Sourdough Hydration Calculator
Enter flour, water, starter weight, and starter hydration to calculate total flour, total water, starter contribution, and true sourdough hydration.
Leave starter hydration at 100% for equal flour and water.
Enter flour and water.
Add starter when the dough includes one. Its flour and water will be counted.
How to Use the Sourdough Hydration Calculator
Enter the flour and water added directly to the dough.
Enter the total weight of starter or levain used. Leave this field blank when the dough contains no starter.
Keep starter hydration at 100% for a starter containing equal flour and water by weight. Enter another percentage for a stiff or liquid starter.
The calculator shows total dough hydration and separates the flour and water contributed by the starter.
How Dough Hydration Is Calculated
Dough hydration is total water divided by total flour, multiplied by 100.
A dough containing 350 grams of water and 500 grams of flour has 70% hydration.
In baker's percentage, flour is the 100% reference and the other ingredients are measured against total flour weight.
Hydration examples using 500 grams of flour
Swipe horizontally to view the full table.
Why Starter Must Be Included
Sourdough starter contributes both flour and water to the final dough.
A 100-gram starter at 100% hydration contains 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water.
Ignoring those amounts produces a hydration percentage that does not represent the complete dough formula.
What Starter Hydration Means
Starter hydration expresses starter water as a percentage of starter flour.
A 100% hydration starter contains equal flour and water by weight.
A 60% starter contains 60 grams of water for every 100 grams of flour. A 125% starter contains 125 grams of water for every 100 grams of flour.
Starter flour and water examples
Swipe horizontally to view the full table.
How to Interpret the Result
Higher hydration means more water relative to flour. It does not automatically mean a better loaf.
Flour absorption, protein, whole-grain content, fermentation, temperature, mixing, folding, shaping, and baking all affect dough behaviour.
Use hydration to compare formulas and record adjustments rather than as a complete prediction of the finished bread.
What the Calculator Includes
Total flour includes flour entered directly and flour inside the starter.
Total water includes water entered directly and water inside the starter.
Starter flour and starter water are displayed separately so the calculation can be checked.
What the Calculator Does Not Include
The tool does not estimate water contributed by eggs, milk, butter, fruit, vegetables, soaked grains, or other ingredients.
It does not calculate salt percentage, inoculation, prefermented flour percentage, total dough weight, fermentation time, proofing time, or desired dough temperature.
Use a complete bread-formula calculator when those values are needed.
Privacy and Local Processing
The calculation runs entirely in the browser.
Ingredient amounts are not uploaded, added to the page URL, or permanently stored.
Sourdough Hydration Formulas
The starter is separated into flour and water before the final dough hydration is calculated.
Formula variables
- Total starter weight
- Starter hydration percentage
- Flour inside the starter
- Water inside the starter
- Flour added directly to the dough
- Water added directly to the dough
- Total flour
- Total water
- Final dough hydration percentage
Examples
Dough with a 100% hydration starter
1Input
500 g flour, 350 g water, and 100 g starter at 100% hydration.
Show result
Result
550 g total flour, 400 g total water, and 72.73% hydration.
Starter contribution
2Input
100 g starter at 100% hydration.
Show result
Result
50 g starter flour and 50 g starter water.
Dough without starter
3Input
500 g flour, 350 g water, and no starter.
Show result
Result
70% hydration.
Stiff starter
4Input
160 g starter at 60% hydration.
Show result
Result
100 g starter flour and 60 g starter water.
Liquid starter
5Input
225 g starter at 125% hydration.
Show result
Result
100 g starter flour and 125 g starter water.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate sourdough hydration?
Divide total water by total flour and multiply by 100. Include the water and flour inside the starter.
Does starter count toward dough hydration?
Yes. Starter flour and starter water are part of the final dough.
What does 100% hydration starter mean?
It means the starter contains equal weights of flour and water.
How much flour and water are in 100 grams of starter?
At 100% hydration, 100 grams of starter contains 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water.
Can I use a stiff starter?
Yes. Enter its actual hydration percentage. A stiff starter contains less water relative to flour.
Can starter hydration exceed 100%?
Yes. A starter above 100% hydration contains more water than flour by weight.
Can I calculate dough with no starter?
Yes. Leave the starter amount blank or enter zero.
What is a good sourdough hydration?
There is no universal best percentage. The flour, bread style, fermentation, and handling method all matter.
Does higher hydration guarantee an open crumb?
No. Flour strength, fermentation, shaping, gas retention, and baking also affect crumb structure.
Does this include water from milk or eggs?
No. It includes plain water and the water inside the starter only.
Does hydration predict fermentation time?
No. Fermentation also depends on starter strength, inoculation, dough temperature, flour, salt, and room conditions.
Are my ingredient amounts uploaded?
No. The calculation runs locally in the browser.
References
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