Sourdough & Bread Baker’s Percentage Calculator

Baker’s Math expresses every ingredient as a percentage of the flour weight, which is always set to 100 percent. So a recipe with 1000 g flour, 700 g water, and 20 g salt is 70 percent hydration and 2 percent salt. Because flour is the anchor, you can scale any recipe up or down by changing the flour weight and multiplying every other percentage by it.

A 100 percent hydration starter is half flour and half water by weight. So half of your starter weight counts as flour and half as water. Add the starter’s flour to your flour total and the starter’s water to your water total, then divide total water by total flour and multiply by 100. That is your true hydration, which is higher than the recipe hydration you typed in.

Sticky dough is usually high hydration, an under-developed gluten network, or over-fermentation. Higher hydration means more water relative to flour, which feels wetter. Build strength with stretch and folds, and if it is still unmanageable, drop hydration by 3 to 5 percent until your technique catches up. Wet hands and a bench scraper make handling much easier.

Bulk fermentation typically runs 4 to 6 hours at room temperature, but temperature and starter strength change this a lot. In a cold kitchen it can take 6 to 8 hours; in a warm kitchen 3 to 4. Watch the dough, not just the clock: it should look airy, domed, and increased about 50 to 75 percent in volume.

Pinch off a small piece of dough and gently stretch it between your fingers. If it stretches thin enough to see light through without tearing, the gluten is well developed and the dough passes the windowpane test. If it tears immediately, it needs more kneading or folds.

Yes for most loaves. Scoring creates a controlled weak point so the expanding steam escapes where you want instead of bursting out the side. Score with a sharp lame at a shallow angle for an ear, or deeper for a simple bloom. Scoring also helps the loaf bake evenly.

Steam in the first part of baking keeps the surface supple so the loaf can fully expand, then dry heat finishes the crust. A preheated Dutch oven traps the loaf’s own steam and is the easiest home method. Bake covered for about 20 minutes, then uncover and bake until deep golden brown.

Usually yes. A cold retard of 12 to 48 hours develops flavor and makes scoring easier. Very long retards can make the dough more sour and softer, and weak dough may over-proof. If your dough is very ripe before retarding, keep it on the shorter side.