Reference

Sourdough hydration chart by bread type

Every loaf has a hydration it wants. A bagel and a ciabatta are the same three ingredients — the water is most of what makes them different breads. Here’s the typical band for each, the crumb it gives, and the recipe and calculator to nail it.

The short answer: Most sourdough lives between 65% and 85%. Stiff, shaped breads (bagels, pretzels, sandwich loaves, pizza) sit 55–70%; the classic country loaf is about 75%; wildly open breads (ciabatta, focaccia, pan de cristal) run 80–95%. More water = more open crumb + a slacker, stickier dough.

The chart — low to high hydration

Ordered driest to wettest. Tap any row’s recipe or % to go straight to the page for it.

Typical sourdough hydration percentage by bread type, from lowest to highest.
BreadTypical hydrationCrumb & character
Bagel50–57%Dense, tight, chewy — a stiff dough you can roll and shape by hand.Lowest of all. Too much water and a bagel won't hold its ring or its bite.
Pretzel55–60%Tight, snappy crumb under a chewy lye-burnished crust.Stiff like a bagel — the shape has to survive a boil/bath, so keep it firm.
Brioche / enriched55–65%Soft, fine, cottony — butter and egg do the tenderising, not water.Read the % as water-equivalent; the fats are extra. Enriched doughs feel firmer than the number suggests.
Pizza (Neapolitan)60–70%Thin, pliable base with a puffed, leopard-charred cornicione.Stay on the low side for a crisp base; push higher only with a very hot oven.
Baguette65–72%Crisp shattering crust, a moderately open and even interior.Workable enough to shape into a long, tight log — the score has to hold.
Country loaf70–78%The classic balanced boule — open but not wild, easy to slice.The forgiving middle of the chart. Start here if you're learning open crumb.
Pain de campagne72–80%Rustic, a touch more open, with whole-grain depth of flavour.The whole-grain blend drinks more water — expect to add a little over a white loaf.
Whole-wheat loaf75–85%Hearty and even; bran cuts the gluten so it stays a touch denser.Whole grain is thirsty — under-hydrate it and the crumb bakes dry and crumbly.
Ciabatta80–85%Wildly open, glossy, irregular holes — the slipper loaf.A slack, sticky dough you fold rather than knead. Wet hands, not more flour.
Rye (high %)80–90%Dense, moist, tangy — rye barely forms gluten, so it's about absorption.Rye holds enormous water but won't spring like wheat. Expect a tight, sticky paste, not a stretchy dough.
Focaccia80–90%Airy, dimpled, olive-oil rich — pillowy with a crisp bottom.Poured and dimpled, not shaped. The oil and the high water make the bubbles.
Pan de cristal90–100%Glass bread — translucent, paper-thin walls around enormous holes.The extreme end. Nearly a batter; strong flour and gentle, folded handling are non-negotiable.

Hydration = water weight as a percentage of flour weight (baker’s percentage). Bands are typical conventions, not fixed rules — your flour’s protein, your kitchen’s temperature, and your shaping all move the number.

How to use this chart

  1. 1. Pick your band

    Find the loaf you want above and read its typical range. That's your starting hydration — not the recipe yet, the target.

  2. 2. Do the math

    Drop the percentage into the hydration calculator to turn it into grams of water for your exact flour weight.

  3. 3. Adjust by feel

    Hold back ~5% on the first mix and add it as the dough tells you — thirstier flour wants more, a hot kitchen wants a touch less.

Open the hydration calculator → grams of water for any % and flour weight →

Why your flour changes the right number — protein & absorption by flour type →

A percentage is only as good as your scale

The difference between a 72% and a 78% dough is a few grams of water. You can’t hit these bands by volume — a 0.1 g kitchen scale is the one tool that makes every number on this chart real.

Weigh to the gram

A scale reading to 0.1 g lets you measure water precisely enough to tell a 70% loaf from a 75% one — the whole point of baker’s math.

Compare kitchen scales on Amazon →
🎧 Learn the why behind the water

Ken Forkish’s Flour Water Salt Yeast and Maurizio Leo’s The Perfect Loaf are on Audible — a free trial gets you one to listen to while the dough proofs.

Start a free Audible trial →

As an Amazon Associate, SourdoughHydration earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. More on how this is funded.

Common questions

What is a good hydration for sourdough?

For a first loaf, 70–75% is the forgiving sweet spot — open enough to be rewarding, firm enough to shape. A standard country loaf lives at about 75%. Go lower (55–68%) for bagels, pretzels, sandwich loaves and pizza; go higher (80–95%) for ciabatta, focaccia and pan de cristal once your handling is confident.

What does higher hydration do to the crumb?

More water generally means a more open, irregular crumb with bigger holes and a thinner, crisper crust — but it also makes the dough slacker, stickier and harder to shape, and it needs stronger flour to hold together. Lower hydration gives a tighter, more even crumb that's easier to handle and slice.

Why does whole wheat and rye need more water than white flour?

Bran and germ in whole-grain flours absorb far more water than refined white flour, so the same dough feel takes a higher percentage. A 80% whole-wheat dough can handle like a 70% white one. Rye is the extreme — it holds enormous water but forms almost no gluten, so it behaves like a thick, sticky paste rather than a stretchy dough.

Are these hydration percentages exact?

No — treat them as typical ranges, not rules. The right number shifts with your flour's protein and freshness, your kitchen's temperature and humidity, and your own shaping confidence. Use the chart to pick a starting band for the loaf you want, then dial the exact figure on the hydration calculator and adjust by feel.

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