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Three reading paths through sourdough math

The site has 540+ pages. You don't need most of them. Pick the reading path that matches where you are right now — first-time baker, improving your craft, or back-engineering the math. Each path is a 4–6 step sequence linking the calculator + reference + guides in coherent order. No signup, no email gate.

First-time baker

You've never made sourdough before — or your loaves are inconsistent and you want a system.

For: Bakers with 0–6 weeks of experience. You have flour, water, salt, and a starter (or want to make one). You don't yet have a feel for how percentages translate to grams.

Time: ~20 minutes to read · then your first bake

  1. 1. Glossary (5 min skim)20 terms in plain English. Skim the first 5 (baker's percentage, hydration, levain, autolyse, bulk fermentation). Re-visit when you hit unfamiliar words later.
  2. 2. Hydration overview12 hydration levels from 55–95%. Read the descriptions; understand why 75% is the baseline country-loaf target.
  3. 3. Sourdough at 75% hydrationThe most-baked hydration in the world. See what 75% looks like, smells like, and how to handle the dough.
  4. 4. Country loaf recipeA complete formula at 75% hydration. Use the calculator to scale to whatever flour quantity you have. Bake.
  5. 5. If your dough was too stickyDiagnostic guide — hydration vs. technique vs. flour mismatch.

Improving your craft

You can already bake an OK loaf. You want to understand the variables that separate OK from excellent.

For: Bakers with 1–12 months of experience. You know what a windowpane test looks like; you want to understand how temperature, flour choice, and starter activity interact.

Time: ~45 minutes to read · then iterate over 3–5 bakes

  1. 1. Temperature and timeThe piecewise-linear model from Modernist Bread vol 3. Why a 78°F kitchen bulks twice as fast as 68°F.
  2. 2. Temperature ranges (8 reference points)From 38°F cold-retard to 95°F summer kitchen. Pick yours; bookmark the page.
  3. 3. Flour types (15 specs)Protein %, absorption multiplier, hydration range, source citations per flour. Compare bread flour to whole wheat to einkorn.
  4. 4. Whole-grain hydration adjustmentsWhy 100% rye drinks 95%+ water and bread flour drinks 70%.
  5. 5. Starter types (5 reference)Liquid 100%, stiff lievito madre 50%, rye 100%, whole-wheat 100%, gluten-free rice. Picking matters.
  6. 6. Decision framework — choosing hydrationFlour + flavor + skill-level matrix. When to push 85% vs. stay at 70%.

Bake the math

You want to understand why every number on every page exists — and how to compute your own formulas from scratch.

For: Spreadsheet-leaning bakers, recipe developers, people who want to invent their own bread instead of copying others'. The math behind the math.

Time: ~30 minutes to read · then build your own formula

  1. 1. Baker's percentage explainedFlour = 100%, everything else is a percentage of flour. Worked examples + scaling math.
  2. 2. Starter discount mathWhy you subtract starter-contributed flour + water from the recipe totals — and what happens if you don't.
  3. 3. Reverse calculatorYou have a flour-and-water weight; what's the hydration? Useful for adapting recipes that hide the percentages.
  4. 4. Levain build timingHow long to wait before peak in a hot vs. cold kitchen. Builds on the temperature multipliers.
  5. 5. Public JSON APIPOST your flour weight + target hydration + (optional) flour mix; receive computed gram weights with starter-discount math applied. Power-user / spreadsheet integration.

If you prefer to wander

Every page on the site is bookmarkable + cross-linked. The 8 top-level hubs are the canonical entry points — pick whichever matches your question.

Stay in the loop

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Reading paths curated 2026-05-17. The path-step order is the author's recommendation, not a strict prerequisite chain — feel free to jump.

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.

Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, SourdoughHydration earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

  • Digital kitchen scale (0.1 g)Digital kitchen scale (0.1 g)

    Baker's percentage is by weight, not volume — a 0.1 g scale is what makes the math on this page accurate.

    View on Amazon →
  • Dutch oven / combo cookerDutch oven / combo cooker

    Traps steam for the first bake phase — the single biggest factor in oven spring and a blistered, glossy crust.

    View on Amazon →
  • Banneton proofing basketBanneton proofing basket

    Wicks moisture and holds shape during the final proof, so high-hydration dough doesn't spread flat.

    View on Amazon →
  • Bread lameBread lame

    A sharp lame scores clean ears — the cut that decides whether the loaf opens up or bursts at the side.

    View on Amazon →
  • Bench scraperBench scraper

    Steel scraper handles wet, sticky high-hydration dough without tearing the gluten you just built.

    View on Amazon →
  • High-protein bread flourHigh-protein bread flour

    The math assumes ~12–14% protein. Real bread flour absorbs the hydration you calculate — all-purpose won't.

    View on Amazon →
  • Danish dough whiskDanish dough whisk

    Mixes shaggy, high-hydration dough in seconds without the gluey mess of a spoon or your hands.

    View on Amazon →
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.

Start a free Audible trial →

As an Amazon Associate, SourdoughHydration earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. More on how this is funded.

Gear guides — what actually matters