Hydration is the single number that changes everything about how your dough feels, how it’s shaped, and what kind of crumb you get. This calculator gives you your precise hydration percentage based on your actual flour, water, and starter weights — including the flour and water locked inside your starter, which most recipes ignore. Enter your weights below and get your number instantly.
Hydration Calculator
Calculate your precise hydration percentage — including the flour and water inside your starter — and see how your flour type changes the way it actually behaves.
Assumes 100% hydration starter (equal parts flour and water).
How to Use This Calculator
You only need three numbers: your flour weight, your water weight, and your starter weight. If you are not sure what to enter, use the weights from your recipe before you mix anything.
Flour Weight
Enter the total weight of flour in your recipe — not including the flour inside your starter. If your recipe calls for 500g of bread flour, enter 500. If you are mixing flour types, add them together and enter the total.
Water Weight
Enter the water you add directly to the dough — again, not including the water inside your starter. If your recipe calls for 350g of water, enter 350. Some bakers hold back 20–30g to dissolve their salt separately — include that amount here.
Starter Weight
Enter the total weight of active starter you will add to the dough. The calculator automatically accounts for the flour and water inside it using a standard 100% hydration starter assumption (equal weights of flour and water). If your starter is a different hydration, tick the advanced option to enter your exact starter hydration.
Reading Your Results
Your overall hydration percentage is the main output. Below it you will see your true flour and water totals (including what is inside your starter), which is useful for scaling and for comparing your recipe against others accurately. The dough feel guide tells you what to expect at your hydration level when you first mix.
What Your Hydration Percentage Actually Means
Hydration is not just a technical number — it is a predictor of how your dough will behave at every stage of the bake. Here is what to expect at each level:
60–65% — Firm and Forgiving
Stiff dough that is easy to handle and shape. The crumb will be tight and uniform. This is the best starting point for beginners, for sandwich loaves, and for anyone who finds wet dough frustrating. Less oven spring than higher hydrations, but very consistent results.
68–72% — The Classic Sourdough Range
Soft, slightly tacky dough with good structure. This is where most everyday sourdough recipes land for good reason — it produces an open, classic crumb without requiring advanced shaping skills. If you are not sure where to start, begin here.
73–78% — Open Crumb Territory
Sticky dough that requires wet hands, confident shaping, and good gluten development from stretch and folds. The reward is a very open, irregular crumb with large holes. Do not attempt this range until you are comfortable at 70–72% first.
79–85%+ — Expert Level
Slack, almost pourable dough. Requires coil folds instead of stretch and folds, shaping straight from the fridge, and significant experience reading dough. Produces ciabatta-style crumb with large, uneven holes. Not recommended until you have baked 20–30 loaves at lower hydrations.
For a deeper explanation of how to adjust hydration for your flour type and conditions, read our full sourdough hydration guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my starter hydration affect the calculation?
Yes, and most calculators ignore this. If you use a 100% hydration starter (equal weights flour and water), half of your starter weight is flour and half is water. For 100g of starter, that’s 50g flour and 50g water hidden inside it. This calculator includes those in your true totals, which matters when comparing recipes or troubleshooting dough that feels wetter or drier than expected.
What hydration should a beginner sourdough baker use?
Start at 68–70%. It is soft enough to develop good gluten through stretch and folds, but firm enough to shape without frustration. Once you can consistently produce a good loaf at this hydration, move up to 72–74% and notice what changes. Jumping straight to 80% is one of the most common reasons beginners give up on sourdough.
Why does my dough feel wetter than the hydration suggests?
Several reasons: your flour absorbs water differently than the recipe writer’s flour (whole grain and lower-protein flours absorb more slowly), your kitchen temperature affects how the gluten behaves, and newly mixed dough always feels wetter than it will after autolyse and the first set of stretch and folds. Give it 30–45 minutes before deciding it needs more flour.
Should I use the same hydration for whole wheat as for white flour?
No — whole wheat absorbs significantly more water because the bran particles soak it up slowly. If you switch from white to whole wheat at the same hydration, your dough will feel firmer at first then become wetter as the bran absorbs moisture over time. As a starting point, add 5% extra hydration for every 20% whole wheat in your blend.
What is the difference between hydration and inoculation?
Hydration measures the ratio of water to flour. Inoculation measures the ratio of starter to flour. They are independent variables — you can have high hydration with low inoculation or low hydration with high inoculation. Both affect your results, but in different ways. Hydration controls dough feel and crumb structure. Inoculation controls fermentation speed. Use our Bake Planner to dial in both at once.