Hydration, in plain numbers
September 6, 2026Hydration is the weight of water divided by the weight of flour. That is the whole definition. A dough with 500 g of flour and 375 g of water is at 75%.
Here is the table I keep taped inside a cupboard door, for a loaf built on 500 g of flour:
| Hydration | Water | How it handles |
|---|---|---|
| 65% | 325 g | Firm, easy to shape, tighter crumb |
| 70% | 350 g | Still friendly, a good default |
| 75% | 375 g | Sticky, needs wet hands, more open crumb |
| 80% | 400 g | Slack, wants a banneton and some practice |
| 85% | 425 g | Closer to batter; mostly for ciabatta |
Where to start
Start at 70% and stay there until shaping feels boring. Going wetter before that mostly produces flat loaves and a bad mood.
Two things that shift the numbers
Whole grain flour drinks more water, so a 75% whole wheat dough feels like a 68% white one. And if you bake with a starter, remember it is half water: 100 g of starter adds 50 g of flour and 50 g of water to the totals. The starter note covers how I keep mine.