What does 55% hydration mean in sourdough?

55% hydration means the dough contains 55 grams of water for every 100 grams of flour, by weight. It is a baker's-percentage convention: flour is always 100%, and other ingredients are expressed as a percentage of the total flour weight.

Which sourdough styles use 55% hydration?

Bagel, Pretzel Sourdough, Brioche, Challah Sourdough, Panettone Sourdough. See each style's page for the full recipe formula.

How do I convert 55% hydration into grams of water?

Multiply total flour weight by 0.55. For example, 500g flour × 0.55 = 275g water. Use the calculator below to handle salt, levain, and starter-discount math automatically.

Hydration reference · beginner

Sourdough at55% hydration

Very tight, fine, uniform crumb with small cells. Cake-like chew. No holes. Dense but tender.

Typical styles: Bagel · Pretzel Sourdough · Brioche · Challah Sourdough · Panettone Sourdough

What does 55% hydration look like?

Very tight, fine, uniform crumb with small cells. Cake-like chew. No holes. Dense but tender.

Technique for 55% dough

Stiff dough, easy to handle. Use stand mixer for enriched versions. Low-hydration doughs tolerate mistakes well — good starting point for new bakers. Appropriate for pan-shaped loaves, enriched breads, and styles requiring dense texture like bagels and pretzels.

Try the calculator at 55% hydration

Adjust the target hydration, salt, and levain below. All outputs update as you type, with starter discount applied.

Total flour(g)

Target hydration(%)

Salt(%)

Levain of flour(%)

Levain hydration(%)

Flour to add: 450 g
Water to add: 225 g
Salt: 10 g
Levain @ 100%: 100 g
Total dough: 785 g
Effective hydration: 55%

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.

Open 55% hydration guide →

Popular recipes at 55% hydration

How to convert 55% to grams of water

Multiply total flour weight by 0.55. For a 500g flour dough at 55% hydration, that is 275 g of water.

Remember that the levain contributes some of the flour and water. The calculator above subtracts the levain's contribution automatically so the numbers you weigh on the counter are the real ones.