Sourdough Calculator
Calculate all sourdough bread ingredient weights from flour weight, hydration percentage, levain percentage, and salt percentage.
Sourdough Recipe
Baker"s percentages express each ingredient as a percentage of the total flour weight. This makes scaling recipes simple and consistent.
Formulas:
Water = Flour Weight x Hydration %
Levain = Flour Weight x Levain %
Salt = Flour Weight x Salt %
Levain adjustment: Since levain contains flour and water (typically 50/50), the actual new flour and water amounts are adjusted:
Flour in levain = Levain Weight / 2
Water in levain = Levain Weight / 2
New flour to add = Total Flour - Flour in levain
New water to add = Total Water - Water in levain
Common sourdough ratios:
- Hydration 65%: Stiffer dough, easier to shape, tighter crumb
- Hydration 70–75%: Standard artisan loaf, open crumb
- Hydration 80%+: Very open crumb, ciabatta-style, harder to handle
- Levain 15–20%: Standard, moderate fermentation
- Levain 25–30%: Faster fermentation, more sour
- Salt 2%: Standard for most bread
Typical timeline (room temp 75°F / 24°C):
- Bulk fermentation: 4–6 hours
- Cold retard (fridge): 12–48 hours
- Higher levain % = shorter bulk fermentation