Sourdough Hydration: What the Percentage Really Tells You
Hydration sounds technical, but it is just water divided by flour. Knowing it explains why one dough feels firm and another feels like it is fighting back.
What is the Sourdough Hydration Calculator?
Hydration is water as a percentage of flour, and it shapes how sticky a dough feels and how open the crumb bakes. This calculator includes the flour and water inside your starter, so the figure reflects the whole dough rather than only the added water. Higher hydration doughs are softer but harder to handle.
How to use it
- Enter flour and added water in grams.
- Enter starter weight and its hydration.
- Click Calculate Hydration for the whole-dough figure.
Worked example
500 g flour, 350 g water, and 100 g of 100 percent hydration starter give 550 g total flour and 400 g total water, a hydration of about 72.73 percent, classed as soft and slightly sticky.
What hydration is 500 g flour with 350 g water and 100 g starter?
About 72.73 percent, once the starter's own flour and water are counted, which the tool classes as soft and slightly sticky.
Frequently asked questions
Should beginners start high or low?
Low to mid, around 65 to 70 percent. The dough is easier to shape and less likely to spread.
Does starter hydration matter?
Yes. A 100 percent hydration starter is half flour and half water, and ignoring it understates the true hydration.