Bread Hydration Calculator
Determine exactly how much water to add to your bread dough based on flour weight and your target hydration percentage. Essential for bakers crafting sourdough, ciabatta, or any artisan loaf.
About this calculator
Bread hydration is the ratio of water to flour in a dough, expressed as a percentage. Bakers use baker's percentages, where flour is always 100% and all other ingredients are measured relative to it. The formula is: water (g) = (flourAmount × hydrationPercent) / 100. A 65% hydration dough is typical for sandwich bread, while sourdough often ranges from 75–85%, and ciabatta can exceed 90%. Higher hydration produces an open, airy crumb but requires more skill to handle. Knowing the exact water weight eliminates guesswork and ensures consistent results every bake, regardless of batch size.
How to use
Suppose you are making a sourdough loaf with 500 g of flour at 75% hydration. Enter 500 in the Flour Amount field and 75 in the Hydration Percentage field. The calculator applies the formula: water = (500 × 75) / 100 = 37,500 / 100 = 375 g. So you need to add exactly 375 g of water to your 500 g of flour. If you scale up to 1,000 g of flour at the same hydration, the result doubles to 750 g of water — the percentage relationship stays constant.
Frequently asked questions
What hydration percentage should I use for sourdough bread?
Most sourdough recipes fall between 70% and 85% hydration. Beginners are advised to start at 70–75%, which produces a workable dough that still yields a good open crumb. As your shaping and folding technique improves, you can push toward 80–85% for a more open, blistered crust. Hydration above 85% is considered high-hydration and typically requires techniques like stretch-and-fold rather than traditional kneading.
How does bread hydration affect the final texture of the loaf?
Higher hydration doughs produce bread with a more open, irregular crumb structure and a chewier texture because more steam is generated during baking. Lower hydration doughs are stiffer, easier to shape, and result in a tighter, more uniform crumb — ideal for sandwich loaves. The crust is also affected: wetter doughs tend to develop a crispier, thinner crust when baked at high heat. Finding the right hydration for your flour type and baking environment is key to consistent results.
Why do different flours require different hydration levels?
Different flours absorb water at different rates depending on their protein content and particle size. Bread flour, with 12–14% protein, absorbs more water than all-purpose flour, so recipes using bread flour can handle higher hydration. Whole wheat and rye flours absorb significantly more water due to bran particles that soak up liquid, meaning whole-grain recipes often call for 5–10% more hydration than their white-flour equivalents. Using the correct hydration for your specific flour ensures the dough has the right consistency for shaping and fermentation.