Hydration is the water in a dough as a percentage of the flour — the number that best describes how a bread will behave.
Hydration % = (Water weight ÷ Flour weight) × 100
Where
| Water weight | All water in the dough |
| Flour weight | All flour in the dough |
Worked example
350 g water with 500 g flour is 350 ÷ 500 × 100 = 70% hydration.
Count hidden water: the water in a starter, plus milk (about 87% water) and eggs (about 75%) all add to the real hydration.
Use the Bread Hydration Calculator and compare styles in the Bread Hydration Chart.