Hydration

[ped]

Just reading through a few of the bread threads reference is made to 'Hydration' at various percentages, could someone tell me what this means?

Many thanks

[wheels]

It's the relationship between the flour and water. e.g. 1000gm flour, 600gm water = 60% hydration.

It's expressed in 'baker's percentages', in which the other ingredients are expressed as a percentage of the flour, not as a percentage of the total amount of ingredients.

HTH

Phil

[ped]

Many thanks Phil

[Snags]

Is it only based on weight not volume?

I use 3 cups flour to 1 cup water generally
33%

[NCPaul]

Bakers always work with weights and percentages because flour can have a lot of different volumes depending on how it was milled, the amount of moisture it has absorbed from the air, etc. Weight 3 cups of flour, you're probably about 60 % hydration.