What is this?
Hydration = water amount as a percentage of flour weight. 70% hydration means: 700g water for 1000g flour.[1] Weigh all ingredients on a kitchen scale to make baker's math precise and repeatable.[1][3][4]
Why important: Hydration affects dough consistency, gluten development, crumb openness, crust thickness and handling difficulty. Higher hydration increases enzymatic activity and gas retention creating more open crumb, but requires different handling (slap-and-fold or stretch-and-fold) and equipment like a dough scraper and a banneton proofing basket for support.[3][5][4]
Calculator
incl. 2% salt
🛒 Recommended Products
We recommend the following tools for this recipe:
Digital Kitchen Scale
Essential for accurate measurements when calculating hydration
Banneton Proofing Basket
Helps shape and support higher-hydration doughs during final proof
Dough Scraper/Bench Knife
Useful for stretch-and-folds and handling wet dough
Dutch Oven or Cast Iron Pot
Creates steam environment for oven spring with wet doughs
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Recommendations by Flour Type
| Flour | Min % | Standard % | Max % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread flour | 65% | 68% | 72% |
| High-gluten flour | 68% | 72% | 75% |
| Medium rye flour | 70% | 74% | 78% |
| Spelt flour | 60% | 64% | 68% |
| Whole wheat flour | 75% | 78% | 85% |
Hydration Ranges
Stiff dough, easy to shape, denser crumb
Standard, good balance of workability and results
Wet dough, open crumb, harder to handle
Very wet, for advanced bakers, ciabatta-like
Tips
💡 Don't forget water in the starter
Recipe hydration refers to TOTAL water amount, including the water in your starter. If your starter is 100% hydration, its weight is half flour / half water — include that water in calculations to avoid overshooting target hydration.[2][3]
💡 Flour can vary
Different flour brands and extraction rates absorb water differently. Start 1–3% under your target, then add by feel during mixing. Use a kitchen scale for fine adjustments and track what works for your flour and environment.[1][4]
💡 Use appropriate handling for high hydration
For 72%+ consider stretch-and-fold or slap-and-fold to build strength without adding flour. Tools like a dough scraper make handling wet doughs manageable; a Dutch oven or cast iron pot helps with oven spring when baking wet doughs.[3][5]
💡 Proofing and support
Very wet dough benefits from a banneton proofing basket or a well-floured couche to hold shape. For very high hydration ryes or wholegrain blends, reduce hydration slightly or increase folds to improve structure.[4][7]
💡 Temperature and season
Dough temperature alters perceived hydration — warmer doughs feel slacker and ferment faster. Adjust water to hit your target dough temperature and remember seasonal humidity changes; track adjustments and results.[3][5]
💡 Scale and conversions
Use digital units and a kitchen scale rather than volume. If you convert recipes, include starter hydration and any added liquids (milk, oil) in your total water calculation.[3][4][5]
Sources
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[1]
Sourdough.co.uk – Sourdough Hydration Calculator (en) – Link
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[2]
That Sourdough Gal – Sourdough Baker's Percentage & Hydration Level Calculator (en) – Link
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[3]
BreadCalc – Bread Hydration and Conversion Calculator (en) – Link
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[4]
SourdoughCalculator.info – Simple Sourdough Calculator for the Home Baker (en) – Link
-
[5]
Sourdough Hydration Calc App – Sourdough Calculator – Free Hydration & Scaling Tool (en) – Link
-
[6]
Reddit /r/Sourdough – Sourdough Hydration for Beginners: Easy Explanation (en) – Link
-
[7]
Sourdough Cravings – Sauerteig-Hydrationsrechner (de) – Link
-
[8]
Pantry Mama / Plötzblog – Sauerteig Rechner - Hydration und Bäckerprozente (de) – Link