How to Use the Sourdough Hydration Calculator – Complete Baking Guide

Learn how to use the Sourdough Hydration Calculator to perfect your bread. Step-by-step guide, hydration tips, examples, and FAQs for bakers of all levels.

Introduction

Sourdough baking is a blend of science and art. One of the most important factors that determines the quality of your loaf is dough hydration—the ratio of water to flour. This percentage directly affects your bread’s crumb, crust, texture, and flavor.

To make hydration easy to understand and apply, we’ve built the Sourdough Hydration Calculator, a free online tool that eliminates guesswork and allows you to calculate hydration ratios instantly.

In this article, we’ll walk you through:

• What hydration means in sourdough baking
• Why hydration percentages matter
• How to use the Sourdough Hydration Calculator step by step
• Example recipes and hydration levels
• Tips for beginners and advanced bakers
• FAQs to clear common doubts

By the end, you’ll know exactly how to get the best results from the calculator and use it to improve your baking consistency.

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What is Sourdough Hydration?

Hydration in baking refers to the percentage of water compared to flour in a recipe. It is expressed as:

For example:

• 500g flour + 350g water = 70% hydration
• 500g flour + 250g water = 50% hydration

The hydration level affects the dough’s characteristics:

• Low hydration (50–60%): Stiffer dough, tighter crumb, great for bagels or sandwich bread.
• Medium hydration (65–70%): Balanced dough, soft crumb, most classic sourdough loaves.
• High hydration (75–85%+): Sticky dough, open crumb, rustic artisan bread.

Understanding hydration is the key to controlling your bake. That’s why the Sourdough Hydration Calculator is such a valuable tool.

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Why Use a Sourdough Hydration Calculator?

While bakers can manually calculate hydration, it can be time-consuming and prone to mistakes—especially if you are experimenting with different flours, starters, or hydration levels.

The Sourdough Hydration Calculator simplifies this process by:

• Instant calculations – Enter flour and water amounts to get hydration percentage.
• Starter adjustments – Account for starter flour and water in your calculations.
• Recipe scaling – Easily scale recipes up or down with accurate hydration levels.
• Experimentation – Try different hydration percentages to see how they affect your loaf.

By using our calculator, you can spend less time on math and more time baking.

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Step-by-Step Guide: How to Use the Sourdough Hydration Calculator

Here’s a simple walkthrough to help you get the most out of the tool:

Step 1: Enter Your Flour Weight

Start by typing in the total flour weight (in grams). This is your reference number for calculating hydration.

Step 2: Enter Your Water Weight

Next, input the amount of water in your recipe. The calculator will compare this to the flour weight and give you a hydration percentage.

Step 3: Account for Starter (Optional)

If you’re using a sourdough starter, remember that it contains both flour and water. Our Sourdough Hydration Calculator allows you to enter starter weight and hydration (usually 100%), so your calculations are more accurate.

Step 4: Add Salt (Optional)

Salt doesn’t affect hydration but is part of most recipes. Some bakers like to include this for a complete recipe overview.

Step 5: Review Your Hydration Percentage

The calculator will instantly display your dough’s hydration percentage. Adjust your water or flour input until you achieve your desired hydration level.

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Practical Examples of Using the Calculator

Let’s look at some real examples to see the Sourdough Hydration Calculator in action:

Example 1: Classic 70% Hydration Sourdough

• Flour: 500g
• Water: 350g
• Starter: 100g (100% hydration, meaning 50g flour + 50g water)
• Total hydration = 70%

Example 2: High-Hydration Artisan Bread (80%)

• Flour: 600g
• Water: 480g
• Starter: 120g (60g flour + 60g water)
• Total hydration = 80%

Example 3: Low Hydration Bagels (55%)

• Flour: 700g
• Water: 385g
• Starter: 140g (70g flour + 70g water)
• Total hydration = 55%

By running these numbers through the calculator, you avoid confusion and ensure precision.

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Benefits of Using the Sourdough Hydration Calculator Regularly

1. Consistency – Every loaf turns out the same, regardless of batch size.
2. Confidence – No second-guessing recipes or hydration ratios.
3. Experimentation – Try different hydration levels without fear of failure.
4. Time-saving – Forget spreadsheets or manual calculations.
5. Learning tool – Understand how hydration changes dough texture.

The more you use the calculator, the more intuitive hydration percentages become.

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Tips for Beginners Using the Calculator

• Start with 65–70% hydration – Easy to handle dough for beginners.
• Use a scale, not cups – Precision is crucial.
• Account for starter hydration – If your starter isn’t 100% hydration, adjust accordingly.
• Practice handling sticky doughs – High hydration requires folding and stretching.
• Keep notes – Track hydration levels and results for future reference.

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Tips for Advanced Bakers

• Experiment with different flours (whole wheat, rye, spelt) and see how hydration changes.
• Try super-high hydration doughs (85–90%) for open crumb bread.
• Use the calculator to scale recipes for bakery-level production.
• Adjust hydration based on climate—humid areas need less water, dry areas may need more.

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FAQs About the Sourdough Hydration Calculator

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Conclusion

Hydration is the foundation of great sourdough baking. By mastering it, you can control your bread’s texture, flavor, and consistency. Instead of guessing, the Sourdough Hydration Calculator gives you instant, accurate results that empower you to bake better loaves every time.

Whether you’re a beginner just learning or an experienced baker pushing hydration limits, our calculator is here to make the process simple and enjoyable.

👉 Start using the Sourdough Hydration Calculator today and take your baking to the next level!