Last updated: October 2026
What is sourdough hydration?
How to use this calculator
Mode 1 — From my recipe: enter your flour and water weights in grams. The calculator shows your hydration to one decimal place, tells you how the dough will feel, and builds the full baker's-percentage table — flour is always 100% and every other ingredient is measured against it (how baker's percentages work).
Mode 2 — Target hydration: enter your flour weight and the hydration you want (or tap a 65%, 70% or 75% preset). The calculator tells you exactly how many grams of water to add.
Salt defaults to 2% and starter to 20% of flour weight — both are editable, and the table updates live as you type. All gram weights are rounded to whole grams for easy weighing.
Sourdough hydration feel guide
| Hydration | Dough feel | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 60–65% | Stiff — holds its shape well | Beginners, sandwich loaves, bagels |
| 65–72% | Manageable — soft but shapeable | Most home bakers, everyday boules |
| 72–78% | Wet and sticky — needs confident handling | Open, airy crumb; experienced bakers |
| 78%+ | Very wet — slack, hard to shape by hand | Ciabatta, focaccia, pan loaves |
If you're new to sourdough, start at 65–70% and work upward as your shaping improves. Wetter dough is not better dough — it's just different.
Beginner tips
Weigh everything in grams. Cups are too imprecise for hydration — 10 g of water either way can move you a full two percentage points at 500 g of flour.
Flour matters. Whole-grain and high-protein flours absorb more water. If a 70% recipe feels dry with your flour, add water in 5 g increments rather than jumping to a new recipe.
Starter convention. Your starter is roughly half flour, half water. Most home recipes keep the simple convention — hydration = water ÷ flour, starter listed separately (as this calculator does). Just be consistent from bake to bake so your notes stay comparable.