i searched and couldn't find any thing so here's some questions. They've probably been asked before so any links would be appreciated.
what does high hydration do To the dough besides make it extra sticky? Is it flavor? Is it gluten formation? Is it simply a style of baking? What happens to the final product if you use more or less water?
Thanks in advance,
High hydration gives you larger holes in the crumb and gives a softer crumb.
Ford
In my experience, and as a general comment, higher hydration makes the crumb open, glossy and chewy (think ciabatta or some baguettes that are mostly webs of gelatinous dough around large holes). Depending on your method for developing gluten, a higher hydration dough will also benefit from longer and more intensive mixing and manipulation prior to bulk fermentation. Of course, if you bulk ferment for a long time at a low temperature the gluten should develop on its own anyway, but I find it makes better bread to mix it fairly intensely first.
Some liquids have a different effect on dough. For example, if you use milk, oil, eggs and honey you can make quite a wet dough but the resulting crumb will be soft, close and tender instead of open and chewy.