Recipe hydration
100% Rye Pan Loaf — Hydration Guide
Target 85%. Workable range 80–95%.
Why this hydration for 100% Rye Pan Loaf?
100% rye pan loaf (Roggenbrot, Rugbrød-style) has no wheat gluten — structure comes entirely from rye pentosans. Dense, moist, long-keeping (up to 2 weeks), with deep earthy-sour flavor. Higher salt (2.2%) balances strong acidity. Higher levain percentage (30-40%) because rye ferments fast and needs active leavening with weak structure. No kneading, no folding — mix, pan, bake. Traditional Hamelman formula targets 85% hydration with medium rye; Danish rugbrød pushes to 95% with dark rye + seeds + coarse rye meal.
Flour mix: 100% rye medium.
What 85% hydration does for 100% Rye Pan Loaf
At its 85% target, 100% Rye Pan Loaf bakes up with a very open, holey, translucent crumb — the hallmark of a high-hydration hearth loaf, at the cost of slack, sticky dough that needs confident handling. 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 | 425 g (85%) |
| Salt | 11 g (2.2%) |
| Levain | 175 g (~35%) |
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 85% exactly.
How this flour mix drinks
100% Rye Pan Loaf uses 100% rye medium. The 100% whole-grain portion (rye medium) absorbs more water than white bread flour, so the dough feels a touch stiffer than its 85% number suggests — give it a longer autolyse and hold back a little water to add later if needed.
Technique at 85%
Mix flour, water, levain, salt into a thick paste with spoon or mixer (no kneading). Scrape into greased loaf pan, wet hands to smooth top. Bulk 2.5h at 76°F, then bake directly — no proof stage. Bake at 425°F for 15 min, reduce to 375°F for 35 min until internal temp 205°F. Cool in pan 15 min, then rest wrapped in cotton cloth 24-48h before slicing (flavor develops over time).
Calculator pre-set to 85%
- Flour to add
- 450 g
- Water to add
- 375 g
- Salt
- 10 g
- Levain @ 100%
- 100 g
- Total dough
- 935 g
- Effective hydration
- 85%
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.
100% Rye Pan Loaf hydration — FAQ
What hydration is 100% Rye Pan Loaf meant to be?
Target 85% — that's 85 g of water per 100 g of flour by weight. The workable range is 80–95% depending on your flour and handling skill.
How much water do I need for 100% Rye Pan Loaf?
Multiply your flour weight by 0.85. For a 500 g flour batch that's 425 g water, plus about 11 g salt (2.2%). The calculator on this page also subtracts the water your levain already contributes.
Can I make 100% Rye Pan Loaf at a lower hydration?
Down to about 80% gives a tighter crumb and much easier, less sticky handling — a good starting point if you're new to this style. Below 80% the open, characteristic 100% Rye Pan Loaf texture is largely lost.
Can I make 100% Rye Pan Loaf at a higher hydration?
Up to about 95% opens the crumb further but demands confident wet-dough handling (more folds, a well-floured bench, decisive shaping). Above 95% the structure usually slackens and the loaf spreads instead of rising.