Sourdough hydration reference

Very tight, fine, uniform crumb with small cells. Cake-like chew. No holes. Dense but tender.

Tight to moderately tight crumb. Small to medium cells. Firm chew. Good for sandwich loaves.

Moderate cells, fairly uniform. Balanced chew — not dense, not fluffy. Classic sandwich bread territory.

Medium cells with some larger bubbles. Noticeable holes appearing. Chewy, moist, balanced.

Increasingly open crumb, medium-to-large cells. Classic Pain au Levain territory. Chewy crust with moist interior.

Open crumb with distinct holes of varying sizes. Moist, chewy, glossy cell walls. The classic Tartine country-loaf target.

Noticeably open, shiny crumb. Irregular medium-to-large holes. Glossy cell walls. Moist texture.

Very open irregular crumb with large holes. Very moist, glossy. Focaccia-like texture when pan-baked.

Classic ciabatta crumb — very irregular large holes, glossy interior, thin crackling crust. Maximum open-crumb for hearth shapes.

Extremely open, irregular, moist crumb. Large glossy holes dominate. Very thin, crackling crust.

Near-liquid dough territory. Extremely open, almost hollow crumb. Produces 'glass bread' effect.

Glass-like hollow crumb. The extreme of sourdough hydration. Traditional Pan de Cristal target.