Free Sourdough Calculator

A reliable sourdough recipe depends on accurate ingredient ratios. Whether you are new to naturally leavened bread or an experienced baker refining your formula, the Sourdough Calculator automates the baker's math to deliver consistent results. It computes the ideal amounts of flour, water, starter, and salt, and also shows the total dough weight, overall hydration, and the flour‑and‑water breakdown of the starter itself. This tool is equally useful for creating a traditional sourdough loaf, pizza dough, or other fermented baked goods.

Baker’s Percentage for Sourdough

Baker’s percentage (often called baker’s math) expresses every ingredient as a percentage of the total flour weight, which is fixed at 100%. For a classic sourdough bread formula, the recommended proportions are:

• Flour: 100%
• Water: 67% (can be varied according to preference)
• Starter: 20–25%
• Salt: 2%

For example, using 500 g of flour would correspond to 335 g of water, 100–125 g of starter, and 10 g of salt. The Sourdough Bread Calculator allows you to enter the water percentage freely, making it adaptable for low‑ or high‑hydration loaves.

Key Ingredient Calculations

Starter Quantity

The typical starter amount is 20% of the flour weight:

$$\text{starter} = \frac{20}{100} \times \text{flour weight}$$

If you are using 600 g of flour, you would need 120 g of starter. Ambient temperature also matters: in cooler environments the starter can be increased to compensate for slower fermentation, while in warmer conditions a slightly lower amount may work better.

Salt Quantity

Salt is normally added at 2% of the flour weight:

$$\text{salt} = \frac{2}{100} \times \text{flour weight}$$

Thus 400 g of flour requires 8 g of salt.

Total Dough Weight

The overall weight of the dough is the sum of all components:

$$\text{total weight} = \text{flour} + \text{water} + \text{starter} + \text{salt}$$

For instance, 500 g flour, 350 g (or ml) water, 100 g starter, and 10 g salt give a total of 960 g.

Overall Hydration

Hydration represents the total water in relation to the total flour, including the water contributed by the starter:

$$\text{hydration} = \frac{\text{total water}}{\text{total flour}} \times 100\%$$

A hydration below 70% is generally considered low, while anything above 70% is high. This value is a key indicator of how the dough will behave.

Understanding Hydration Levels

Low‑hydration doughs ( < 70%) are less sticky, easier to knead, and ferment more slowly. They tend to rise well in the oven and produce a denser, more uniform crumb.

High‑hydration doughs ( > 70%) are tackier and more challenging to handle, but they ferment rapidly, develop a thin crisp crust, and yield an open crumb with irregular holes. Neither type is inherently “correct”; the choice depends on your desired texture and handling preference. The Sourdough Hydration Calculator helps you explore both ends of the spectrum by adjusting the water percentage.

Starter Hydration

The sourdough starter itself is a fermented mixture of flour and water, and its hydration ratio influences the final dough. The Sourdough Starter Calculator section of the tool allows you to:

1. Set the desired hydration for your starter (e.g., 100% meaning equal parts flour and water).
2. Confirm the starter weight (taken from the first section or entered manually).
3. Obtain the exact flour and water amounts needed to build that starter.

This feature is especially useful when you want to maintain a liquid or stiff starter consistency, or when you need to convert a starter recipe to a different hydration.

How the Sourdough Recipe Calculator Works

The Sourdough Recipe Calculator is designed around the flour amount you plan to use. After entering the flour weight, you can adjust the water percentage (the default is 67% but any value is accepted), the starter percentage (typically 20–25%), and the salt percentage (commonly 2%). The tool then outputs the precise weight of each ingredient, the total dough mass, and the overall hydration. In a separate step, it calculates the starter’s composition based on your chosen hydration.

All measurements are given in grams (or millilitres for water). If you prefer imperial units, the calculator provides links to convert grams to ounces, pounds to cups, and similar conversions.

By consistently using the Sourdough Calculator, you can document successful formulas and tweak the ratios until you find the perfect balance of flavour, texture, and handling for your kitchen environment.