Dough hydration calculator
Type in your recipe's flour and water, tell us what flour you're using, and we'll show you exactly how much water you need - no baker's math required.
It's simply how much water is in your dough compared to flour. 70% hydration means 70g of water for every 100g of flour.
Protein forms gluten, which holds water. A stronger flour can absorb more water without turning into a puddle on your counter.
Easy to shape, holds its form well. Great for bagels, pretzels, and rolls where you want a tight crumb.
Sticky and tricky to handle, but gives you that open, airy crumb inside. Think sourdough and ciabatta.
Your recipe
Use the total flour - including any wholegrain or rye if you're mixing.
Changing this updates the hydration slider below automatically.
Your flour's protein - check the bag label
Standard bread flour - good for most loaves.
Target hydration - drag to adjust
Within ideal range.
Recalculated recipe
How to use this calculator
Enter your recipe
Enter your recipe's flour and water amounts. These are usually in grams. If your recipe uses cups, weigh them - baking by weight is always more accurate.
Set protein level
Check your flour bag for the protein percentage. It's usually listed under nutrition as "protein per 100g." Drag the slider to match it. This tells the calculator how thirsty your flour is.
Adjust hydration
Drag the hydration slider up or down until you hit your target. Watch the "new water amount" update in real time - that's the number you use in your recipe.
Read the hints
Pay attention to the colour hints. Green means you're in the ideal range for your flour. Orange is a heads-up that the dough will be harder to work with - not impossible, just be prepared to use wet hands and a bench scraper.
Which flour are you using?
| Flour type | Protein | Sweet spot | Difficulty | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pastry / cake | 8-9% | 55-65% | Easy | Flatbreads, crackers, pie crust |
| All-purpose | 10-11% | 60-70% | Easy | Everyday loaves, pizza, rolls |
| Bread flour | 11-13% | 65-75% | Medium | Sandwich loaves, sourdough, baguettes |
| Strong / high-gluten | 13-14% | 70-80% | Medium | Neapolitan pizza, open-crumb sourdough |
| Whole wheat / rye | 13-14% | 75-90% | Tricky | Rustic loaves, dense country bread |
Common questions