Sourdough Intelligence

The sourdough
bread calculator
for serious bakers

Four stages. One complete plan. From style selection to bake day timeline, built around wild fermentation, baker's percentages and the science that makes sourdough bread exceptional.

6 bread styles Baker's % live card Q10 fermentation No sign-up
Sourdough boule with deep ear score on linen cloth
How It Works

Four stages,
one complete
bread plan.

Each stage feeds the next. Your style choice sets the formula defaults. The formula feeds the fermentation planner. Fermentation feeds the bake timeline. Everything connects.

01
🍞
Choose your style and loaf size

Select from Sourdough Boule, Batard, Tin Loaf, Focaccia, Enriched or Rolls. Style-appropriate hydration, dough weight and loaf count defaults pre-fill automatically.

02
⚖️
Build your dough formula

Dial in hydration, salt, flour blend and pre-ferment. A live baker's percentage recipe card shows every ingredient weight updating in real time as you adjust inputs.

03
🌡️
Plan your fermentation

Enter your room temperature. Q10-adjusted bulk time, DDT water temperature and a coil fold schedule — all recalculated live. Includes cold retard planning for overnight proofing.

04
📅
Get your bake day timeline

Tell the calculator when you want your loaf ready. Every step back-calculated: levain build, mix, bulk, folds, shape, cold retard, preheat, bake. Export as PDF or add to Google Calendar.

Stage 1 of 2: Bread Style & Dough Weight
Bread Studio

Choose your bread style

Select your loaf, set your weight, and get an instant flour estimate.

Stage 1
Stage 2 of 2: Dough Formula

Build your formula

75%
65% Stiff 72% Open crumb 78% High hydration 85% Very wet
🏟 Levain
💧 Poolish
🌿 Biga
∅ None
Baker's % Recipe
Stages 3 & 4 — Pro

Fermentation plan & bake day timeline

Your formula is ready. Continue in Pro Studio to plan your fermentation, get a complete bake day timeline, export to PDF and save your recipe to your library.

Q10 fermentation engine DDT water temperature Bake day timeline PDF export Google Calendar Save recipes to library
Sourdough Bread Calculator

From loaf size to bake day,
every number calculated

The DoughRise sourdough bread calculator takes your target loaf and works backwards to give you every number you need. Hydration, salt, levain, and pre-ferment ratios appear in a live baker's percentage recipe card that updates as you type. Whether you are baking a classic sourdough boule for the weekend, a tin loaf for sandwiches, a focaccia for a dinner party, or enriched rolls for guests, the calculator starts with your chosen style and loaf size, then steps you through the full formula build. Adjust flour blend and hydration anywhere from 65% through to 85%, choose between levain, poolish or biga, and set your room temperature. The planner calculates adjusted bulk fermentation time using the Q10 fermentation model, generates a fold schedule with shaping cues, and back-calculates your entire bake day timeline from your target ready time. No spreadsheet. No account needed.

How It Works

Four stages,
one complete bread plan

01

Choose your bread style and loaf size

Pick from Sourdough Boule, Batard, Tin Loaf, Focaccia, Enriched or Rolls. Set your target dough weight or number of loaves. Sensible defaults fill in for each style so you can start calculating immediately.

02

Build your dough formula with baker's percentages

Set hydration, salt percentage, flour blend, and choose your pre-ferment: levain, poolish, biga, or none. A live baker's percentage recipe card shows every ingredient weight and ratio updating in real time.

03

Plan your fermentation, folds and shaping

Enter your kitchen temperature. Get an adjusted bulk fermentation window using the Q10 model, a recommended DDT water temperature, a coil fold schedule, and shaping guidance matched to your chosen style.

04

Get your full bake day timeline

Enter your target ready time. Every step is back-calculated from levain build through to scoring and oven load — including cold retard if you choose an overnight proof. Print or save it for next time.

