500g Sourdough at 85% Hydration
Exact ingredient weights for your sourdough recipe
A 500g mix at 85% hydration yields about 935g of finished dough, enough for one large boule or two 450g loaves. Expect a very open, custardy crumb — this hydration is expert-only and best suits ciabatta-style shaping and slab bakes. Ratios use 20% starter and 2% salt by flour weight.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
What questions come up at this hydration?
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.
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.