The Baker's Hydration Cheat Sheet

50–57%

Bagels, pretzels, stiff pasta Dense, tight crumb. Dough is firm and easy to handle. Hand-shape friendly.

58–62%

Pizza dough, sandwich bread Workable, not too sticky. The Neapolitan pizza standard. Soft sandwich crumb territory.

63–68%

French bread, baguettes, dinner rolls Good oven spring. Crisp crust, light interior. Slightly tacky but shapeable.

69–75%

Rustic country loaves, sourdough Open crumb starts here. Holes appear. Bench scraper required. Tartine territory.

76–85%

Ciabatta, focaccia, high-hydration sourdough Very open crumb. Sticky handling. Use wet hands. Long bulk ferment recommended.

86–95%

Wet ciabatta, lievito madre, panettone slurries Pourable batter texture. Steel/cast iron mandatory. Stretch-and-folds replace kneading.

96%+

Pancake batter, crêpe batter, waffles No longer dough. Liquid measurements. Different game entirely.

Pro Tips That Take Years to Learn

Salt counts as solid, not liquid. A 2% salt addition doesn't change your hydration number.
Egg is 75% water. If your recipe has eggs, they count toward hydration.
Butter is 15% water. Yes, even in enriched doughs.
Honey is 17% water, maple syrup is 33%. Sweeteners are not just sugar.
Whole wheat absorbs ~10% more water than white. A 70% hydration whole-wheat dough feels like a 60% hydration white dough.
Cold flour and cold water = longer fermentation, more flavor. Warm = faster rise, less flavor.
Stretch and folds replace kneading above 75% hydration. Don't try to knead it like pizza dough.
Autolyse for 30–60 minutes before adding salt and starter. Hydration accuracy improves.