Sourdough hydration, calculated.

Exact flour, water, salt, and starter weights for any hydration, any flour, any style. Starter discount applied automatically. Temperature-adjusted fermentation timing cited from Modernist Bread.

Flour to add
450 g
Water to add
325 g
Salt
10 g
Levain @ 100%
100 g
Total dough
885 g
Effective hydration
75%
How the math works

Total water = flour × hydration %. Your levain contributes 50 g flour + 50 g water — both count toward the totals. You add only the remainder as fresh flour and water.

Salt % is computed on total flour weight, not final-dough flour.

Open 75% hydration guide →

To bake this recipe you need

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What hydration should I use?

Browse all 12 levels →

Sourdough hydration runs from 55% (bagels, pretzels) to 95%+ (Pan de Cristal, expert-only). The sweet spot for artisan hearth loaves is 72–78%. Lower means tighter crumb and easier handling; higher means more open crumb but demands more technique.

Popular recipes

Hydration targets cited from Hamelman, Robertson, AVPN, and King Arthur Baking.

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Find a recipe by flour

Absorption multipliers from King Arthur, Central Milling, Jovial, Caputo.

All 17 flour types →

Temperature changes everything

Your 4-hour bulk at 76°F becomes 6 hours at 68°F — and under 3 hours at 82°F. Multipliers from Myhrvold, Modernist Bread vol 3.

Timing calculator →

Calculators & charts

The gear that makes the math work

A short, honest baking kit. The scale matters most — every weight on this page is in grams. The Dutch oven is what turns a good crumb into a great crust.

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Or learn the craft by ear

The numbers here are the what; a good baking book is the why. An Audible trial gets you any title free — Michael Pollan’s Cooked(the “Air” chapter is the best story ever told about why bread rises) is a perfect first listen.

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Gear guides — what actually matters

Common questions

What is baker's percentage?

Baker's percentage is a way of expressing bread recipe ingredients as percentages of total flour weight. 75% hydration means water weight is 75% of flour weight. 2% salt means salt is 2% of flour weight. This system scales recipes up or down cleanly and compares different recipes directly.

Why does whole wheat need more water than bread flour?

Whole wheat contains bran and germ, which absorb more water than refined endosperm. Bran particles also disrupt gluten formation, so the dough needs to be softer (higher hydration). Typical adjustment: add 5-10% more water when substituting whole wheat for bread flour.

How do I adjust timing for a cold kitchen?

Fermentation roughly doubles for every 10°F drop below 76°F baseline. A 4-hour bulk at 76°F becomes 6 hours at 68°F and 10 hours at 58°F. Use the temperature calculator.

Does sourdough starter count toward hydration?

Yes. A 20% levain at 100% hydration contains flour and water equal to 10% of total recipe flour each. The calculator on this site automatically subtracts the starter's flour and water contribution from the final dough ingredients.

What's the highest hydration I can achieve?

For practical home baking, 82-85% with bread flour is the upper limit for free-form hearth loaves. Above 85% requires pan-baking or specialized technique like Pan de Cristal with olive oil. Whole wheat and high-extraction flours can go higher.

How do I know if my dough is over-hydrated?

Over-hydrated dough won't hold shape after shaping (spreads flat), tears easily during folding, and produces bread with gummy crumb. If you encounter these signs, reduce hydration by 3-5% next bake.

Guides

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