What is bread hydration?

Bread hydration is the ratio of water to flour in dough, almost always written as baker’s percentage: (weight of water ÷ weight of flour) × 100. For example, 350 g water and 500 g flour is 70% hydration. It strongly affects dough feel, crumb, and how much the loaf expands.

What is baker’s percentage?

In baking, baker’s percentage (baker’s math) expresses every ingredient as a percentage of the flour weight, where flour is always 100%. Water at 70% means 0.7 times the flour weight in water. Salt, yeast, and oil are often 1–2%, 0.5–1%, and a few percent respectively, also relative to flour.

What hydration should I use for sandwich bread?

Many sandwich and pan loaves use roughly 60–68% hydration for manageable dough and a softer crumb. Exact needs vary with flour type, mixing method, and added fat or milk.

What hydration is typical for artisan or sourdough bread?

Rustic artisan and many sourdough formulas often fall around 70–80% hydration or higher. Very wet doughs can exceed 80% for open crumb, but they are harder to shape until you are comfortable with sticky dough.

Does this calculator include starter or preferment water?

This tool only totals the main flour and water you enter. If you use a preferment, poolish, or levain, add its flour and water into your totals (or subtract those amounts from the main mix) so the overall recipe matches the hydration you want.

Can I use cups instead of weight?

For accuracy, weight (grams or ounces) is best because cup measures of flour vary. This calculator accepts US cups and fluid ounces for water, and weight units for flour. If you only have cups for flour, convert using a scale when possible, or use our grams-to-cups converter for an estimate.

How do I calculate hydration from flour and water?

Convert flour and water to the same mass unit (grams is easiest), then divide water by flour and multiply by 100. Example: 350 g water ÷ 500 g flour = 0.7 → 70% hydration.

How much water do I need for a target hydration?

Multiply flour weight by (target hydration ÷ 100). Example: 500 g flour at 72% hydration needs 500 × 0.72 = 360 g water.

Is hydration the same as total dough hydration including eggs or milk?

Strict baker’s percentage for “hydration” usually counts water only. Eggs, milk, honey, and butter add liquid and fat that change dough behavior but are not normally lumped into the simple water ÷ flour hydration number. Advanced recipes sometimes estimate a “total hydration” from all liquids.

Why does my dough feel different at the same hydration as a recipe?

Flour absorption, brand, protein content, autolyse, salt timing, and mixing all change how wet the dough feels. Use hydration as a starting point and adjust based on handling and crumb you want.

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Baking Tool

Bread Hydration Calculator - Baker’s Percentage & Dough Hydration

Free bread hydration calculator and baker’s percentage calculator. Find your dough hydration from flour and water weights, or enter a target hydration to see how much water to use. Ideal for sandwich bread, pizza dough, and artisan loaves.

Last updated: April 12, 2026

Hydration % from flour + water

Water needed for a target baker’s %

Grams, kg, lb, oz, ml, cups, fl oz

Need a custom calculator for your baking brand or course? Get a Quote

Bread Hydration Calculator

Baker’s percentage: water weight as a percent of flour weight

What to calculate

Flour

Flour unit

Water

Water unit

Results

Hydration (baker’s %)

70%

Flour (grams)

500 g

Water (grams)

350 g

Summary

Your dough is about 70% hydration (baker’s percentage).

Steps

Convert flour to grams: 500 g → 500 g
Convert water to grams: 350 g → 350 g
Hydration % = (water ÷ flour) × 100 = (350 ÷ 500) × 100
Result: 70% hydration

Baker’s percentage

Hydration % = (weight of water ÷ weight of flour) × 100. Other ingredients (salt, fat, preferment) are usually calculated the same way as a percent of flour. This tool only covers flour and water.

Bread Hydration Calculator Uses

Dough Hydration Calculator

Turn flour and water weights into hydration %

You enter

Flour + water

Compare your formula to recipe targets and learn how wet your dough is.

Baker’s Percentage Calculator

Express water as a percent of flour

Standard rule

Water ÷ flour × 100

Matches how professional formulas scale and how blogs specify hydration.

Pizza Dough Hydration Helper

Hit common pizza dough hydration ranges

Typical range

~60–70%+

Neapolitan-style doughs are often wetter; adjust for your flour and oven.

Sourdough & Artisan Hydration

Higher hydration for open crumb

Often seen

70–85%

Combine this tool with your levain flour and water for total recipe math.

Water-from-Target Mode

Scale water when flour amount changes

Formula

Flour × ( % ÷ 100 )

Keep the same hydration when you double or halve a dough batch.

Unit Conversion for Bakers

Mix metric and US liquid measures

Water units

g, ml, cup, fl oz

Flour in grams, kg, ounces, or pounds—converted consistently to grams under the hood.

Quick Example Result

500 g flour and 350 g water (default in the calculator):

Hydration

70%

How Our Bread Hydration Calculator Works

Our calculator uses standard baker’s percentage: flour is the reference (100%), and water is expressed as a percentage of that flour weight. This is the same convention used in bread books, bakery formulas, and most online recipes when they say “70% hydration.”

