Calculate the exact hydration percentage of your bread dough with our free tool. Perfect for bakers looking to control texture and crumb for artisan breads.
Quick Add Flours
70.0%
Total Flour Weight
500 g
Total Liquid Weight
350 g
Hydration is the single most important factor in bread baking. It determines whether you get a dense, tight crumb (low hydration) or an open, airy structure with large irregular holes (high hydration). Sourdough bakers often aim for 75% to 85% hydration for that perfect artisan loaf. Our calculator accounts for all liquid sources—including milk, eggs, and honey—to give you the true hydration percentage of your dough.
Start with 65% to 70%. This dough is tacky but manageable.
Hydration is the single most important factor determining crumb structure, crust, and ease of handling in bread making.
Hydration is simply the weight of liquids divided by the weight of flour. A 70% hydration means 70g water for 100g flour.
Whole wheat and rye flours absorb more water than bread flour. A recipe that feels perfect at 75% hydration with white flour might feel stiff with whole wheat.
If you add liquid ingredients like honey, milk, or purees, these factor into the total hydration of the dough.
Expert answers for managing wet doughs.