Calculate dough hydration (baker’s percent)

In baker’s percentage, flour is 100%. Water, salt, and starter are expressed against it. Hydration is therefore water / flour. A baguette often sits around 60–65%; a ciabatta runs higher. Bran, seeds, and eggs change the dough without entering this simple ratio.

hydration = 100 × water / flour

A ratio identity, not a published baking standard. Water poured into pizza dough and water already in a starter are separate questions. We do not convert US cups.

Flour

Flour mass. If you use several flours, add them before typing.

Water

Water mass. Enter milk here if it is the main liquid, and keep that in mind.

Assumptions

• Flour = 100%.
• A single water amount.
• Grams (1 ml of water ≈ 1 g).

Limits

• No salt or starter in the ratio.
• No whole-wheat vs white-flour split.
• No autolyse time.

65% is “medium” for many lean breads. Higher, the dough is stickier and more open. That is not a quality judgment.

• Dividing flour by water.

  It is water / flour, not the reverse.

• Using cups without converting.

  Weigh, or convert first.

• Forgetting starter water.

  If you want total hydration, add the starter’s water to the water.

• Recipe scalerThree numbers: original servings, desired servings, and one ingredient amount. The tool applies a simple proportion.
• RatioTwo integers in, a reduced ratio out (8 : 12 becomes 2 : 3), plus the quotient A/B and each term’s weight in the sum of absolute values — not “A as a percent of B.”
• PercentageEnter two numbers of the same kind. The tool returns (part ÷ total) × 100 — useful for a test score, a slice of a budget, or a share of a count.

Written by Rédaction HexaCalc (editorial team). Content last updated: August 25, 2026. No third-party medical or financial review is claimed.

This calculation uses a standard mathematical identity. See also the methodology.