Sourdough hydration math, solved.
Exact flour, water, salt, and starter weights for any hydration, any flour, any style. Baker's percentage calculator with 15 flours, 25 recipe styles, and 8 temperature-adjusted fermentation schedules.
- Flour to add
- 450 g
- Water to add
- 325 g
- Salt
- 10 g
- Levain (at 100% hydration)
- 100 g
- Total dough
- 885 g
- Effective hydration
- 75%
How the math works
Total water = flour × hydration %. Levain contributes 50g flour + 50g 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.
What hydration should I use?
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 hydration gives tighter crumb and easier handling; higher gives more open crumb but demands more technique.
- 55-65%Tight crumb — bagels, pretzels, brioche
- 65-75%Balanced — baguette, country loaf
- 75-85%Open crumb — ciabatta, focaccia
- 85%+Extreme — Pan de Cristal, advanced
Popular recipes
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Temperature changes everything
Your 4-hour bulk ferment at 76°F becomes 6 hours at 68°F — and 3 hours at 82°F. Use the temperature timing calculator to adjust any recipe to your actual kitchen. Multipliers from Modernist Bread vol 3.