40% rye hearth loaf balances rye character with wheat structure — moderately dense, deeply flavored, with decent oven spring. This is a popular 'everyday rye' format in German home baking. Sourdough preferment critical: 100% hydration rye levain for flavor development. Cold retard improves handling.
- Hydration
- 78%
- Salt
- 2.00%
- Levain
- 20–25%
- Bulk @ 76°F
- 3.50h
- Proof @ 76°F
- 8.00h
- Bake temp
- 475°F
- Bake time
- 40m
- Vessel
- dutch oven
Flour mix
- rye medium — 40%
- bread flour — 55%
- whole wheat — 5%
Technique
Autolyse wheat flours 30 min with water. Add rye flour, levain, salt. Mix thoroughly by hand (rye prevents useful kneading). 3-4 coil folds over 3h bulk at 76°F. Shape in floured banneton. Cold retard 8h. Bake in preheated dutch oven at 475°F: 20 min lid on, 20 min lid off.
Calculator pre-set to 40% Rye Hearth Loaf's target (78%)
Adjust the slider for personal preference within the workable 75–82% range.
- 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.
Related references on this site
- 78% hydration reference page — crumb structure, technique notes, other recipes at this hydration
- Flour spec: rye medium — protein, ash, absorption — 40% of this recipe's mix
- Flour spec: bread flour — protein, ash, absorption — 55% of this recipe's mix
- Hydration deep-dive for this recipe — workable range 75–82%
- Timing by kitchen temperature — bulk + proof times at 60-90°F using Modernist Bread multipliers
- Guide: baker's percentage explained — the math underlying every formula on this page
- All 25 recipes — grouped by category (lean, enriched, hearth, pan)
- Baking schedule & timeline — the full timeline from feed to bake, and how temperature moves it
- Water temperature calculator — hit the target dough temperature this formula assumes
The gear that makes the math work
A short, honest baking kit. The scale matters most — every weight on this page is in grams. The Dutch oven is what turns a good crumb into a great crust.
- Digital kitchen scale (0.1 g)View on Amazon →
- Dutch oven / combo cookerView on Amazon →
- Banneton proofing basketView on Amazon →
- Bread lameView on Amazon →
- Bench scraperView on Amazon →
- High-protein bread flourView on Amazon →
- Danish dough whiskView on Amazon →
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