How to Use the Dough Hydration Calculator
Dough hydration is the weight of water (or other liquid ingredients) expressed as a percentage of flour weight, and it's one of the most fundamental measurements in baking. Under the baker's percentage system, flour weight is always treated as 100%, and every other ingredient — starting with water — is calculated relative to it. That makes it possible to compare the moisture character of a recipe consistently, no matter how large or small the batch. This calculator takes your flour and water weights and instantly returns the exact hydration percentage.
Hydration level has a major effect on what kind of bread and texture you end up with. Under 60% hydration suits chewy, dense doughs like bagels. The 60-75% range covers most standard breads, including sandwich loaves and baguettes. Moving up to 75-85% produces the large, open crumb and moist texture of ciabatta and focaccia, while pushing past 85% gets into very high hydration territory — harder to handle, but essential for the signature chewy, open crumb of artisan sourdough.
For an accurate number, add up every liquid ingredient in the dough, not just plain water — milk, eggs (about 75% water by weight), and any liquid fats should all be included in your water total. If you're new to baking, practicing in the 60-70% hydration range is a good starting point before working your way up to wetter, more advanced doughs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Baking uses a system called baker's percentage, where flour weight is always set to 100% and every other ingredient is expressed relative to it. This lets you compare a recipe's moisture ratio consistently no matter how large or small the batch is.
For an accurate hydration number, add up the weight of every liquid ingredient in the dough — not just water, but milk, eggs (about 75% water by weight), and any liquid fats — and enter that combined total as your water weight.