Water to Flour Ratios of Various Recipes

The flour hydration percentage is a measure of the wetness of the dough.  Flour hydration is calculated as:  Hydration percentage = (water weight / flour weight) * 100

The sweet spot (from my experience) is between 70% and 90%.  If you need to hand-shape a loaf (rather than dumping the dough into a pot), the lower percentage is easier to work.  Around 90%, the dough becomes unworkable without the No-Touch technique.

Jim Lahey New York Times Recipe

No weight was given for the flour or any indication on how to measure the flour was given e.g.,Scoop and sweep vs using a tablespoon to fill the measuring cup and then sweeping. King Arthur Flour says there's 1/3 cup difference! I think this uncertainty was the cause of most of the problems people had with the original recipe. When working with flour, measuring by weight is best. No-Knead bread, especially when using the No-Touch technique is very forgiving as long as you stay between 70 and 90 percent!

• 12.5 to 14.5 ounces flour (3 cups) 
• 13 ounces water (1-5/8 cup)
• Flour Hydration Percentage: 104% to 89.6%

Even using the No-Touch technique, it was hard to work with the bread that I made with the 104% ratio.Focaccia Style Loaf

Jim Lahey's Book "My Bread"

• 14.1 ounces flour (3 cups) or 400 grams
• 10.7 ounces water (1-1/3 cup) or 300 grams
• Flour Hydration Percentage:  75%

Cook's Illustrated Recipe

• 15 ounces flour (3 cups)
• 10.5 ounces liquid (1 cup-3 ounces)
• Flour Hydration Percentage: 70%

5 Minute Bread Recipe

• 32 ounces flour  (6-1/2 cup)
• 24 ounces water (3 cups)
• Flour Hydration Percentage: 75%