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Whole wheat and rye flours absorb more water. Hydration will be adjusted automatically.
Base: 72% = 72%
Salt to flour ratio (typically 1.5-3%)
Levain to flour ratio (typically 10-30%)
Levain hydration (typically 100%)
Dough temperature during fermentation
Our sourdough calculator uses the professional baker's percentage method to help you create perfect artisan bread every time. This mathematical approach, used by professional bakers worldwide, expresses all ingredients as percentages relative to the total flour weight, making it incredibly easy to scale recipes up or down while maintaining perfect proportions.
Understanding dough hydration is crucial for achieving the perfect crumb structure in your sourdough bread. Hydration percentage determines everything from the texture of your final loaf to how easy it is to handle the dough during shaping. Our calculator allows you to experiment with hydration levels from 60% to 100%, giving you complete control over your bread's characteristics.
The levain ratio in sourdough baking affects both the flavor profile and fermentation speed of your bread. A higher percentage of levain (20-30%) will result in a more tangy, sour flavor and faster fermentation, while lower percentages (10-15%) produce milder flavors and slower, more controlled fermentation. Our calculator helps you find the perfect balance for your taste preferences.
Salt percentage in sourdough bread typically ranges from 1.5% to 3% of total flour weight. Salt not only enhances flavor but also controls fermentation speed and strengthens gluten structure. Our default of 2.1% provides a balanced flavor profile that complements the natural tanginess of sourdough without overpowering it.
Temperature control is one of the most overlooked aspects of sourdough baking, yet it has a profound impact on fermentation time and flavor development. Our calculator includes temperature-based fermentation time estimates, helping you plan your baking schedule. Remember that dough temperature during bulk fermentation directly affects how quickly your dough will rise and develop flavor.
For experienced bakers, our calculator supports advanced features like flour type adjustments and high altitude baking modifications. Different flour types absorb water differently - whole wheat and rye flours require higher hydration than white bread flour. Our calculator accounts for these variations to ensure accurate ingredient measurements.
When baking at high altitudes (above 3,000 feet or 900 meters), lower atmospheric pressure causes dough to rise faster and water to evaporate more quickly. Our altitude adjustment feature helps compensate for these conditions, ensuring your sourdough bread turns out perfectly regardless of your location.
The multi-loaf calculator feature allows you to easily scale your recipe for baking multiple loaves at once. Simply enter the number of loaves you want to bake, and our calculator automatically adjusts all ingredient measurements while maintaining the exact same hydration, salt, and levain ratios. This is perfect for batch baking or when preparing bread for special occasions.
Whether you're a beginner learning the basics of sourdough baking or an experienced baker refining your technique, our sourdough bread calculator provides the tools and precision you need to create consistently excellent bread. Start experimenting with different hydration levels, levain ratios, and flour types to discover your perfect sourdough recipe.
Maintaining a healthy sourdough starter is the foundation of successful sourdough baking. Our starter maintenance calculator helps you determine exactly how much flour and water you need to feed your starter based on your current amount, desired final amount, and chosen feeding ratio.
A sourdough starter is a living culture of wild yeasts and beneficial bacteria that naturally leavens bread. Unlike commercial yeast, sourdough starters develop complex flavors and improve the digestibility of bread. Regular feeding is essential to keep your starter active and healthy, ensuring it can effectively leaven your bread dough.
Feeding ratios determine how much flour and water you add relative to your existing starter. The ratio is expressed as starter:flour:water. For example, a 1:1:1 ratio means equal parts starter, flour, and water by weight. This is the standard maintenance ratio that keeps your starter healthy and active for regular baking.
1:2:2 ratio (double feed) is commonly used when you need to build up your starter quickly before baking. This ratio provides more food for the yeasts and bacteria, resulting in faster fermentation and increased activity. Many bakers use this ratio the day before baking to ensure their starter is at peak activity.
1:3:3 and 1:4:4 ratios (triple and quadruple feeds) are used when you need maximum starter activity. These larger feeds provide abundant food for the culture, resulting in very active, bubbly starters. Use these ratios when preparing for important bakes or when your starter seems sluggish and needs a boost.
