Hydration × flour
85% Hydration Medium Rye Flour
Extremely open, irregular, moist crumb. Large glossy holes dominate. Very thin, crackling crust.
✓ Within Medium Rye Flour's workable range (80–95%)
Is 85% hydration right for Medium Rye Flour?
Medium Rye Flour's workable hydration range is 80–95%. Its absorption multiplier is 1.08× bread flour. At 85%, you are in the sweet spot — the dough will handle predictably and produce the crumb described above.
Absorption math for Medium Rye Flour at 85%
A recipe written for bread flour at 85% hydration, when substituted with 100% Medium Rye Flour, becomes 92% effective hydration (because Medium Rye Flour absorbs 8% more water). Do NOT knead rye dough (tears pentosan structure). Mix to incorporate, then rest. Very short bulk ferment (2-3 hours at 76°F) — rye ferments fast. Wet hands for shaping. Use a pan or tight banneton. Bake at higher initial temp (500°F) for 15 minutes, then reduce. Internal temp 205-210°F for doneness.
Technique at 85% hydration
Pan-baked or stretched on floured surface — not bannetoned or shaped. Requires high-protein bread flour (or rye's pentosan structure). Advanced technique territory.
Calculator pre-set to 85%
Weights below assume 100% Medium Rye Flour. For blends, use the main calculator on a recipe page.
- Flour to add
- 450 g
- Water to add
- 375 g
- Salt
- 10 g
- Levain @ 100%
- 100 g
- Total dough
- 935 g
- Effective hydration
- 85%
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.