Sourdough Bread Calculator
Calculate your perfect sourdough recipe. Adjust loaves and hydration to match your skill level.
A standard sourdough loaf uses about 500 g bread flour at 70% hydration (350 g water), 2% salt (10 g), and 20% starter (100 g). Everything scales by baker's percentage, so you can bake any number of loaves from the same ratios.
Standard is 500g per loaf. Smaller for rolls, up to 2000g for sandwich loaves.
Easy to handle. Good structure with slight stickiness.
Great balance! Adds flavor while keeping dough manageable.
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Bread flour 400g (80%)Whole wheat / rye / spelt 100g (20%)Total Flour 500g (100%)
- Water (room temp) 300g (60%)
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Active stiff starter 50g (10%)
- Salt 10g (2%)
💡 Understanding Baker's Percentages
All percentages are relative to the total flour weight (100%). This makes it easy to scale recipes up or down.
- 💧 Hydration Guide (55-75%): Lower = easier to handle, Higher = more open crumb but trickier
- 🦠 10% starter: Balanced fermentation time (~8-12 hours at room temp)
- 🧂 2% salt: Standard for flavor and gluten strength
- 🌾 80/20 flour mix: Bread flour for structure, whole grain for flavor
🎯 Hydration Guide
Easy to shape. Great for learning. Denser crumb.
Good balance. Nice oven spring. Open crumb.
Sticky but rewarding. Big holes. Light texture.
Focaccia territory. Use oiled hands!
Nearly batter-like. For specialty breads only.
Equal flour & water. Bread scientist mode! 🔬
Ready to bake?
🍞 Start Guided Bake❓ Frequently asked questions
How much sourdough starter do I need?
Around 10–20% of the flour weight. Less starter with a longer, cooler fermentation develops more flavour; more starter ferments faster.
What hydration should I use for sourdough bread?
65–75% is a good range for most loaves. Higher hydration gives a more open crumb but a wetter, harder-to-handle dough — start around 68% and adjust.
How long should bulk fermentation take?
Until the dough has risen roughly 50% and feels airy — about 4–8 hours at room temperature, depending on temperature and how active your starter is.
Why is my sourdough bread dense?
Usually under-fermentation or a weak starter. Make sure your starter is doubling reliably, give the dough enough bulk time, and build dough strength with folds.
How much salt goes into sourdough bread?
About 2% of the flour weight. It seasons the loaf and keeps fermentation in check without slowing it too much.
Can I scale this recipe to more loaves?
Yes. The calculator works in baker's percentages, so every ingredient scales exactly to any number of loaves.