The frequency of feeding depends on how you store your starter and how often you bake. For room temperature storage, feed your starter daily to maintain peak activity. At room temperature, a healthy starter should double in volume within 4-6 hours of feeding, showing signs of active fermentation with bubbles and a domed surface.
If you store your starter in the refrigerator, you can reduce feeding to once a week. The cold temperature slows down fermentation significantly, so your starter will remain stable for longer periods. Before using a refrigerated starter, you'll need to "wake it up" with a few room-temperature feedings to restore its activity.
When maintaining a sourdough starter, you typically need to discard a portion before each feeding to prevent the starter from growing too large. Our calculator automatically determines how much starter to discard based on your current amount, desired final amount, and feeding ratio. This ensures you maintain the right proportions while building up to your target quantity.
The discard doesn't have to go to waste! Many bakers use starter discard in recipes like pancakes, waffles, crackers, or quick breads. These recipes are perfect for using up discard while maintaining your starter's health through regular feeding.
When preparing to bake, you'll often need to build up your starter to a specific amount. Our calculator helps you determine exactly how much flour and water to add to reach your desired quantity. This is especially useful when following recipes that call for specific amounts of active starter.
For best results when building starter for baking, use a 1:2:2 or 1:3:3 ratio to ensure maximum activity. Feed your starter 4-6 hours before you plan to mix your dough, allowing it to reach peak activity. A starter at peak activity will have doubled in volume, show lots of bubbles, and have a pleasant, slightly tangy aroma.
How much should I discard? Typically, you discard about half of your starter before each feeding, but the exact amount depends on your feeding ratio and desired final quantity. Our calculator handles this calculation automatically.
Can I skip discarding? While you can skip discarding occasionally, regular discarding helps maintain starter health by removing old, less active culture and making room for fresh food. It also prevents your starter from growing too large.
What if my starter isn't doubling? If your starter isn't doubling within 4-6 hours, try feeding it more frequently, using a higher feeding ratio (1:2:2 or 1:3:3), or ensuring it's kept at the right temperature (around 24-26°C or 75-78°F).
Our sourdough starter calculator takes the guesswork out of starter maintenance, ensuring you always have the right amounts of flour and water for healthy, active starter. Whether you're maintaining a daily-fed starter or reviving a refrigerated one, our calculator helps you maintain the perfect balance for successful sourdough baking.
Welcome to the most comprehensive and user-friendly sourdough bread calculator available online. Our tool is designed to help both beginner and experienced bakers create perfect sourdough bread using the time-honored baker's percentage method.
Baker's percentage (also known as baker's math) is a method of expressing ingredient ratios in bread recipes. Unlike traditional recipes that use fixed measurements, baker's percentage expresses all ingredients as a percentage of the total flour weight. This system makes it incredibly easy to scale recipes up or down while maintaining perfect proportions.
In our sourdough calculator, all percentages are calculated relative to the total flour weight (including the flour in your levain). This ensures accurate calculations regardless of your desired batch size.
Hydration is one of the most critical factors in sourdough bread making. It refers to the ratio of water to flour in your dough, expressed as a percentage. Our calculator allows you to adjust hydration from 60% to 100%, giving you complete control over your bread's texture and crumb structure.
Lower hydration doughs are easier to handle and shape, producing a tighter, more uniform crumb. These are ideal for beginners or when making breads that require intricate shaping.
This is the sweet spot for most sourdough bakers. Medium hydration provides a good balance between workability and open crumb structure. Most artisan sourdough recipes fall within this range.
High hydration doughs create those beautiful, open, holey crumbs that are characteristic of artisan sourdough. However, they require more skill to handle and shape. These doughs are very sticky and need careful technique.
Levain (also called leaven or sourdough starter) is a mixture of flour, water, and wild yeast that acts as the leavening agent in sourdough bread. Unlike commercial yeast, levain contains a complex ecosystem of wild yeasts and beneficial bacteria that give sourdough its distinctive tangy flavor and improved digestibility.
