500g Sourdough at 80% Hydration
Exact ingredient weights for your sourdough recipe
A 500g mix at 80% hydration yields about 910g of finished dough, enough for one large boule or two 450g loaves. Expect a distinctly open, irregular crumb — this hydration is advanced and best suits rustic country loaves. Ratios use 20% starter and 2% salt by flour weight.
High hydration for experienced bakers
80% hydration pushes into advanced territory where the dough becomes a living, breathing organism that requires confidence and experience. This 500g recipe rewards skilled handling with a dramatically open crumb, thin crispy crust, and complex flavor. It's not for beginners, but mastering it is deeply satisfying.
How do I scale this recipe?
Multiply every ingredient by the same factor and the baker's percentages stay the same — that's why sourdough formulas scale cleanly. Pick the loaf count below and the flour, water, starter, and salt all update in lockstep.
What are the exact ingredient weights?
These four weights are what you actually measure on the scale. Flour and salt come straight from baker's percentages; water is the hydration percent of the flour; the starter contribution is already factored in, so the numbers below are what goes in the bowl.
Flour
450g
Water
350g
Starter
100g
Salt
10g
Note: This recipe uses 20% starter (at 100% hydration) and 2% salt based on total flour weight. Adjust these ratios based on your preference.
What does this hydration level give me?
Hydration sets the trade-off between handling ease and crumb openness. The breakdown below shows what to expect on the counter and in the finished loaf at this specific ratio, plus which shaping styles and flours suit it best.
Target Hydration
80%
Dough Texture
Soft and tacky dough with potential for open crumb. Requires careful handling.
Handling Difficulty
Requires experienced handling techniques.
What baking tips help at this hydration?
The tips below are the small adjustments that tend to matter most at this particular hydration — the handling cues, temperature assumptions, and shaping moves that keep the dough on track rather than generic advice.
Lamination Builds Strength
After an hour of bulk fermentation, try lamination: stretch the dough out on a wet counter into a thin sheet, then fold it back up. This builds tremendous strength without adding flour.
Use a Longer Autolyse
A 2-4 hour autolyse (flour and water only, no starter) allows the flour to fully hydrate and begins gluten development before you even add the starter. This makes handling much easier.
What questions come up at this hydration?
Is 80% hydration really that much harder than 75%?
Yes, the jump from 75% to 80% is significant. The extra 5% water makes the dough much more extensible and harder to shape. If you're comfortable at 75%, try increasing by 2% at a time rather than jumping straight to 80%.
What flour should I use for 80% hydration?
Use bread flour with at least 12% protein content. Strong Canadian or high-extraction European flours work well. All-purpose flour doesn't have enough gluten strength to handle this much water.
How do I shape such a wet dough?
Keep everything well-floured, work quickly, and use a bench scraper extensively. Pre-shape gently and give plenty of bench rest. Many bakers find that batard shapes work better than boules at very high hydration.
What other recipes should I try?
The recipes below shift either the flour weight or the hydration percent by one step, so you can see how the ingredient numbers and the crumb expectations change without starting over from the hub.