Build your dough
Start with the feel
Hydration is water as a percentage of all flour, including the flour in your starter.
A little living culture
Your flour blend
Enter flour added to the bowl. We count starter flour separately.
The finishing touch
A peek at the baker’s math
This calculator uses the overall-formula approach: total flour is 100%, including flour in the starter. Both starter flour and starter water count toward dough hydration. Salt is a percentage of that same total flour.
- Starter flour = starter weight ÷ (1 + starter hydration ÷ 100)
- Starter water = starter weight − starter flour
- Water to add = total flour × target hydration ÷ 100 − starter water
- Salt = total flour × salt percentage ÷ 100
- Total dough = added flours + starter + added water + salt
Assumes a flour-and-water starter with no salt. Flour names are labels; they do not change the calculation. Flour absorption and handling will vary. Calculations retain full precision before display rounding.
References: Bread Bakers Guild of America — The Demystifying of Baker’s Percentage · King Arthur Baking — overall baker’s percentages. Independent calculator; not affiliated with the Guild.
The Welcome Loaf Manual
Breaking bread starts with a little guidance. Explore my sourdough how-to booklet.
A little culture. To go.
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