Our calculator allows you to adjust:
Salt plays multiple crucial roles in sourdough bread:
Most sourdough recipes use 1.5-3% salt relative to flour weight. Our calculator defaults to 2.1%, which is a balanced amount that enhances flavor without being overpowering.
Temperature is perhaps the most overlooked factor in sourdough baking, yet it has a profound impact on fermentation speed and flavor development. Our calculator includes a temperature adjustment feature that estimates fermentation time based on your dough temperature.
Key Temperature Guidelines:
Remember: Watch your dough, not the clock! The estimated fermentation time is a guide, but visual cues (50% volume increase, domed top, bubbles on surface) are more reliable indicators of readiness.
Different flour types absorb water differently and produce varying results:
Versatile and widely available. Produces good results but may not achieve the most open crumb structure. Protein content typically 10-12%.
Higher protein content (12-14%) creates stronger gluten structure, allowing for higher hydration and more open crumb. Ideal for artisan sourdough.
Adds nutty flavor and nutritional benefits but absorbs more water. Often used in combination with white flour. Requires higher hydration.
Adds distinctive tangy flavor and helps with fermentation. Very absorbent, so adjust hydration accordingly. Often used in small percentages (10-20%).
Baking at high altitudes (above 3,000 feet/900 meters) requires adjustments due to lower atmospheric pressure. Our calculator includes an optional altitude adjustment feature to help you compensate for these conditions.
High Altitude Effects:
Our calculator includes a dedicated Starter Maintenance Calculator to help you keep your sourdough starter healthy and active. Regular feeding is essential for maintaining a robust starter that will leaven your bread effectively.
Feeding Ratios Explained:
Our calculator is designed with both beginners and experienced bakers in mind:
Here are some essential tips to help you achieve perfect sourdough bread:
Your starter should double in volume within 4-6 hours of feeding at room temperature. If it's sluggish, feed it more frequently or increase the feeding ratio.
Mix flour and water first, let rest 30-60 minutes, then add salt and levain. This autolyse period helps develop gluten without kneading.
Instead of traditional kneading, use stretch and fold or coil fold techniques. These are gentler and work better with high-hydration doughs.
Learn to read your dough. Look for 50% volume increase, a domed top, bubbles on the surface, and a smooth, elastic texture.
Temperature control is crucial. Use the temperature of your water to adjust dough temperature. Aim for 24-26°C (75-78°F) for optimal fermentation.
Sourdough takes time. Rushing fermentation will result in underdeveloped flavor and poor structure. Plan ahead and be patient.
Your dough should have increased in volume by about 50%, have a smooth, domed surface, show bubbles, and pass the poke test (gently poke - it should spring back slowly, leaving a slight indentation).
High hydration doughs are naturally sticky. Use wet hands when handling, and don't add extra flour. The stickiness decreases as gluten develops during folding. If unmanageable, reduce hydration by 2-3% next time.
For active baking, feed daily at room temperature. If storing in the fridge, feed once a week. Feed when your starter doubles in 4-6 hours at room temperature.
While designed for sourdough, the baker's percentage method works for any bread. However, you'll need to adjust for commercial yeast recipes (which don't use levain).
This sourdough calculator is part of sourdougher.com's commitment to providing high-quality tools and resources for home bakers. We believe that everyone should have access to professional-grade baking tools that make the art of sourdough bread making more accessible and enjoyable.
Whether you're a complete beginner or an experienced baker looking to refine your technique, our calculator is designed to help you achieve consistent, delicious results every time you bake.
Ready to bake your perfect sourdough loaf? Start by entering your desired dough weight and hydration percentage in our calculator. Experiment with different ratios, save your favorite recipes, and watch as your sourdough skills improve with each bake.
Remember: Great sourdough bread is a journey, not a destination. Each loaf teaches you something new about your flour, your starter, and your environment. Use our calculator as a guide, but trust your instincts and learn to read your dough.
Happy baking! 🍞