When you hear dough hydration, the ratio of water to flour in a pizza or bread dough, measured as a percentage. Also known as water content in dough, it’s not just a baking term—it’s the single most important factor that decides whether your crust turns out chewy, crisp, or flat. Most Italian recipes use 60-70% hydration, but here in India, where atta and maida behave differently than Italian 00 flour, you often need more water—sometimes up to 75%—to get the same stretch and rise.
Why does this matter? If your dough is too dry, it won’t stretch. It’ll snap back, tear when you try to toss it, and bake into a cardboard-like crust. Too wet, and it sticks to everything—your hands, the counter, the peel—and turns into a soggy mess in the oven. The right hydration lets the gluten form properly, traps air during fermentation, and creates those beautiful bubbles you see in Neapolitan pizza. It’s not magic—it’s science. And it changes based on your flour, your climate, and even the humidity in your kitchen. In Delhi’s dry winters, you might need 5% more water than in monsoon-season Mumbai. That’s why recipes that work for someone in Toronto might fail for you in Bangalore.
Indian home cooks often skip hydration calculations because they’re used to eyeballing water. But if you’ve ever made a pizza that’s dense or too tough, it’s not your technique—it’s your water ratio. Look at the posts below: one explains how much water to add to dosa batter for fluffiness, another breaks down the perfect urad dal to rice ratio—both are hydration stories too. Even the tips on soft rotis? That’s hydration in action. When you understand how water interacts with flour, you stop following recipes and start mastering dough. You’ll know why your crust didn’t blister, why your dough didn’t rise, and how to fix it next time. This isn’t about precision for the sake of it—it’s about control. And once you get it, your pizza stops being a gamble and starts being delicious, every time.
Oct, 16 2025, 0 Comments
Learn why roti gets hard after cooking and follow step‑by‑step tips on dough hydration, heat control, and storage to keep every roti soft and fluffy.
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