Calculator form
Use grams for the cleanest baking math and repeatable results.
Preview graph
The chart becomes your live recipe comparison after submission.
Summary table
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Flour | 575 g |
| Total Water | 415 g |
| Overall Hydration | 72.17 % |
| Total Dough Weight | 1002 g |
| Dough Feel | Balanced everyday dough |
Baker percentage table
| Ingredient | Grams | Baker % |
|---|---|---|
| Total Flour | 575 g | 100 % |
| Total Water | 415 g | 72.17 % |
| Salt | 10 g | 1.74 % |
| Yeast | 2 g | 0.35 % |
| Sugar | 0 g | 0 % |
| Oil | 0 g | 0 % |
Example data table
| Recipe | Flour (g) | Water (g) | Salt (g) | Yeast (g) | Hydration % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandwich Loaf | 500 | 325 | 10 | 5 | 65 |
| Pan Pizza Dough | 600 | 420 | 12 | 4 | 70 |
| Artisan Boule | 500 | 375 | 10 | 2 | 75 |
| Focaccia | 700 | 560 | 14 | 4 | 80 |
Formula used
Hydration % = (Total Water ÷ Total Flour) × 100
Total flour includes base flour, starter flour, and preferment flour. Total water includes base water, starter water, and preferment water.
Starter Flour = Starter Weight ÷ (1 + Starter Hydration ÷ 100)
Starter Water = Starter Weight − Starter Flour
Baker % = Ingredient Weight ÷ Total Flour × 100
Scaling Factor = Target Dough Weight ÷ Current Dough Weight
How to use this calculator
- Enter your recipe name for cleaner exports.
- Add base flour and base water in grams.
- Include starter weight and its hydration percentage.
- Add preferment flour and water only if used.
- Enter salt, yeast, sugar, and oil amounts.
- Set a target hydration and target dough weight.
- Press Calculate Hydration to see results above the form.
- Use the CSV or PDF buttons to save your output.
FAQs
1) What does hydration mean in baking?
Hydration is the percentage of water compared with total flour. Higher hydration usually creates wetter dough, larger holes, and a more open crumb. Lower hydration often makes dough firmer, easier to shape, and slightly tighter in texture.
2) Why should starter be split into flour and water?
Starter is not just one ingredient. It contains both flour and water, so counting it as a single number hides the true hydration. Splitting it improves sourdough accuracy, scaling, and baker percentage calculations.
3) What hydration works well for sandwich bread?
Many sandwich loaves sit around 60% to 68% hydration, depending on flour strength, fat, sugar, and mixing style. Softer enriched doughs can feel manageable even when numbers look slightly higher because fat changes handling.
4) Is pizza dough hydration different from loaf hydration?
Yes. Pizza dough often ranges from about 58% to 75%, depending on style, bake temperature, and flour. Neapolitan styles can run higher, while some home-oven doughs stay lower for easier stretching and handling.
5) Can I use this for sourdough and preferments?
Yes. Enter starter weight with its hydration, then add any extra preferment flour and water. The calculator combines everything into total flour and total water, so your final hydration stays realistic and consistent.
6) Why does my dough feel wetter than the percentage suggests?
Flour type, bran level, protein strength, temperature, mixing, and rest time change dough feel. Whole grain flour absorbs more water, while warm dough can feel looser. Hydration is useful, but handling still depends on ingredients and technique.
7) Does salt count toward hydration?
No. Hydration compares water to flour only. Salt affects dough strength, fermentation, and flavor, but it is usually tracked separately as baker percentage rather than being included in the hydration numerator.
8) How do I scale a recipe without changing hydration?
Scale every ingredient by the same factor. When flour, water, starter, salt, and other ingredients all rise together, the baker percentages stay unchanged. That keeps dough behavior much closer to the original batch.