Sourdough Hydration Calculator
Enter your flour, water and starter to find the true hydration. The flour and water inside the starter are counted too.
Your details
Result
Dough hydration
72.7%
Standard hydration
- Total flour
- 550 g
- Total water
- 400 g
- Starter (baker's %)
- 18.2%
- Most sourdough sits between 65% and 80% hydration. Higher is wetter and harder to shape.
Good to know: Most sourdough sits between 65% and 80% hydration. Higher is wetter and harder to shape.
About this tool
Calculate the hydration (water as a percentage of flour) of your sourdough dough, including the flour and water contributed by your starter.
Formula
hydration % = total water ÷ total flour × 100. Starter at h% hydration contributes flour = starter × 100 ÷ (100 + h) and water = starter × h ÷ (100 + h).
Reference values
- 100% hydration starter = equal flour & water
- Typical dough: 65–75% hydration
- Ciabatta-style: 80%+ hydration
Questions people ask
What is dough hydration?
The weight of water divided by the weight of flour, shown as a percentage.
How do I count the starter?
A 100% hydration starter is half flour and half water, so half its weight is added to each side.
What hydration should a beginner use?
Around 65–70%, which is easier to handle.
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How we calculate this
We use the standard published formula or definition for this calculation, and we show the working so you can check it.
Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we'll check it. How we check our calculators