A calculator to quickly calculate the hydration of your bread dough or pizza dough. For further insights into dough hydration and its significance, please refer to the text below the calculators. You can calculate hydration using both grams and US cups, although, for the exact hydration value, it is best to use weight in grams.
You can also calculate the amount of water needed to achieve any desired percentage of dough hydration using this Dough Water Content Calculator.
Note (if using starter): Not all, but many recipes use a 100% hydration starter (please refer to the recipe you are using), meaning it is equal parts by weight of flour and water. So, if the recipe calls for 50 grams of starter, it will be 25 grams of flour and 25 grams of water.
For measuring hydration using weight in grams
For measuring hydration using US cups
Here, 1 US cup of flour is considered as 125 grams, and 1 US cup of water is 237 grams (or milliliters).
FAQs
What is dough hydration?
Dough hydration refers to the ratio of water to flour in a dough recipe. It indicates how much water is present relative to the flour by weight and is expressed as a percentage. Hydration affects the dough’s texture, elasticity, and the final texture of baked goods like pizza and bread.
How is it calculated?
Dough hydration is calculated using the formula:
Hydration percentage = (Weight of water/Weight of flour) × 100
For example, if your recipe calls for 500 grams of flour and 350 grams of water, the hydration percentage would be:
(350 grams/500 grams) × 100 = 70%
This means the dough is 70% hydrated.
Note: 1 milliliter of water weighs 1 gram, so xx milliliters of water are equivalent to xx grams.
What ingredients are used for dough hydration?
The primary ingredient affecting dough hydration is water, which hydrates the flour. Hydration affects how the dough is handled and the final baked good. Lower hydration doughs, between 60-70 percent, are much easier to handle, while higher hydration doughs, especially 80% and above, can be sticky. Some breads, like focaccia, use higher hydration doughs.
Do ingredients such as olive oil, milk, eggs, juice, and butter affect dough hydration?
Oils such as olive oil don’t add any hydration, but they can affect the dough’s texture.
Ingredients like milk, eggs, juice, buttermilk, yogurt, and sour cream can also affect dough hydration due to their water content. For example, cow’s milk has 87% to 90% water content, depending on the type, whether full-fat or skim.
Eggs contribute both water and fat, altering the dough’s texture and structure. Butter adds fat and a small amount of water, which can make the dough softer and richer. However, if used in small amounts, it doesn’t significantly contribute to hydration.
What to do if your dough contains the above ingredients?
It can be tricky to calculate dough hydration if other ingredients contribute significant amounts of water. For juices and milk, if you’re using a very small amount, you can add the whole amount to the water for the calculation. If you’re using a significant amount, use the approximate water content, which will be around 90% of the total amount in many cases.
However, for ingredients like eggs, it can be difficult to get the exact hydration without precisely weighing the ingredients and using the approximate water content in them.
For many bread and pizza dough recipes, the calculation is much simpler since they just contain water.
What do you mean by starter?
A starter, often used in sourdough bread making, is a pre-fermented mixture of flour and water that contains yeast and bacteria. It serves as the leavening agent and flavor enhancer in bread. To get the hydration right, it is important to include the amount of water and flour from the starter in the calculation.
Many (not all) recipes use a 100% hydration starter, meaning it is equal parts the weight of flour and water. So, if the recipe calls for 100 grams of starter, it will be 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water. You can add 50 grams to the total amount of flour and 50 grams to the total amount of water to get the exact hydration.