Classic Breads by Hydration

The hydration chart — 12 classic breads

Target hydration first, then the working range a competent formula can sit in. Bagel-style sourdough: 55% (52-60%) — the stiffest common dough, boiled then baked. Sourdough pretzel: ~55% (52-58%). NY-style pizza: 62% (58-65%), with ~2.5% salt and around 3% oil. Neapolitan pizza: 65% (60-70%) on tipo 00 flour with a notably high 2.8% salt, per the AVPN regulations. Baguette: 68% (65-72%) on straight bread flour. Pain au levain: 72% (68-76%) with about 10% whole wheat and a touch of rye. Country loaf / pain de campagne: 75% (72-80%), classically 80% bread flour with whole wheat and rye making up the rest; Hamelman's rye variant runs 72-78%. Focaccia: 80% (75-85%), pan-baked, which makes the high water manageable. Ciabatta: 82% (78-85%) — the open, glossy crumb depends on that water. Pan de cristal: 95% (90-105%) — the Catalan glass bread, the practical ceiling for wheat doughs.

Salt sits at 2.0% of flour weight for nearly everything above; the pizzas are the exception (2.5-2.8%). Levain typically runs 15-20% for the hearth breads, 8-15% for the long-fermented pizzas.

Why is ciabatta hydration so high?

Ciabatta targets 82% water because its identity is the crumb: large, irregular, glossy holes that only form when the dough is slack enough for gas cells to expand freely. At 78-85%, gluten strands stay extensible instead of tight, and steam blows the cells open in a hot oven (475°F on a stone). The cost is handling — ciabatta dough pours more than it holds shape, which is why the formula skips shaping in favor of cutting slipper-sized pieces. Hamelman's formula runs 90% bread flour with 10% whole wheat and a short 1.5-hour final proof so the fragile structure never over-ferments.

Focaccia gets to a similar place (80%, range 75-85%) by a different route: the pan does the structural work. Because the dough is supported on a sheet pan and dimpled rather than shaped, Jim Lahey's no-knead method can push water high with almost no handling skill required. If you want open-crumb results with beginner technique, focaccia is the honest entry point; ciabatta is the same water with none of the safety net.

The balanced middle: baguettes, country loaves, pain au levain

The 65-76% band is where most hearth baking lives, because it balances crumb openness against shapeability. A baguette at 68% (65-72%) is stiff enough to roll into its long form and hold scoring, but wet enough for a creamy, moderately open interior. Pain au levain at 72% (68-76%) adds about 10% whole wheat and 2% rye, which absorb extra water and deepen flavor while keeping the dough manageable through its long 12-hour cold proof. The country loaf at 75% (72-80%) is the modern artisan default — Tartine's formula made this the reference point for home hearth baking — open enough for character without demanding advanced handling.

Moving up or down 3-4 points inside a bread's range is a legitimate stylistic choice, not an error. Lower end: tighter crumb, easier shaping, more forgiving fermentation. Upper end: opener crumb, wetter handling, less margin for over-proofing.

Pizza is lower-hydration than most people expect

Neapolitan pizza runs 60-70% — the AVPN regulations that define the style are built around a dough stiff enough to stretch thin by hand without tearing and bake in roughly two minutes at around 900°F. The tipo 00 flour it specifies is finely milled with moderate protein, and the style's 2.8% salt is the highest of any bread in this chart. NY-style is drier still at 58-65% with ~3% oil, which is what gives the fold-able slice its pliability. High-hydration pizza dough is a modern home-oven adaptation, not the classic formula: at typical home temperatures a wetter dough compensates for the longer bake.

At the other extreme, bagels (52-60%) are intentionally the driest dough here — density is the point, and a stiff dough survives boiling intact.

Adjusting a classic for your flour

Every range in this chart assumes the flour mix listed in the source formula. Swap flours and the effective hydration moves: whole wheat absorbs roughly 5-8% more water than bread flour, rye 5-15% more, and spelt about 3-5% less. So a 75% country loaf converted to 100% whole wheat handles like roughly 68-70% — noticeably stiffer than intended — unless you add water to match. The whole-grain hydration guide on this site has the exact absorption multipliers and worked math, and the calculator applies them automatically when you pick a flour.

The practical rule: hit the bread's stated hydration with the bread's stated flour mix first. Once that's dialed, deviate one variable at a time.

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