“70% hydration” compares the weight of water with the flour. It does not mean that water makes up 70% of the whole dough. Watch the short explanation, then use our free calculator to work out your own mix.
Watch: What does 70% hydration mean?
41 seconds · Press play below
Hydration compares water with flour by weight. A dough with 500 g flour and 350 g water is 70% hydration. Include the flour and water in your starter too.
The simple hydration formula
Hydration (%) = total water ÷ total flour × 100
For example, 350 g water divided by 500 g flour gives 0.70, or 70% hydration. Salt and yeast do not go into that denominator. This example explains the ratio; it is not a complete bread recipe.
Count the starter as well
Sourdough starter contains both flour and water. A 100 g starter at 100% hydration contains 50 g flour and 50 g water. Count both in your totals rather than treating the whole starter as water.
Use the KNEVA Hydration Calculator
- Enter the flour you will add under Flour base.
- Set Water final target to your chosen hydration.
- If using starter, enter the flour inside the starter and its hydration separately. For the video’s simple example, enter 500 g flour, 70% target hydration and 0 g starter flour.
- Read the ingredient table for the water to add and check the total flour, total water and final hydration. The example gives 350 g water.
Open the free KNEVA Hydration Calculator →
Is higher hydration always better?
More water usually makes dough softer and stickier. It can change how you mix, fold and shape it, but a higher number alone does not guarantee better bread. Flour choice and handling matter. Start with a tested recipe, then change hydration in small steps and note how the dough behaves.
For more on how hydration affects dough handling, see King Arthur Baking’s explanation of bread hydration.
