Let's talk sourdough hydration!

What is sourdough hydration?

Sourdough hydration is a calculation of how much water the dough contains, in relation to how much flour it has. In general, sourdough bread tends to have hydration levels from 65% to 100% depending on the type of flour used. The higher the hydration level, the more open the crumb texture, and the thinner and crisper the crust.

Bakers often reference the percent hydration used in a sourdough recipe (e.g. 75% hydration) - this means that they added 75% of the flour weight in water. Higher hydration means more water, and therefore a wetter dough.

Types of Flour and Hydration

The problem with referencing a generic hydration level is that 75% hydration with whole wheat flour is drastically different from 75% hydration with all white bread flour. Furthermore, fresh-milled whole wheat flour can affect hydration as well! 

Whole grains soak up more water, so the more you have in your dough, the higher the hydration level you can use.

I typically use a whole wheat sourdough recipe in my bakes, but in times when I've needed to alternate to an all white sourdough recipe, I've found that my 80% hydration whole wheat recipe is comparable to a 72.% hydration all white bread flour sourdough. In general, you should aim to add up to 10% higher hydration when switching from white to whole wheat to allow for the extra absorbency. I find that this hydration is ideal for helping my loaves maintain their shape, especially when I'm doing 3D sculpted designs.