Hydration reference · intermediate

Sourdough at75% hydration

Open crumb with distinct holes of varying sizes. Moist, chewy, glossy cell walls. The classic Tartine country-loaf target.

Typical styles: Country Loaf · Pain de Campagne

What does 75% hydration look like?

Open crumb with distinct holes of varying sizes. Moist, chewy, glossy cell walls. The classic Tartine country-loaf target.

Technique for 75% dough

The sweet spot for most hearth sourdough. Requires confident stretch-and-folds (3-4 sets). Wet hands essential for shaping. Cold retard improves handling and ear development during scoring.

Try the calculator at 75% hydration

Adjust the target hydration, salt, and levain below. All outputs update as you type, with starter discount applied.

Flour to add
450 g
Water to add
325 g
Salt
10 g
Levain @ 100%
100 g
Total dough
885 g
Effective hydration
75%
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.

Open 75% hydration guide →

Popular recipes at 75% hydration

How to convert 75% to grams of water

Multiply total flour weight by 0.75. For a 500g flour dough at 75% hydration, that is 375 g of water.

Remember that the levain contributes some of the flour and water. The calculator above subtracts the levain's contribution automatically so the numbers you weigh on the counter are the real ones.

Sources: Hamelman, Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes (3rd ed.); Robertson, Tartine Bread; Reinhart, The Bread Baker's Apprentice; Myhrvold, Modernist Bread vol 3.

First published: