Dough Hydration Calculator
Pick a dough type + flour amount, get the complete ingredient breakdown (water, yeast, salt, sugar, fat) using industry-standard baker's percentage.
Classic sandwich bread / loaf — soft texture, well-risen.
Hydration: 65% (65 g water per 100g flour)
Ingredient Breakdown
- Bread flour (high-protein)100% baker's500 g
- Warm water65% baker's325 ml
- Instant yeast1.5% baker's7.5 g
- Salt2% baker's10 g
- Sugar5% baker's25 g
- Soft butter / oil5% baker's25 g
- Milk powder(optional)3% baker's · for extra softness15 g
💡 Tips for Standard Sandwich Bread
- 1.Knead 10-15 min until windowpane test passes (stretch thin without tearing).
- 2.First proof 1-1.5 hr at room temp until doubled.
- 3.Shape, then second proof 30-45 min in loaf pan.
- 4.Bake 180°C / 350°F for 30-35 min until internal 92°C / 198°F.
Sources: King Arthur Baking · Peter Reinhart
8 Available Dough Types
- 🍞Standard Sandwich BreadHydration 65%
- 🍞Sweet Bread / Brioche-styleHydration 50%
- 🍩Yeasted DoughnutsHydration 55%
- 🥟Bakpao (Steamed Buns)Hydration 50%
- 🍕Pizza (Napoletana style)Hydration 62%
- 🥖Ciabatta (Italian Slipper Bread)Hydration 75%
- 🍞SourdoughHydration 70%
- 🎂Sponge Cake
Frequently Asked Questions
What is baker's percentage?▾
Industry baking standard where every ingredient is calculated as a percentage of total flour weight. Flour is always 100%. Hydration 65% means 65g water per 100g flour. This system makes scaling recipes to any size accurate.
Hydration 60% vs 70% — what's the difference?▾
High hydration (>70%) = more water = wetter dough, harder to handle, but open crumb (large irregular holes — ciabatta, sourdough). Low hydration (50-60%) = dense dough, easy to shape (doughnuts, bakpao). Different products need different characteristics.
Why is yeast amount so small (0.3-2%)?▾
Industry standard. 1% yeast per flour weight is enough for 1-2 hour fermentation. For slow rise (overnight cold ferment Naples pizza), 0.3% — enough for 24-72 hour fermentation that develops deeper flavor.
What's the difference between high and low protein flour?▾
High protein (12%+, e.g., bread flour) = more gluten = chewy bread. Medium (10-11%, all-purpose) = versatile. Low protein (8-9%, cake flour) = tender for cakes/cookies. Use according to dough type.
Why isn't my bakpao pure white?▾
Use low-protein flour (cake flour or pao flour), add baking powder, and white vegetable shortening — not butter or margarine which has color. For extra white, add 1/4 tsp vinegar per 250g flour.
My sourdough starter isn't active, what can I substitute?▾
Can't substitute directly — sourdough must use starter. Alternative: switch to yeasted bread (ciabatta with 0.5% instant yeast) for similar result. Building a starter from scratch takes 5-7 days.