Dough Hydration Calculator
Enter a flour weight or the dough weight you want, plus your hydration, to get the water, salt and yeast for a straight dough.
Water as a percentage of the flour weight.
Answer
500 g flour and 350 g water
Your recipe
Water weighs the same as its volume, so 350 g of water is 350 ml.
Reference and detail
What hydration means
Hydration is the water weight as a percentage of the flour weight. 500 g flour at 70% hydration means 350 g water. Higher hydration gives an opener crumb and a stickier dough. This calculator is for straight doughs mixed from flour, water, salt and yeast , for a sourdough recipe, use the sourdough hydration calculator instead, which counts the flour and water already in your starter.
Salt and yeast
Bakers usually use about 2% salt. Dried yeast is typically 1% for a same-day loaf and less for a slow overnight rise.
Questions and answers
Questions about dough hydration
What does hydration percentage mean in a bread recipe?
It's the water weight as a percentage of the flour weight, for example, 500g flour at 70% hydration means 350g water. It's the single most useful number for judging how wet a dough will be to work with.
What hydration should I use for a tin loaf versus a rustic loaf?
A stiffer dough, roughly below 60% hydration, is easier to handle and suits tin loaves, rolls and bagels. Above about 70%, dough becomes wet and sticky, which suits an open-crumb loaf or focaccia better than a shaped tin loaf.
How much salt and yeast should I use per amount of flour?
Around 2% salt is standard for most bread doughs. Dried yeast is typically around 1% for a same-day loaf, with less needed for a slower overnight rise.
Can I enter a target dough weight instead of a flour weight?
Yes. Enter the total dough weight you want and the calculator works backwards to the flour weight, using your chosen hydration, salt and yeast percentages.
Guidance
Read the full guide
- Understanding Dough HydrationWhat a hydration percentage means, why sourdough is counted differently once a starter is involved, and how baker's percentage ties the whole formula together.