Starter & Levain Calculator

Build the right amount of starter or levain for any recipe. Just enter your hydration and inoculation percentages. New to baker’s percentages? See my introductory guide.

Starter & Levain Calculator

Calculate what's needed to build your starter/levain.

Build Parameters

Desired Output Levain Weight ? The total weight of starter or levain you want to produce. This should match what your recipe calls for, plus a little extra for handling loss.

grams

Hydration Percentage ? Hydration is the ratio of water to flour.

50-65% = stiff levain
100%+ = liquid levain

%

Ripe Starter Inoculation Percentage ? Inoculation (seed) is the amount of ripe starter.

5-10% = very slow (16+ hrs)
20% = slow (12-14 hrs)
50% = moderate (5-6 hrs)
100% = fast (3-4 hrs)

%

Your Calculated Ingredients

Flour

40 g

Starter

20 g

Water

40 g

Flour

Starter

Water

Total Weight 100g

Est. Fermentation Time

Temp:

°F °C

5-6 hours until ripe

A moderate build with good flavor development.

What’s Next?

Need to know what temperature to heat your mixing water to achieve a specific dough temperature? Use my mixing water temperature calculator to do exactly that! This way, your dough will ferment on schedule and according to any recipe you’re following.