Recipe hydration
Country Loaf (Pain de Campagne) — Hydration Guide
Target 75%. Workable range 72–80%.
Why this hydration for Country Loaf (Pain de Campagne)?
The country loaf is the French archetype of rustic hearth sourdough — a lightly whole-grain boule with blistered crust, moderately open crumb, and balanced tangy-wheaty flavor. 75% hydration is the reliable sweet spot: open enough for character, not so wet it's unmanageable. The Tartine-style country loaf (Chad Robertson) uses 10% whole wheat; Hamelman's Pain de Campagne pushes to 15-20% whole wheat with 5% rye for depth. Overnight cold retard develops flavor and simplifies scheduling.
Flour mix: 5% rye medium · 80% bread flour · 15% whole wheat.
What 75% hydration does for Country Loaf (Pain de Campagne)
At its 75% target, Country Loaf (Pain de Campagne) bakes up with an open, custardy crumb with irregular holes and a glossy interior — the water gives lift and chew. That's why the style sits where it does on the scale — push it much drier and it tightens toward a sandwich loaf; push it much wetter and it slackens past what the hearth structure can hold.
Worked water math for a 500 g batch
| Flour | 500 g (100%) |
| Water | 375 g (75%) |
| Salt | 10 g (2%) |
| Levain | 90 g (~18%) |
The levain already carries some of that flour and water. The calculator below subtracts its contribution so the numbers you actually weigh at the bench hit 75% exactly.
How this flour mix drinks
Country Loaf (Pain de Campagne) uses 5% rye medium · 80% bread flour · 15% whole wheat. The 20% whole-grain portion (rye medium, whole wheat) absorbs more water than white bread flour, so the dough feels a touch stiffer than its 75% number suggests — give it a longer autolyse and hold back a little water to add later if needed.
Technique at 75%
Autolyse 45 min with all flour and 90% of water at 78°F. Add levain (20% of flour weight, 100% hydration), salt, and remaining water. 4 sets of stretch-and-folds in first 2 hours of bulk. Total bulk 4h at 76°F. Preshape round, rest 20 min, final shape tight boule, place in floured banneton. Cold retard 12 hours at 38°F. Bake from cold in 500°F preheated dutch oven: 20 min lid on, 25 min lid off until internal temp 210°F.
Calculator pre-set to 75%
- Flour to add
- 450 g
- Water to add
- 325 g
- Salt
- 10 g
- Levain @ 100%
- 100 g
- Total dough
- 885 g
- Effective hydration
- 75%
How the math works
Total water = flour × hydration %. Your levain contributes 50 g flour + 50 g water — both count toward the totals. You add only the remainder as fresh flour and water.
Salt % is computed on total flour weight, not final-dough flour.
Country Loaf (Pain de Campagne) hydration — FAQ
What hydration is Country Loaf (Pain de Campagne) meant to be?
Target 75% — that's 75 g of water per 100 g of flour by weight. The workable range is 72–80% depending on your flour and handling skill.
How much water do I need for Country Loaf (Pain de Campagne)?
Multiply your flour weight by 0.75. For a 500 g flour batch that's 375 g water, plus about 10 g salt (2%). The calculator on this page also subtracts the water your levain already contributes.
Can I make Country Loaf (Pain de Campagne) at a lower hydration?
Down to about 72% gives a tighter crumb and much easier, less sticky handling — a good starting point if you're new to this style. Below 72% the open, characteristic Country Loaf (Pain de Campagne) texture is largely lost.
Can I make Country Loaf (Pain de Campagne) at a higher hydration?
Up to about 80% opens the crumb further but demands confident wet-dough handling (more folds, a well-floured bench, decisive shaping). Above 80% the structure usually slackens and the loaf spreads instead of rising.
The gear that makes the math work
A short, honest baking kit. The scale matters most — every weight on this page is in grams. The Dutch oven is what turns a good crumb into a great crust.
- Digital kitchen scale (0.1 g)View on Amazon →
- Dutch oven / combo cookerView on Amazon →
- Banneton proofing basketView on Amazon →
- Bread lameView on Amazon →
- Bench scraperView on Amazon →
- High-protein bread flourView on Amazon →
- Danish dough whiskView on Amazon →
As an Amazon Associate, SourdoughHydration earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. More on how this is funded.