Sourdough Calculator
Calculate the perfect ingredient ratios for your sourdough bread. Adjust hydration, starter percentage, and dough weight to create your ideal recipe.
Dough Settings
A typical loaf is 800-1000g. Two loaves: 1600-2000g.
Your Recipe
Quick Reference
- 65-70% hydration: Good for beginners, easier to handle
- 72-78% hydration: Classic sourdough, open crumb
- 80%+ hydration: Very wet, requires experience
- Lower starter %: Longer fermentation, more flavor
- Higher starter %: Faster rise, milder flavor
Understanding Sourdough Ratios
Great sourdough bread is all about ratios. This calculator uses baker's percentages to determine the exact amounts of flour, water, starter, and salt you need based on your desired final dough weight.
The Basic Formula
- Flour: 100% (the baseline)
- Water: 65-85% (hydration level)
- Starter: 10-35% (affects rise time and flavor)
- Salt: 1.8-2.2% (typically 2%)
How Hydration Affects Your Bread
Low (65-70%)
Easier to handle, tighter crumb, good for sandwiches and beginners.
Medium (72-78%)
Classic sourdough texture, open crumb, good balance of flavor and workability.
High (80%+)
Very open, irregular crumb. Sticky and difficult to handle. For experienced bakers.
Feeding Your Starter
Your starter should be fed and active before you mix dough. Feeding is done by weight, as a ratio of starter to flour to water:
1:1:1 — Maintenance
Equal weights, e.g. 50g + 50g + 50g. Peaks in 4-6 hours at room temperature — good for daily upkeep.
1:2:2 — Build
e.g. 25g + 50g + 50g. Builds more starter and peaks in 6-8 hours with a milder flavor.
1:5:5 — Overnight
e.g. 20g + 100g + 100g. Slow rise of 8-12 hours, ready to bake with in the morning.
Starter is ripe when it has roughly doubled, looks bubbly and domed, and floats in water. Use it at or just before peak.
Basic Sourdough Timeline
- Night Before: Feed your starter so it's active and ready
- Morning: Mix dough (autolyse optional), add starter and salt
- Bulk Fermentation: 4-6 hours with stretch and folds every 30-45 min
- Pre-shape & Rest: 20-30 minutes
- Final Shape: Shape and place in banneton
- Cold Proof: 8-12 hours in refrigerator (or 1-2 hours at room temp)
- Bake: 450-500°F (230-260°C), covered for 20 min, then uncovered for 20-25 min
Frequently Asked Questions
What hydration should I use for sourdough?
For beginners, start with 65-70% hydration for easier handling. Standard sourdough is typically 72-78% hydration for a good open crumb. Experienced bakers can try 80%+ for very open, irregular crumb structure.
How much starter should I use?
A typical amount is 15-25% of the flour weight. Lower amounts (10-15%) give a longer fermentation and more complex flavor. Higher amounts (25-35%) speed up fermentation but may give a stronger sour taste.
What is baker's percentage?
Baker's percentage expresses each ingredient as a percentage of the total flour weight. Flour is always 100%, so if you use 500g flour and 375g water, the hydration is 75% (375/500 = 0.75).
How much dough do I need for one loaf?
A standard loaf uses 800-1000g of dough, which fits a 9-inch dutch oven or banneton. For a larger boule, use 1000-1200g. For baguettes, divide into 300-350g pieces.
How do I know when my sourdough is ready?
After bulk fermentation, the dough should have increased 50-75% in size, feel airy, and pass the poke test (finger indent springs back slowly). After proofing, it should pass the poke test and jiggle when you shake the basket.
How do I feed my sourdough starter?
Use equal weights of starter, flour, and water — a 1:1:1 ratio. For example, keep 50g of starter and feed it 50g flour and 50g water. To build more starter for a bake, scale the feed up (such as 1:2:2 or 1:5:5), which also slows fermentation so it peaks when you need it.
What is a 1:2:2 starter feeding ratio?
It means 1 part starter to 2 parts flour and 2 parts water by weight — e.g. 25g starter, 50g flour, 50g water. Higher flour-and-water ratios take longer to peak but build more starter and a milder flavor; lower ratios peak faster and taste tangier.