Core formulas

Hydration % = (water weight ÷ flour weight) × 100
Water needed = flour weight × (hydration % ÷ 100)

We convert your flour and water inputs to grams first so mixed units (cups, fl oz, pounds) still produce one consistent hydration number.

Hydration affects stretch, oven spring, and crumb

Higher hydration usually means a more open crumb and trickier shaping until you build technique.

Why weight beats volume

A “cup” of flour can weigh anywhere from about 120 g to 150 g depending on how you scoop. That swing alone can change hydration by several percentage points. For repeatable bread, weigh flour and water.

Lower hydration (roughly 55–65%): easier handling, tighter crumb—common in soft sandwich loaves.
Medium hydration (about 65–75%): versatile for many yeasted artisan breads.
Higher hydration (75%+): wetter dough, often used for ciabatta-style and some sourdough.
Preferments add flour and water; include them in totals for true recipe hydration.

Sources & references

Flour Water Salt Yeast — Ken ForkishClear use of baker’s percentage for bread formulas.
Tartine Bread — Chad RobertsonHigh-hydration artisan dough workflow and shaping notes.
King Arthur Baking — Baker’s percentage and hydration guidesPractical tips for home bakers scaling recipes.

Also try our yeast converter and grams to cups converter for recipe prep.

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Bread Hydration Calculator Examples

Example: 72% hydration with 1 kg flour

Target hydration mode — find water in grams

Inputs:

Flour: 1 kg (1000 g)
Target hydration: 72%

Steps:

Water = 1000 g × (72 ÷ 100) = 720 g
Check dough feel; adjust slightly for flour absorption

Result: use 720 g water for 72% hydration

Add salt, yeast, and fat separately using their own baker’s percentages.

Example: hydration from weights

400 g flour, 260 g water

260 ÷ 400 = 65% hydration

Example: water in cups

500 g flour at 68% hydration

340 g water ≈ 1.44 US cups

Frequently Asked Questions

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Baking Tool

Bread Hydration Calculator - Baker’s Percentage & Dough Hydration

Last updated: April 12, 2026

Hydration % from flour + water

Water needed for a target baker’s %

Grams, kg, lb, oz, ml, cups, fl oz

Need a custom calculator for your baking brand or course? Get a Quote

Bread Hydration Calculator

Baker’s percentage: water weight as a percent of flour weight

What to calculate

Flour

Flour unit

Water

Water unit

Results

Hydration (baker’s %)

70%

Flour (grams)

500 g

Water (grams)

350 g

Summary

Your dough is about 70% hydration (baker’s percentage).

Steps

Convert flour to grams: 500 g → 500 g
Convert water to grams: 350 g → 350 g
Hydration % = (water ÷ flour) × 100 = (350 ÷ 500) × 100
Result: 70% hydration

Baker’s percentage

Hydration % = (weight of water ÷ weight of flour) × 100. Other ingredients (salt, fat, preferment) are usually calculated the same way as a percent of flour. This tool only covers flour and water.

Bread Hydration Calculator Uses

Dough Hydration Calculator

Turn flour and water weights into hydration %

You enter

Flour + water

Compare your formula to recipe targets and learn how wet your dough is.

Baker’s Percentage Calculator

Express water as a percent of flour

Standard rule

Water ÷ flour × 100

Matches how professional formulas scale and how blogs specify hydration.

Pizza Dough Hydration Helper

Hit common pizza dough hydration ranges

Typical range

~60–70%+

Neapolitan-style doughs are often wetter; adjust for your flour and oven.

Sourdough & Artisan Hydration

Higher hydration for open crumb

Often seen

70–85%

Combine this tool with your levain flour and water for total recipe math.

Water-from-Target Mode

Scale water when flour amount changes

Formula

Flour × ( % ÷ 100 )

Keep the same hydration when you double or halve a dough batch.

Unit Conversion for Bakers

Mix metric and US liquid measures

Water units

g, ml, cup, fl oz

Flour in grams, kg, ounces, or pounds—converted consistently to grams under the hood.

Quick Example Result

500 g flour and 350 g water (default in the calculator):

Hydration

70%

How Our Bread Hydration Calculator Works

Core formulas

Hydration % = (water weight ÷ flour weight) × 100
Water needed = flour weight × (hydration % ÷ 100)

We convert your flour and water inputs to grams first so mixed units (cups, fl oz, pounds) still produce one consistent hydration number.

Hydration affects stretch, oven spring, and crumb

Higher hydration usually means a more open crumb and trickier shaping until you build technique.

Why weight beats volume

Lower hydration (roughly 55–65%): easier handling, tighter crumb—common in soft sandwich loaves.
Medium hydration (about 65–75%): versatile for many yeasted artisan breads.
Higher hydration (75%+): wetter dough, often used for ciabatta-style and some sourdough.
Preferments add flour and water; include them in totals for true recipe hydration.

Sources & references

Flour Water Salt Yeast — Ken ForkishClear use of baker’s percentage for bread formulas.
Tartine Bread — Chad RobertsonHigh-hydration artisan dough workflow and shaping notes.
King Arthur Baking — Baker’s percentage and hydration guidesPractical tips for home bakers scaling recipes.