Master baker's percentages for perfect dough every time
Bread hydration is the ratio of water to flour in your dough, expressed as a percentage. This is a fundamental concept in baker's math that determines the texture, crumb structure, and handling characteristics of your bread.
The hydration percentage is calculated as: (Water Weight ÷ Flour Weight) × 100
In baker's percentages, flour is always considered 100%, and all other ingredients are expressed as a percentage of the flour weight. This makes it easy to scale recipes up or down while maintaining the same dough characteristics.
Enter the weight of your flour and water (and optionally salt and starter) to calculate the hydration percentage and baker's ratios. The calculator will show you what type of bread your dough is best suited for.
Enter your flour weight and desired hydration percentage to calculate exactly how much water you need to add. Perfect for following recipes or experimenting with different hydration levels.
Click any preset button to instantly set your flour and water amounts to match common bread types. These presets use 500g of flour as a base.
50-57% (Low Hydration)
Very stiff dough. Used for bagels, pretzels, and some sandwich breads. Easy to handle, dense crumb structure.
58-65% (Medium-Low Hydration)
Firm dough. Common for pizza dough, pita bread, and many lean breads. Good structure with moderate crumb openness.
65-75% (Medium Hydration)
Standard dough. Ideal for most sourdough loaves, country breads, and artisan breads. Balanced handling with open crumb potential.
75-85% (High Hydration)
Wet, sticky dough. Used for ciabatta, focaccia, and some rustic breads. Requires gentle handling, produces very open crumb with large holes.
85%+ (Very High Hydration)
Extremely wet, batter-like dough. Used for some specialty breads and no-knead methods. Very difficult to handle but creates extremely open crumb.
Baker's percentages express all ingredients as a percentage of the total flour weight:
Baker's percentages make it incredibly easy to:
If you use sourdough starter, remember that it contains both flour and water (usually at 100% hydration). This affects your overall dough hydration. This calculator lets you input your total water separately from starter for accurate calculations.
Different flour types absorb water differently. Whole wheat flour absorbs more water than white flour, so you may need to adjust hydration by 5-10% when substituting flours.
High hydration doughs (75%+) require practice to handle. Start with 65-70% hydration until you're comfortable with shaping and handling sticky dough.
Always weigh your ingredients in grams for accuracy. Volume measurements (cups, tablespoons) are too inconsistent for baker's percentages to work properly.
Most sourdough breads work well at 70-75% hydration. Beginners should start at 65-70% for easier handling, while experienced bakers often work with 75-80% for more open crumb structure.
High hydration doughs are naturally sticky. Use wet hands, gentle folding techniques, and adequate resting time. If it's unmanageably sticky, your hydration may be too high for your flour type or skill level.
Yes! Keep your flour weight the same and adjust water to reach your target hydration percentage. Remember that this will change the dough's handling characteristics and final texture.
Yes, but this calculator is designed to work with your total water added separately. If your starter is at 100% hydration (equal parts flour and water), half its weight is water that contributes to overall hydration.
Most pizza doughs work well at 60-65% hydration. Neapolitan-style pizza is often at 55-60%, while New York style may go up to 65-70%.
Baker's percentages make scaling trivial and help you understand the relationship between ingredients. Once you know a formula works (like 70% hydration, 2% salt, 20% starter), you can make any batch size without recalculating ratios.