Medium Rye Flour Hydration Guide

How Medium Rye Flour behaves at each hydration

Medium rye contains most of the rye grain with moderate bran content. Rye proteins do not form gluten like wheat proteins — instead, rye structure comes from pentosans (soluble fiber) that absorb 8-10x their weight in water. This means rye dough is sticky, paste-like, and requires different handling than wheat. Hamelman's reference specs target 80-95% hydration for rye-dominant doughs. Central Milling's Organic Medium Rye is the US reference. At 20-40% in a blend with bread flour, medium rye adds color, flavor complexity (tangy, earthy), and extends keeping quality. At 100%, expect dense crumb and strong sour flavor.

Substituting Medium Rye Flour for bread flour

Absorption multiplier: 1.080×. When substituting for bread flour, add about 8% more water. For example: a 75% bread-flour recipe becomes 81% when using 100% Medium Rye Flour.

The calculator below is pre-set to 88%. Adjust the slider to match your target. Salt and levain percentages are the flour-independent defaults (2.0% and 20%).

Technique at target hydration

Do NOT knead rye dough (tears pentosan structure). Mix to incorporate, then rest. Very short bulk ferment (2-3 hours at 76°F) — rye ferments fast. Wet hands for shaping. Use a pan or tight banneton. Bake at higher initial temp (500°F) for 15 minutes, then reduce. Internal temp 205-210°F for doneness.

Calculator pre-set to 88%