Sourdough hydration calculator

Hydration is the weight of water in a dough as a percentage of the flour. Enter your flour and water below to get the percentage, or set a target hydration to find the water you need. A 1000 g flour dough with 750 g water is 75 percent hydration.

Hydration75%
Water for that flour400 g

What hydration means for your bread

Higher hydration gives a more open, airy crumb, but the dough is slacker and harder to handle. Lower hydration is easier to shape and gives a tighter crumb. Most beginner sourdough sits around 70 to 75 percent. As your handling improves, many bakers move toward 78 to 85 percent for a more open crumb.

How to use the calculator

Weigh your flour and water in grams and enter both to read the hydration. To hit a specific number, set the target hydration and the calculator tells you how much water to add for your flour weight. Baker’s percentages are unit free, so the result holds whether you weigh in grams or ounces, as long as both use the same unit.

A quick reference

HydrationWhat to expect
65 to 70%Firm, easy to shape, tighter crumb. Good for sandwich loaves.
72 to 78%The common range for a country loaf. A balanced, open crumb.
80%+Slack and sticky, a very open crumb. Rewards good technique.

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