Hydration × flour
78% Hydration Spelt Flour
Noticeably open, shiny crumb. Irregular medium-to-large holes. Glossy cell walls. Moist texture.
⚠ Outside Spelt Flour's typical range (60–70%) — read below for handling
Is 78% hydration right for Spelt Flour?
Spelt Flour's workable hydration range is 60–70%. Its absorption multiplier is 0.96× bread flour. 78% is above Spelt Flour's typical range. The dough will be slack and may not hold shape in a free-form hearth loaf. Either reduce hydration to 70%, or blend Spelt Flour (40–60%) with bread flour for structural support.
Absorption math for Spelt Flour at 78%
A recipe written for bread flour at 78% hydration, when substituted with 100% Spelt Flour, becomes 75% effective hydration (because Spelt Flour absorbs 4% less water). Short autolyse (20-30 min max). Gentle stretch-and-folds (2 sets). Shorter bulk ferment (15-20% less time than bread flour). Spelt over-proofs quickly — watch for signs and shape slightly underproofed. Cold retard is essential for handling.
Technique at 78% hydration
Upper range of 'standard' hearth hydration. Benefits from high-extraction flour which tolerates the hydration. Use coil folds instead of stretch-and-folds to build structure without deflating. Cold retard mandatory.
Calculator pre-set to 78%
Weights below assume 100% Spelt Flour. For blends, use the main calculator on a recipe page.
- Flour to add
- 450 g
- Water to add
- 340 g
- Salt
- 10 g
- Levain @ 100%
- 100 g
- Total dough
- 900 g
- Effective hydration
- 78%
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.