Sourdough Guides
Long-form reference articles on baker's percentage, hydration selection, starter discount math, temperature and fermentation, whole-grain adjustments, and troubleshooting. Each guide includes worked examples and source citations.
Baker's Percentage Explained: The Math Behind Every Sourdough Recipe
Baker's percentage uses flour weight as 100% and expresses every other ingredient as a percentage. Explained with 4 worked examples, step-by-step math, and conversion guides.
How to Choose Sourdough Hydration: A Decision Framework by Flour × Style × Skill
The right sourdough hydration depends on your flour, desired bread style, and skill level. Decision framework with target ranges for each combination and troubleshooting tips.
Starter Discount Math: Why Your Levain Changes the Final Dough
Levain contains flour and water that count toward final recipe totals. Learn the starter discount calculation with 3 worked examples so your recipes hit their actual hydration target.
Sticky Sourdough Dough: A Diagnostic Flowchart for 7 Common Causes
Sticky dough during folding or shaping isn't always too-high hydration. Diagnose 7 possible causes with a step-by-step flowchart and specific fixes for each.
Temperature and Fermentation Time: How Your Kitchen Changes Every Sourdough Recipe
Kitchen temperature controls fermentation speed. Learn the multipliers for 58°F to 95°F and adjust any recipe for your actual conditions with 4 real-world case studies.
Whole Grain Hydration: Why Whole Wheat, Rye, and Spelt Need Different Water
Whole grain flours absorb different amounts of water than refined bread flour. Exact absorption multipliers and hydration adjustments for 7 whole-grain flour types with worked examples.
Looking up a specific term?
The sourdough glossary covers 20 working terms — baker's percentage, levain, autolyse, banneton, crumb, ear, poolish, biga, stiff starter, and the rest — with plain-English definitions and links to the calculator surface that uses each one.