500g Sourdough at 85% Hydration
Exact ingredient weights for your sourdough recipe
Extreme hydration for bread nerds
85% hydration is the realm of ciabatta, focaccia, and bakers who love a challenge. This 500g recipe produces an incredibly soft, almost pancake-batter dough that transforms into bread with massive holes and a gossamer-thin crust. It's unpredictable, difficult, and absolutely delicious when it works.
Scale Your Batch
Choose how many loaves you want to bake:
Recipe Ingredients
Flour
450g
Water
375g
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.
Hydration Guide
Target Hydration
85%
Dough Texture
Very wet and slack dough (ciabatta-style). Challenging to shape, excellent for open crumb.
Handling Difficulty
Difficult to shape. Best for expert bakers.
Baking Tips
Embrace the Pan
At 85% hydration, there's no shame in baking focaccia-style in an oiled pan. You get all the flavor benefits and an incredibly open crumb without the shaping nightmare.
Multiple Folds Over Hours
Plan for 5-6 sets of coil folds over the first 3-4 hours of bulk fermentation. The dough needs every bit of structure you can build. Be patient - it will come together eventually.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I really make freestanding bread at 85% hydration?
It's extremely difficult. Most bakers at this hydration use a pan, bake focaccia-style on a sheet, or accept a flatter, more rustic shape. If you want a tall boule, consider dropping to 80% or using a banneton and seam-side-up baking.
My 85% dough has no structure - what went wrong?
You need exceptional flour and extensive fermentation time at this hydration. Make sure you're using high-protein bread flour, and consider a long autolyse (2-4 hours) and multiple lamination/fold sessions to build structure.
Is there any benefit to going above 80% hydration?
The crumb becomes incredibly soft and custardy, with very large irregular holes. The crust becomes thinner and more delicate. The flavor can be more complex due to different fermentation dynamics. But honestly, 75-80% gives most of the benefits with much easier handling.
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