Frequently Asked

Questions about
sourdough bread

What hydration should sourdough bread be?
Depends on the style. A classic sourdough boule or batard works well at 70 to 78%: high enough for an open crumb, manageable enough to shape confidently without the dough running away from you. Tin loaves are more forgiving and work beautifully at 72 to 80%, held in place by the tin. Focaccia runs wetter at 80 to 90%, producing that light, oily, airy crumb with the irregular holes. Wholemeal and rye flour absorb 3 to 5% more water than white, so adjust upward when you are blending whole grains. Start at the lower end of your target range and work up as your shaping confidence builds.
How long should I bulk ferment sourdough?
At 20% levain in a 24°C kitchen, expect 4 to 6 hours for a well-fed active starter. In a cooler kitchen at 18°C, plan for 7 to 10 hours. The Q10 fermentation model at the heart of the Bread Studio adjusts this window dynamically as you change the room temperature input, so you see a realistic range rather than a number pulled from a recipe written in a different climate. Watch the dough itself: a 50 to 75% volume rise, a slightly domed surface, and bubbles visible through the side of your tub are better indicators than the clock alone.
What is baker's percentage and how do I use it?
Baker's percentage expresses every ingredient as a proportion of total flour weight, with flour always set at 100%. If you have 500g of flour and 375g of water, that is 75% hydration. If you have 10g of salt, that is 2%. The system makes it easy to scale recipes up or down without recalculating every ingredient individually — you change the flour weight and everything else follows. The Bread Studio shows a live baker's percentage recipe card that updates as you adjust hydration, salt, flour blend, and enrichment inputs, so you can see the formula change in real time and print or save the finished card.
How much dough do I need for a 2lb tin loaf?
A standard 2lb (900g) tin loaf requires around 900 to 950g of dough. DoughRise defaults to 950g for tin loaf to account for oven spring and the slight crust loss when you slice the ends. For a 1lb (450g) tin, aim for 475 to 500g. Set your target weight in Stage 1 and the calculator derives all flour, water, levain, and salt weights automatically from the baker's percentage formula — no separate calculation needed.
What is the difference between a boule and a batard?
Shape, primarily. A boule is round, a batard is oval. Both are typically made from the same dough at similar hydration — the formula does not change, only the final shape. A batard suits scoring patterns that open dramatically, particularly a single curved score or an ear, while a boule suits decorative cross or wheat patterns. Batards also fit more naturally into oval banneton baskets and make neater slices for sandwiches. For practical purposes, choose whichever shape matches your proofing basket and the look you are after.
Can I cold retard sourdough bread overnight?
Yes, and for most home bakers it is the most practical approach. After bulk and shaping, place the loaf in a floured proving basket, cover with a shower cap or cling film, and refrigerate at 4 to 5°C for 8 to 16 hours. Cold retard slows fermentation dramatically while developing more complex acetic acid flavours, and makes the loaf significantly easier to score straight from the fridge. Bake directly from cold without warming first — the oven spring is better for it. The Bread Studio Stage 3 includes a cold retard option that back-calculates your full bake day timeline accordingly.
About DoughRise

Built for bakers
who think in percentages

DoughRise started as a personal project: too many late-night bakes where the bulk fermentation chart on the recipe blog bore no relation to what was happening in a 17°C London kitchen in February. Most sourdough calculators online were built around commercial yeast logic or fixed fermentation times that assumed a temperature nobody's kitchen actually runs at.

The Q10 model at the core of the Bread Studio applies the same kinetic principle food scientists use for fermentation rate calculations: the rate roughly doubles for every 10°C rise in temperature. Combined with DDT (desired dough temperature) water calculation, it gives you a realistic bulk window rather than a recipe writer's best guess. The fold schedule adjusts to your chosen style — boules and batards handle differently from focaccia and enriched rolls.

The Bread Studio covers 6 bread styles and sits alongside 18 baking calculators on the platform, including the Pizza Dough Calculator for those who cross between the bread and pizza worlds. No account needed to run a calculation. DoughRise Pro saves, compares and exports your recipes when you are ready to go further.

6
Bread styles supported
18
Baking calculators
Q10
Temperature fermentation model
0
Sign-ups to calculate

Ready to plan your next bake?

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