🍞Sourdough Calculator

About this tool

Start from the number of loaves and the dough weight per loaf, or from a total flour weight. Set the hydration, salt and starter percentages and your starter's hydration. The calculator lists how much flour, water, starter and salt to weigh out, the total dough weight, and how much flour and water the starter contributes. Copy the recipe to paste into notes.

How baker's percentages work for sourdough

Bakers express every ingredient as a percentage of the total flour weight, which is always 100%. That makes recipes easy to scale and compare. Hydration is total water ÷ total flour: 1,000 g flour and 750 g water is 75% hydration. A sourdough starter is itself flour and water. A 100% hydration starter is equal weights of each, so 200 g of starter adds 100 g of flour and 100 g of water. Counting it gives the true hydration of the dough, which is why many recipes that look like 70% are really higher. For two 900 g loaves at 75% hydration, 2% salt and 20% starter, the dough needs about 1,017 g of flour in total. You would weigh about 915 g flour, 661 g water, 203 g starter and 20 g salt. Most home loaves sit between 65% and 80% hydration: lower is easier to shape, higher gives a more open crumb but a stickier dough. Wholemeal and rye flours absorb more water than white flour. Salt is usually 1.8–2.2%. Honest limits: flours vary, so hold back some water and add it as you mix; fermentation times depend on your starter's strength and kitchen temperature. The pizza dough calculator uses the same method for pizza, the recipe scaler scales any recipe and the cooking converter turns cups into grams.

Frequently asked questions