Hydration & baker's percentage calculator
Baker's percentage expresses every ingredient as a share of the flour weight, which is why a recipe written that way scales to any batch size without falling apart. Set your flour weight and the hydration you are aiming for, and the rest follows.
How it works
What hydration actually means
Hydration is water weight divided by flour weight. A 1000 g flour dough at 70% hydration takes 700 g of water. Higher hydration gives a more open crumb and a slacker, stickier dough; lower hydration is easier to shape but tighter in the crumb.
Where to start
For a first sourdough loaf, 65–70% hydration is forgiving. Rye absorbs more water than wheat, so the same percentage will feel drier. Whole grain flours also drink more than white. Salt normally sits at 1.8–2.2% of flour weight, and a levain at 15–25%.
Counting the starter
A 100% hydration starter is half flour and half water, so at high levain percentages it shifts the real hydration of the finished dough. This calculator reports the levain separately so you can see its weight rather than hiding it inside the flour figure.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my dough feel wetter than the percentage suggests?
Flours absorb differently. The same 75% hydration is manageable with a strong bread flour and unworkable with a weak all-purpose one. Hold back 5% of the water, mix, and add the rest only if the dough will take it.
Does the water in my starter count towards hydration?
Strictly, yes — total dough hydration includes the flour and water inside the levain. Most recipes quote hydration on the final dough only. Use one convention consistently and your loaves will be repeatable.
How much salt should I use?
Between 1.8% and 2.2% of the flour weight for most breads. Below 1.5% the dough slackens and ferments too fast; above 2.5% fermentation slows noticeably and the loaf tastes salty.
Learn this properly
A calculator gets the numbers right. Getting the result right is a craft — our chefs teach it step by step, with feedback on your own bakes.
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