Sourdough Hydration Calculator
Find your true dough hydration, not just water divided by recipe flour. This calculator includes the flour and water already in your starter.
True hydration
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Recipe-only hydration: —. Your starter changes the total.
- Total flour
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- Total water
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- Salt (baker's %)
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- Total dough weight
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Track it in Sourdough Tracker.
Sourdough Tracker logs starter feedings and bake results.
How sourdough hydration is calculated
This sourdough hydration calculator uses baker's percentages: total flour is the 100% reference point, and water and salt are calculated against it. Hydration is total water divided by total flour, expressed as a percentage.
The flour and water in a starter count in the finished dough. For a 100% hydration starter, 100 g contains 50 g flour and 50 g water; leaving those out makes a 500 g flour, 375 g water, and 100 g starter dough look like 75% hydration when it is actually 77.27%.
To handle stiff or liquid starters, the calculator first separates starter weight into flour and water using its stated hydration, then adds both to the recipe totals before calculating hydration and baker's salt percentage.
Starter flour = starter weight ÷ (1 + starter hydration ÷ 100); true hydration = total water ÷ total flour × 100 Salt is commonly near 2% of total flour in lean sourdough formulas, but the best amount is a matter of recipe and taste.
King Arthur Baking: Hydration in bread dough, explained ↗King Arthur Baking: Baker's Percentage ↗
Sourdough hydration calculator FAQ
What does hydration mean in sourdough?
Hydration is the total water in the dough divided by the total flour, expressed as a percentage. Higher hydration doughs are generally softer and stickier to handle.
Why does my starter change the hydration?
A starter is made of flour and water. Both parts become part of the final dough, so both must be included in the hydration calculation.
What hydration should a beginner use?
Many beginners find a standard sourdough around 70% to 75% hydration easier to mix, shape, and score than a very wet dough. Flour type and technique still matter.
Does this calculator work for a stiff starter?
Yes. Enter the starter's hydration, such as 50%, and the calculator separates its flour and water before adding them to your dough totals.
Is 2% salt a good amount for sourdough?
About 2% salt of total flour is a common baker's percentage for lean bread. This calculator shows your salt percentage using flour from both the recipe and starter.