The secret to understanding and controlling your bread dough is "baker's percentage," which always calculates ingredients relative to the flour. Hydration is simply the amount of water in a dough, expressed as a percentage of the flour's weight. This universal method allows you to scale recipes, compare different doughs, and troubleshoot consistency issues, regardless of the batch size.
In bread baking, all ingredients are measured as a percentage of the total flour weight. This means flour is always 100%. Hydration is specifically the water weight divided by the flour weight, multiplied by 100.
Why it matters:
To calculate hydration, you need the weight of your water and the weight of your flour.
Hydration (%) = (Weight of Water / Weight of Flour) x 100
Let's say a recipe calls for:
To find the hydration:
This means your dough has 65% hydration. A typical artisan bread might range from 65% to 80% hydration, while a baguette could be 70-75%, and a focaccia might be 80%+. Enriched doughs (with milk, eggs, butter) often have lower water hydration because those ingredients also contribute liquid.
Once you understand this, you can:
Pro tip: Always use a digital scale for bread baking. Volume measurements (cups, spoons) are notoriously inaccurate for flour and water, leading to inconsistent results. Even a slight difference in flour density or how tightly it's packed can drastically change your hydration percentage and dough feel.
5g Yeast — recipe ingredient.
10g for every 500g flour — recipe ingredient.
10g Salt — recipe ingredient.
Heavy-duty aluminum sheet pan. The workhorse of any oven — cookies, roasting, pastry.
Dry and liquid measuring set. Baking requires precision — guessing ruins results.
For pastry, cookies, pie dough. French style (no handles) gives better control.
For sifting flour, straining sauces, removing lumps. Used in most baking recipes.
Balloon whisk for eggs, cream, sauces. Essential for any recipe that says 'whisk until smooth'.
Non-stick baking liner. Prevents sticking, easy cleanup. Buy a roll, not pre-cut sheets.
Large wood or plastic board. Get one big enough that food doesn't fall off while chopping.
Nesting bowls for prep, mixing, whisking. Stainless steel won't stain or absorb odors.
Wire rack for cooling baked goods evenly. Prevents soggy bottoms from steam trapped underneath.
Heat-resistant spatulas for scraping bowls, stirring sauces, folding batters.
One good knife replaces a drawer of mediocre ones. Victorinox Fibrox is the pro budget pick.
For spreading frosting, glazes, and cream layers evenly. The tool pastry chefs actually use.
KitchenAid or equivalent. Hands-free mixing, kneading, whipping. A lifetime investment for serious baking.
Tri-ply stainless steel. For sauces, custards, reductions. The pan you'll use most.
Essential. Accurate weight measurements are critical for baker's percentage and consistent bread baking results. Look for one that measures in grams and ounces.
The base ingredient for almost all bread. Understanding its weight is the foundation of hydration calculation.
A common leavening agent for bread. While not directly involved in hydration calculation, it's a core ingredient.
Essential for flavor and controlling fermentation. Measure by weight for accuracy in baker's percentage.
Practical. You'll need sturdy bowls for mixing and proofing dough. Stainless steel or glass are good options.
Helpful. Makes handling sticky, high-hydration dough much easier, and helps clean your work surface.
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