500g Sourdough at 70% Hydration
Exact ingredient weights for your sourdough recipe
A 500g mix at 70% hydration yields about 860g of finished dough, enough for one large boule or two 450g loaves. Expect a balanced open crumb — this hydration is intermediate and best suits classic batards and boules. Ratios use 20% starter and 2% salt by flour weight.
Distinctive rye character
This 500g recipe uses 80% white flour and 20% rye at 70% hydration. This blend creates one loaf with distinctive rye flavor, a denser crumb, and enhanced complexity. The earthy, slightly tangy profile is perfect for deli-style breads. Stickier dough requires confident handling. Shorter bulk fermentation. Consider cold retard for flavor development.
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
300g
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
70%
Dough Texture
Standard sourdough texture with moderate stickiness. Manageable with wet hands.
Handling Difficulty
Standard difficulty. Suitable for most 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.
Wet Hands for Handling
Keep a bowl of water nearby during stretch and folds. Wet hands prevent sticking and make handling the dough much easier at any hydration level.
Perfect Single Loaf
500g of flour is ideal for mastering technique without wasting ingredients. Use this batch size to experiment with timing, shaping, and scoring before scaling up.
What questions come up at this hydration?
How does 20% rye affect fermentation?
At 20% rye, fermentation will be noticeably faster. Plan for a shorter bulk fermentation and consider reducing your starter percentage if over-fermentation becomes an issue.
Is 70% hydration a good starting point for 20% rye bread?
Yes, 70% hydration is the classic sweet spot for most bakers. With 20% rye, you'll get a workable dough that's not too sticky while still producing good oven spring and a moderately open crumb.
What size loaf will this 500g recipe produce?
A 500g flour recipe typically produces one standard artisan loaf weighing about 825g after baking (accounting for water loss). This is perfect for a medium-sized boule or batard that feeds 4-6 people.
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.