Food & baking · Sourdough
Sourdough hydration calculator.
Enter your flour, water and starter and get the real hydration, because the starter carries flour and water too.
Inputs
Dough hydration
Enter flour, water and starter.
How sourdough hydration is calculated
Hydration is total water divided by total flour, as a percentage. With sourdough, the starter adds both: a 100% starter is half flour and half water by weight. So add the starter's flour to the flour and its water to the water before dividing.
Worked example. 500 g flour, 350 g water and 100 g of 100% starter. The starter holds 50 g flour and 50 g water, so total flour is 550 g and total water is 400 g. Hydration = 400 / 550 = 72.7%, not the 70% you get by ignoring the starter. Starter is 100 / 550 = 18.2% of total flour.
Frequently asked questions
Do I count the starter in sourdough hydration?
Yes, for true hydration. The flour and water in the starter are part of the dough. Many bakers state hydration both ways, so say which you mean when sharing a recipe.
What hydration should a sourdough loaf be?
Many home recipes sit between 65% and 80%. Higher hydration gives an open, sticky dough that is harder to shape; there is no single correct figure.
How do I find my starter hydration?
Weigh the flour and water you feed it with. Equal weights gives 100%; 100 g flour and 80 g water gives 80%.
What is starter percentage?
Starter weight as a percent of total flour weight. Larger percentages ferment faster.
Sources
Checked
- Baker's percentage and hydration, as defined by the formula in this tool (water / flour x 100, with the flour and water in the starter counted at its stated hydration)
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Scope
Hydration is a recipe ratio. Flour type, temperature and fermentation time change how a dough behaves at the same hydration.