.
Can hydration be over 100%?
Yes. Hydration is water as a percentage of flour, not of the whole dough, so a dough with more water than flour by weight is simply above 100% hydration. Very wet batters and some ciabattas approach or exceed this.
Does this include the water and flour in my sourdough starter?
Not automatically — enter your final combined flour and water totals. If you want the true overall hydration, add the flour and water contained in your levain or preferment to the figures you type in. For a full levain build, use the Basic Sourdough Calculator.
Why isn't salt part of the hydration percentage?
By baker's convention only flour and water define hydration. Salt, oil, sugar and other ingredients each have their own baker's percentage of the flour weight but are excluded from hydration. This tool still adds any salt you enter into the reported total dough weight.
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