Bread hydration calculator

Hydration levels by bread type

Water as a percentage of flour weight:

• 55 to 60 percent: bagels and pretzels, a stiff dough
• 60 to 65 percent: sandwich bread and dinner rolls
• 65 to 70 percent: most everyday loaves
• 70 to 75 percent: rustic and sourdough loaves
• 75 to 85 percent: ciabatta and high-hydration breads
• Salt is usually 1.8 to 2.2 percent of the flour
• Instant yeast is usually 0.5 to 1.5 percent of the flour

How baker's percentages work

In baker's percentages, the flour is always 100 percent and every other ingredient is measured against it. Water at 70 percent means 70 grams of water for every 100 grams of flour. Salt at 2 percent means 2 grams per 100 grams of flour.

This system makes a recipe easy to scale. Double the flour and every other amount doubles with it. It also makes two recipes easy to compare: their percentages line up even when the batch sizes do not. The tool above does the multiplication for you.

Hydration is a starting point

The right hydration depends on your flour. Bread flour and whole wheat flour absorb more water than all-purpose flour, so the same percentage feels wetter or drier depending on what you use. Whole grain doughs often need 5 percent more water than the chart suggests.

Humidity and flour age also shift how the dough feels. Trust the dough over the number: if a 70 percent dough feels too slack, hold back a little water next time; if it feels tight, add a little.

Higher hydration makes an airier, more open crumb but a stickier dough that is harder to handle. If you are new to bread, start at the lower end of the range for your bread type and raise the hydration as you get comfortable.

Why bread is weighed, not scooped

Baker's percentages only work with weight. A cup of flour varies by 10 to 25 percent depending on how it was scooped, which would throw the hydration off completely. Every serious bread recipe is written in grams, and a kitchen scale is the one tool a bread baker cannot skip.

Common bread hydration mistakes

• Measuring flour or water by volume. Baker's percentages need weight; a cup of flour is too inconsistent.
• Chasing a high hydration too early. A wet dough is harder to shape; build the skill at a moderate hydration first.
• Ignoring the flour type. Whole wheat and bread flour drink more water than all-purpose; the same percentage behaves differently.
• Adding all the water at once with a new flour. Hold back a little, mix, and add the rest only if the dough needs it.

FAQ

What is dough hydration?

Hydration is the weight of the water in a dough as a percentage of the flour weight. A 70 percent hydration dough has 70 grams of water for every 100 grams of flour.

What hydration should bread dough be?

Most everyday loaves are 65 to 70 percent. Sandwich bread is lower, around 60 to 65 percent; rustic and sourdough loaves are higher, 70 to 75 percent or more.

How do I calculate hydration?

Divide the water weight by the flour weight and multiply by 100. 350 grams of water with 500 grams of flour is 70 percent hydration. The tool above does this for any amounts.

How much salt goes in bread dough?

About 2 percent of the flour weight, so 10 grams of salt for 500 grams of flour. The usual range is 1.8 to 2.2 percent.

Does hydration include the water in a sourdough starter?

For an exact figure, yes; the starter carries both flour and water, and serious bakers account for both. This calculator handles the straight dough; for sourdough, add the starter's flour and water into the totals.

Related tools and guides

• Yeast converter
• Cups to grams
• Why bakers weigh ingredients
• All calculators

Where baker's percentages come from

Baker's percentage, also called baker's math, is the standard system used in professional bakeries and bread references worldwide. Flour is set to 100 percent and every ingredient is expressed against it, which keeps a formula consistent at any batch size.