Sourdough Hydration
Check hydration and expected crumb style of a sourdough.
About Sourdough Hydration
Dividing water by flour gives hydration, a number that predicts how open or tight the finished crumb will be. Sourdough recipes are discussed by hydration because it is the main lever on crumb, crust and handling.
Formula
Sourdough Hydration
Hydration = water / flour x 100
- hydration
- Water expressed as a percentage of flour weight
Worked example
With the default values below, Sourdough Hydration returns Hydration of 68.0%. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Flourminimum 1 g
- 500 g
- Waterminimum 0 g
- 340 g
Results
- Hydration
- 68.0%
- Total Dough
- 840.0 g
- Crumb Style
- Medium hydration; balanced, manageable dough
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Sourdough Hydration
- 3Hydration= 68.0
- 4Total Dough= 840.0 g
- 5Crumb Style= Medium hydration; balanced, manageable dough
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 2 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 1 decimal place, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Sourdough Hydration calculated?
Hydration = water / flour x 100 Dividing water by flour gives hydration, a number that predicts how open or tight the finished crumb will be.
Why does Sourdough Hydration matter?
Sourdough recipes are discussed by hydration because it is the main lever on crumb, crust and handling.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 2 inputs: Flour, Water. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.