What is Hydration Level
February 14, 2016
The amount of water (or other liquid such as milk) added in a given amount of flour is called hydration. To determine hydration level, you need to understand baker’s percentages. By using this, you can visualize how your bread looks like even before baking. This method uses percentage by weight to present the quantity of each ingredient based on the amount of flour which is set to 100%. For example, if you have 8 ounces of water added to 10 ounces of flour, you divide 8 by 10 and multiplied by 100 (8 ÷ 10 × 100 = 80). You get an 80% hydration level. A wetter dough means a higher hydration level. A drier, stiffer dough means a lower hydration level.