Hydration reference · beginner

Sourdough at65% hydration

Moderate cells, fairly uniform. Balanced chew — not dense, not fluffy. Classic sandwich bread territory.

Typical styles: Pizza Neapolitan · Baguette · Pan Loaf Standard

What does 65% hydration look like?

Moderate cells, fairly uniform. Balanced chew — not dense, not fluffy. Classic sandwich bread territory.

Technique for 65% dough

The traditional baguette hydration. Dough feels firm and shapes easily. Good starting hydration for hearth loaves without extreme-open-crumb expectations. Autolyse 30 min, 2-3 stretch-and-folds.

Try the calculator at 65% hydration

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

Flour to add
450 g
Water to add
275 g
Salt
10 g
Levain @ 100%
100 g
Total dough
835 g
Effective hydration
65%
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 65% hydration guide →

Popular recipes at 65% hydration

How to convert 65% to grams of water

Multiply total flour weight by 0.65. For a 500g flour dough at 65% hydration, that is 325 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.

Sources: Hamelman, Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes (3rd ed.); Robertson, Tartine Bread; Reinhart, The Bread Baker's Apprentice; Myhrvold, Modernist Bread vol 3.

First published: