Recipe hydration
100% Whole Wheat Pan Loaf — Hydration Guide
Target 80%. Workable range 75–85%.
Why this hydration for 100% Whole Wheat Pan Loaf?
100% whole wheat sourdough pan loaf — dense-but-manageable, deeply nutritious, excellent for sandwiches. 80% hydration is essential to soften the bran. Long autolyse (60-90 min) critical. Pan shape provides structure that free-form can't sustain at 100% whole wheat.
Flour mix: 100% whole wheat.
What 80% hydration does for 100% Whole Wheat Pan Loaf
At its 80% target, 100% Whole Wheat 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 pan structure can hold.
Worked water math for a 500 g batch
| Flour | 500 g (100%) |
| Water | 400 g (80%) |
| Salt | 10 g (2%) |
| Levain | 115 g (~23%) |
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 80% exactly.
How this flour mix drinks
100% Whole Wheat Pan Loaf uses 100% whole wheat. The 100% whole-grain portion (whole wheat) absorbs more water than white bread flour, so the dough feels a touch stiffer than its 80% number suggests — give it a longer autolyse and hold back a little water to add later if needed.
Technique at 80%
Long autolyse (90 min) with 100% of the water at 80°F. Add levain and salt, mix until fully incorporated. 4 stretch-and-folds in 2h. Total bulk 4h. Shape into log, place seam-side down in oiled 9x5 loaf pan. Cold retard overnight. Bake at 425°F for 35-40 min until internal 200°F.
Calculator pre-set to 80%
- Flour to add
- 450 g
- Water to add
- 350 g
- Salt
- 10 g
- Levain @ 100%
- 100 g
- Total dough
- 910 g
- Effective hydration
- 80%
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% Whole Wheat Pan Loaf hydration — FAQ
What hydration is 100% Whole Wheat Pan Loaf meant to be?
Target 80% — that's 80 g of water per 100 g of flour by weight. The workable range is 75–85% depending on your flour and handling skill.
How much water do I need for 100% Whole Wheat Pan Loaf?
Multiply your flour weight by 0.8. For a 500 g flour batch that's 400 g water, plus about 10 g salt (2%). The calculator on this page also subtracts the water your levain already contributes.
Can I make 100% Whole Wheat Pan Loaf at a lower hydration?
Down to about 75% gives a tighter crumb and much easier, less sticky handling — a good starting point if you're new to this style. Below 75% the open, characteristic 100% Whole Wheat Pan Loaf texture is largely lost.
Can I make 100% Whole Wheat Pan Loaf at a higher hydration?
Up to about 85% opens the crumb further but demands confident wet-dough handling (more folds, a well-floured bench, decisive shaping). Above 85% the structure usually slackens and the loaf spreads instead of rising.