Sourdough Hydration Calculator
Quickly find the perfect balance of flour and water for your sourdough.
How Sourdough Hydration Calculator Works
Sourdough hydration measures the percentage of water to flour in your dough - it's the key to getting the texture you want. Whether you're calculating hydration percentage or figuring out how much water to add, this tool does the math for you.
The calculator works both ways: enter your flour and water amounts to see the hydration percentage, or enter your flour amount and desired hydration level to find out exactly how much water you need. It's that simple.
Different hydration levels create different textures in your bread. Lower hydration (60-70%) gives you a firmer, denser crumb that's perfect for sandwiches. Higher hydration (75-80%+) creates those beautiful open holes and airy texture that sourdough is famous for.
Understanding hydration helps you troubleshoot your bread, adapt recipes to different flours, and nail that perfect texture every time. It's basically the secret to consistent, amazing sourdough.
Sourdough Hydration Calculator Formula Breakdown
Formula
Hydration percentage = (Water amount ÷ Flour amount) × 100
Water amount = (Desired hydration percentage ÷ 100) × Flour amountVariables Explained
- FlourThe total amount of flour in your recipe, measured in grams. This includes all types of flour you're using - bread flour, all-purpose, whole wheat, etc. If you're using a sourdough starter, include the flour from your starter in this total as well.
- WaterThe total amount of water in your recipe, measured in grams. This includes any water from your sourdough starter if you're using one. Don't include other liquids like milk or oil - just straight water.
- Desired hydrationThe hydration percentage you want to achieve, expressed as a number between 0 and 100. Most sourdough recipes fall between 65-80%, with 70-75% being a good starting point for beginners.
Example Calculation
Given:
- Flour: 1,000g
- Desired hydration: 68%
Calculation:
Water needed = (68 ÷ 100) × 1,000g = 0.68 × 1,000g = 680gResult:
680gExplanation
This example shows how to calculate water needed for a moderate 68% hydration sourdough. This hydration level creates a dough that's manageable to work with while still producing good texture and crumb structure - perfect for everyday baking.
Tips for Using Sourdough Hydration Calculator
- 💡Include your sourdough starter's flour and water in your calculations - a 100g starter at 100% hydration adds 50g flour and 50g water to your totals.
- 💡Start with lower hydration (65-70%) if you're new to sourdough, then gradually increase as you get comfortable handling stickier doughs.
- 💡Whole grain flours absorb more water than white flours, so you may need to increase hydration by 5-10% when substituting whole wheat or rye flour.
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