Recipe hydration
Pain au Levain — Hydration Guide
Target 72%. Workable range 68–76%.
Why this hydration for Pain au Levain?
Pain au Levain is the French 'sourdough bread' — a lean hearth loaf with traditional French flour proportions (mostly white, small whole-grain addition). Slightly lower hydration than Country Loaf and slightly longer bulk for more structural development. Touch of rye in the blend for flavor boost without changing handling. Classical French bakery daily loaf.
Flour mix: 2% rye medium · 88% bread flour · 10% whole wheat.
What 72% hydration does for Pain au Levain
At its 72% target, Pain au Levain 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 | 360 g (72%) |
| 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 72% exactly.
How this flour mix drinks
Pain au Levain uses 2% rye medium · 88% bread flour · 10% whole wheat. The 12% whole-grain portion (rye medium, whole wheat) absorbs more water than white bread flour, so the dough feels a touch stiffer than its 72% number suggests — give it a longer autolyse and hold back a little water to add later if needed.
Technique at 72%
Autolyse 60 min. Add levain (100% hydration, 15-20% of flour weight) and salt. 3 sets of stretch-and-folds. Total bulk 4.5h at 76°F. Shape tight boule, cold retard 12h. Bake in 480°F dutch oven: 22 min lid on, 22 min lid off.
Calculator pre-set to 72%
- Flour to add
- 450 g
- Water to add
- 310 g
- Salt
- 10 g
- Levain @ 100%
- 100 g
- Total dough
- 870 g
- Effective hydration
- 72%
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.
Pain au Levain hydration — FAQ
What hydration is Pain au Levain meant to be?
Target 72% — that's 72 g of water per 100 g of flour by weight. The workable range is 68–76% depending on your flour and handling skill.
How much water do I need for Pain au Levain?
Multiply your flour weight by 0.72. For a 500 g flour batch that's 360 g water, plus about 10 g salt (2%). The calculator on this page also subtracts the water your levain already contributes.
Can I make Pain au Levain at a lower hydration?
Down to about 68% gives a tighter crumb and much easier, less sticky handling — a good starting point if you're new to this style. Below 68% the open, characteristic Pain au Levain texture is largely lost.
Can I make Pain au Levain at a higher hydration?
Up to about 76% opens the crumb further but demands confident wet-dough handling (more folds, a well-floured bench, decisive shaping). Above 76% 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 →
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