The Library / Myths, tested

“You need high hydration for an open crumb”

Water helps, but fermentation and handling decide most of it. A 70% dough can be beautifully open; an 85% one can be dense.

Why

Open crumb needs gas, and a gluten network strong and stretchy enough to hold it in large bubbles. More water makes the dough more extensible, which lets bubbles grow. But an under-fermented wet dough has no gas to hold, and a roughly handled one has had its bubbles pressed out. Getting bulk right and shaping gently does more than another 5% water.

Further down

Very wet doughs are also harder to shape and easier to overproof, so chasing hydration often makes the crumb worse before it makes it better. Raise the water only when a dough at your current level is coming out well, and then by a little.

Words used here Hydration Crumb

Updated 7 October 2026