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Hydration is total water weight divided by total flour weight, expressed as a percentage. All ingredients are scaled relative to flour at 100%.
Hydration % = (Total water / Total flour) × 100Add flour and water from levain, poolish, or biga to totals. A 100% hydration starter contributes equal flour and water — 100g starter adds 50g flour and 50g water.
Total flour = Main flour + Preferment flourEggs count as ~75% water, butter ~16%, honey as water. Milk is ~87% water. Include these in total water for accurate enriched dough hydration.
Updated: July 2026
500g bread flour + 375g water + 100g active starter (50g flour, 50g water) = 75% hydration (425g water / 550g flour × 100).
1000g flour, 650g water, 20g salt, 4g yeast. Lower hydration gives tighter crumb and easier shaping for thin crispy loaves.
500g flour, 100g water, 250g eggs (~188g water), 200g butter (~32g water). Total water 320g / 500g flour = 64% effective hydration with enriched handling.
Hydration requires weight. A cup of flour varies 30g between scoops. Use grams for flour and water; volume conversions produce inconsistent hydration.
100g of 100% starter contains 50g flour and 50g water. Omitting preferment ingredients makes a "75% hydration" dough actually much wetter than intended.
Hydration percentage defines how much water a dough contains relative to flour weight, and it controls crumb openness, handling, and bake result. This calculator computes total hydration including preferments and added ingredients for any bread formula.