Sourdough Calculator
Scale sourdough loaves with accurate baker’s percentages for flour, water, salt, and preferment.
Total flour
508.5 g
Total water
381.4 g
Salt
10.2 g
Levain
203.4 g
101.7 g flour / 101.7 g water
Final dough mix
- Flour (excluding levain): 406.8 g
- Water (excluding levain): 279.7 g
- Salt: 10.2 g
- Levain: 203.4 g
Process snapshot
- Autolyse flour and water (hold back salt & levain) for 20–60 min.
- Add levain, mix until combined, rest 20 min, then add salt.
- Bulk ferment 3–4 hours at 24°C (75°F) with folds every 30 min.
- Shape, cold proof overnight at 4°C (39°F), bake at 240°C (464°F).
How to Use This Calculator
Set your dough targets
Enter desired dough weight, hydration, salt, and levain percentage based on your recipe.
Mix levain and final dough
Build levain to the listed weight, then combine with final dough flour, water, and salt.
Follow your fermentation schedule
Use the process snapshot or adapt to your preferred folding, proofing, and baking routine.
Formula
Flour = Dough weight ÷ (1 + Hydration% ÷ 100 + Salt% ÷ 100)
Levain flour = Flour × (Levain% ÷ 100); Levain water = Levain flour × (Levain hydration% ÷ 100)
Example: 900 g dough @ 75% hydration, 2% salt, 20% levain → Flour 503 g, Water 377 g, Salt 10 g, Levain 201 g.
Tip: Adjust levain hydration to match your starter. Lower hydration levain contributes less water.
Full Description
Sourdough baking thrives on precise ratios. This calculator translates baker’s percentages into gram weights so you can scale loaves, adjust hydration, and tweak levain builds with confidence. Enter your target dough weight and the tool computes flour, water, salt, and levain breakdowns—including how much of each goes into the preferment versus final dough.
Use it to experiment with higher hydration doughs, change salt levels, or compare levain strengths. The output gives you a levain build schedule, mix weights, and a quick fermentation outline to stay organized during production.
Perfect for
- Scaling recipes for multiple boules or batards.
- Adjusting hydration based on flour types (whole grain, high-extraction).
- Teaching baker’s math to artisan bread students.
- Standardizing production for micro-bakeries and cottage bakers.
Track dough temperature, fermentation time, and flour blends to refine your personal formula notebook. For enriched sourdoughs, add sugar, butter, or milk after autolyse and adjust hydration accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What levain percentage should I use?
10–15% for slow fermentation, 20–25% for moderate, and up to 30–35% for same-day baking at warmer temps.
How do I adjust for whole wheat flour?
Increase hydration by 3–5% for every 25% whole wheat flour. Optionally increase levain to boost fermentation strength.
Can I change levain hydration?
Yes. Enter your levain’s hydration to split flour and water correctly between the preferment and final dough.
What if my salt tastes too strong?
Reduce salt percentage to 1.8%. Keep in mind salt controls fermentation speed, so bulk rise may accelerate slightly.