Hydration × flour
78% Hydration Italian Type 00 Flour
Noticeably open, shiny crumb. Irregular medium-to-large holes. Glossy cell walls. Moist texture.
Outside Italian Type 00 Flour's typical range (58–68%) — read below for handling
Is 78% hydration right for Italian Type 00 Flour?
Italian Type 00 Flour's workable hydration range is 58–68%. Its absorption multiplier is 1.01× bread flour. 78% is above Italian Type 00 Flour's typical range. The dough will be slack and may not hold shape in a free-form hearth loaf. Either reduce hydration to 68%, or blend Italian Type 00 Flour (40–60%) with bread flour for structural support.
Absorption math for Italian Type 00 Flour at 78%
A recipe written for bread flour at 78% hydration, when substituted with 100% Italian Type 00 Flour, becomes 79% effective hydration (because Italian Type 00 Flour absorbs 1% more water). Minimal autolyse (15-20 min) — fine grind hydrates quickly. For Neapolitan pizza: 60-62% hydration, 24-48h cold bulk, short proof, extreme heat bake. For bread: treat like AP or bread flour depending on protein spec.
Technique at 78% hydration
Upper range of 'standard' hearth hydration. Benefits from high-extraction flour which tolerates the hydration. Use coil folds instead of stretch-and-folds to build structure without deflating. Cold retard mandatory.
Worked water math for a 500 g batch
| Italian Type 00 Flour | 500 g (100%) |
| Water | 390 g (78%) |
| Salt | 10 g (2%) |
Add your levain on top of these weights; the calculator below subtracts the flour and water it already contributes so the bench numbers land at 78% exactly.
What Italian Type 00 Flour gives you at 78%
At 78% hydration you can expect a very open, glossy, holey crumb — the signature of a high-hydration hearth loaf. A slack, sticky dough: work with wet hands, use coil folds rather than aggressive stretches, give a full bench rest after pre-shaping, and shape decisively — hesitation lets it spread.
Italian Type 00 Flour at 78% — FAQ
How much water do I use for Italian Type 00 Flour at 78% hydration?
Multiply the flour weight by 0.78. For a 500 g batch of Italian Type 00 Flour that's 390 g water, plus about 10 g salt (2%). Italian Type 00 Flour absorbs 1.01× as much water as white bread flour, so it behaves close to a straight bread-flour dough.
Is 78% hydration right for Italian Type 00 Flour?
78% is above Italian Type 00 Flour's usual 58–68% range — the dough will be slack and may spread. Reduce toward 68%, or blend Italian Type 00 Flour (40–60%) with bread flour for structure.
What crumb will Italian Type 00 Flour at 78% give me?
Expect a very open, glossy, holey crumb — the signature of a high-hydration hearth loaf. Noticeably open, shiny crumb. Irregular medium-to-large holes. Glossy cell walls. Moist texture.
Is Italian Type 00 Flour at 78% beginner-friendly?
This hydration is rated intermediate. A slack, sticky dough: work with wet hands, use coil folds rather than aggressive stretches, give a full bench rest after pre-shaping, and shape decisively — hesitation lets it spread.
Calculator pre-set to 78%
Weights below assume 100% Italian Type 00 Flour. For blends, use the main calculator on a recipe page.
- Flour to add
- 450 g
- Water to add
- 340 g
- Salt
- 10 g
- Levain @ 100%
- 100 g
- Total dough
- 900 g
- Effective hydration
- 78%
How the math works
Total water = flour × hydration %. Your levain contributes 50 g flour + 50 g water — both count toward the totals. You add only the remainder as fresh flour and water.
Salt % is computed on total flour weight, not final-dough flour.
To bake this recipe you need
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The gear that makes the math work
A short, honest baking kit. The scale matters most — every weight on this page is in grams. The Dutch oven is what turns a good crumb into a great crust.
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Italian Type 00 Flour at every hydration level
Italian Type 00 Flour usually works between 58% and 68% hydration — drier gives a stiffer dough, wetter a slacker one. Tap a level for the technique, the absorption math and a calculator set to it.
| Hydration | Water per 500 g | For Italian Type 00 Flour |
|---|---|---|
| 55% | 275 g | Drier than usual |
| 60% | 300 g | In its range |
| 65% | 325 g | In its range |
| 70% | 350 g | Wetter than usual |
| 72% | 360 g | Wetter than usual |
| 75% | 375 g | Wetter than usual |
| 78%this page | 390 g | Wetter than usual |
| 80% | 400 g | Wetter than usual |
| 82% | 410 g | Wetter than usual |
| 85% | 425 g | Wetter than usual |
| 90% | 450 g | Wetter than usual |
| 95% | 475 g | Wetter than usual |