Bread Hydration and Baker's Percentage Calculator
Work out the true hydration of your dough.
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Bread Hydration and Baker's Percentage Calculator by TheCalcTools
How the Bread Hydration and Baker's Percentage Calculator works
Enter the flour and water you add, the starter weight and its hydration, and the salt percentage.
A starter contributes both flour and water; the calculator splits it according to its hydration.
Hydration is total water divided by total flour.
The formula
Worked example
Using the default values shown in the calculator:
| Flour (g) | 500 |
|---|---|
| Water (g) | 350 |
| Starter (g) | 100 |
| Starter hydration (%) | 100 |
| Salt (% of total flour) | 2 |
- The 100 g starter at 100% hydration holds 50 g flour and 50 g water.
- Total flour = 550 g and total water = 400 g.
- Hydration = 72.7%, and 2% salt is 11.0 g.
Result:
| Dough hydration | 72.7% |
|---|---|
| Total flour (g) | 550 |
| Total water (g) | 400 |
| Salt (g) | 11.0 |
| Total dough weight (g) | 961 |
Frequently asked questions
What is a typical hydration?
Sandwich loaves are about 60–65%, many artisan breads 70–80% and ciabatta 80% or more. Higher hydration gives a more open crumb but a stickier dough.
What is a baker's percentage?
Each ingredient is expressed as a percentage of the total flour weight, which makes recipes easy to scale.
Sources and further reading
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This calculator gives general estimates for information and education. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Talk to a qualified health professional about your own situation. See our disclaimer.