High Hydration Sourdough Bread (80% Hydration Recipe)

If you've been baking sourdough for a while and feel ready to level up, this High Hydration Sourdough Bread recipe is a brilliant place to start. Working with wetter dough can feel intimidating at first, but it's the secret to achieving that open crumb structure bakers dream about. With the right technique, practice and a few practical tips, you'll be rewarded with an impressive final product that looks (and tastes) like bakery-quality bread.

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I must confess that baking high-hydration sourdough isn't my personal preference. While the main reason bakers reach for wetter doughs is that beautiful, open crumb, I actually prefer working with dough that has less water - around 65-70% hydration.

It's easier to handle, bakes up beautifully, and I quite like a slightly closer crumb since I don't enjoy watching my butter leak straight through the holes.

What's Considered High-Hydration Sourdough?

Sourdough hydration simply refers to the water-flour ratio of a recipe. A lower hydration dough usually means anything between 60-70%, which tends to be easier to shape and handle. A higher hydration dough generally starts at around 75% and above, with 80% hydration sourdough sitting firmly in this category.

The difference between the two comes down to how much water the flour is asked to hold, which directly impacts the feel of the dough and the final loaf.

How Does More Water Affect Sourdough Baking?

Dough Consistency and Handling: With higher water content, the dough feels much stickier and looser compared to lower hydration doughs. This makes shaping more challenging, but techniques like coil folds help build strength by encouraging gluten development without tearing the dough.

Bulk Fermentation: Higher hydration levels speed up the fermentation process because enzymes and wild yeast move more freely in the wetter environment. Instead of relying on the clock, pay close attention to visual cues such as bubbles forming, dough rise, and surface texture.

Final Crumb and Crust: The payoff for tackling a wetter dough is often a more open crumb, with irregular air pockets that many bakers prize. A steam-rich environment also encourages a thinner, shinier crust, contrasting with the denser crumb and thicker crust of lower hydration loaves.

Important Ingredient Notes

• Extra Strong Bread Flour. Also known as Canadian flour. High-hydration doughs need flour with a high protein content to support structure. Look for flour with at least 13.5% protein (and ideally, high W index), as this will provide the strength required to trap gas and achieve that airy crumb.
• Active Sourdough Starter. At 100% hydration, your starter is fed with equal parts flour and water, making it fluid and easy to incorporate. Make sure it's active, bubbly, and doubled before use, otherwise your dough will lack strength and rise.
• Water. The backbone of this 80% hydration sourdough bread, water influences everything from gluten development to fermentation speed.
• Salt. A small but critical ingredient. Salt not only boosts flavour but also helps regulate fermentation and strengthen gluten, giving the dough more elasticity, but note that salt should be added after autolyse. 

Step-By-Step Method

Day 1

Feed Your Starter
In the morning, feed your sourdough starter so it's active and bubbly by the time you need it. You'll be using 160g active starter in the final mix.

Autolyse
When your starter is nearly ready, combine flour and water in a large bowl or stand mixer until you have a shaggy dough. Cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and leave it to rest for 30-60 minutes at room temperature. This step, known as autolyse, allows the flour to hydrate and gluten to begin forming naturally.

Mixing the Final Dough
Sprinkle salt over the dough, then add your active starter. Using a stand mixer or wet hands, mix until incorporated. Expect a wet dough - that's normal with higher hydration sourdough bread.

Bulk Fermentation & Coil Folds
Transfer the dough into a lightly greased container or bowl, cover, and rest in a warm place (around ambient temperature 21-27°C). Every 30 minutes, perform a set of coil folds: lift the edge of the dough with wet hands and tuck it underneath to build surface tension.

Repeat 4-6 times until the dough feels smooth, elastic and the top of the dough looks blistered. Then allow it to rise for another 1-3 hours, until almost doubled.

TIP: Use a see-through straight-sided vessel for bulk fermentation, so you can see the rise clearly. 

Shaping & Proofing
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, using a bench scraper to help release it. Keep the smooth side down and shape it into a boule or batard, tightening it by dragging it across the work surface to build surface tension.

Dust a proofing basket generously with white rice flour and place the dough in it, smooth side down and seam side up. Cover with a tea towel and cold-proof in the fridge overnight.

Day 2

Scoring the Dough
The next day, preheat a hot Dutch oven in your oven to 240°C. Place your proofed dough in the freezer for 30 minutes to make scoring easier. Invert it gently onto a piece of parchment paper, brush off excess flour from the top of the loaf, and use a razor blade at a shallow angle to score.

Baking
Lower the dough (with parchment) into the hot Dutch oven, cover, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake uncovered for a further 20 minutes until golden.

Cooling
Transfer the bread to a wire rack and leave it to cool completely before slicing. Cutting too soon will compromise the crumb.

Video

Recipe Tips For Best Results

As with all sourdough recipes, I highly encourage you to weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale. But here are more important tips:

Use High-Protein Flour

Using a high protein flour is essential in this high hydration sourdough bread. All-purpose flour doesn't absorb much water, and you will end up with sticky, unmanageable dough.  Higher gluten content in extra strong bread flour gives the dough the strength it needs to hold more water without collapsing. Choosing the right type of flour ensures a more structured, airy final product.

Learn more about how different flours absorb water.

The Benefits of Autolyse

Autolyse is a simple but powerful step. Allowing the flour and water to rest before adding the starter and salt helps hydrate the flour fully, kick-starts gluten formation, and makes handling a wet dough much easier. For high hydration sourdough, it also promotes better extensibility (bit it also depends on P/L ratio of the flour used), which is key to achieving a light, open crumb.

Dough Handling

Handling high-hydration dough takes a gentle touch. Use coil folds during bulk fermentation to strengthen the gluten network without deflating the dough. Wet hands are your friend for folding, and patience is key (4 to 6 sets of coil folds is typically enough). The dough will gradually gain elasticity and structure.

Shaping

Shaping an 80% hydration sourdough bread can be tricky. Dust your work surface and proofing basket with rice flour to prevent sticking, and don't hesitate to use a dough scraper to help lift and fold the dough. Creating surface tension is essential for a smooth, well-shaped loaf that rises evenly in the oven.

Why Freeze Sourdough Before Scoring?

Placing high hydration dough in the freezer for a short period before scoring makes it much easier to handle. Cold dough spreads less when inverted from the banneton basket, allowing for cleaner, more precise scores.

Additionally, placing cold dough in the hot oven encourages better oven spring because the structure has had a chance to firm up slightly, helping the loaf hold its shape as it expands.

Should You Do a 6-Minute Score?

I tested a 6-minute score, and it made little to no difference in oven spring or ear formation. But if your high-hydration sourdough spreads quickly after inverting it onto parchment paper, a safer method is to place the unscored dough directly into the hot Dutch oven with the lid on for 6 minutes. 

After this brief bake, carefully remove the lid, score the dough with a razor blade or bread lame, replace the lid, and return it to the oven. 

Be cautious when scoring, as the Dutch oven will be extremely hot. Baking sourdough in an inverted Dutch oven can be a safer alternative. 

Storage and Leftovers

The best way to keep your sourdough bread fresh at room temperature is either in a bread box or wrapped loosely in a clean kitchen towel. It will keep for 2-3 days. 

For longer storage, you can freeze the sourdough loaf whole or slice it first and freeze individual pieces in a freezer bag. 

When ready to enjoy, thaw the whole bread loaf at room temperature or toast slices directly from the freezer for a fresh-baked taste.

My Favourite Way To Enjoy Sourdough

I can never resist fresh sourdough bread on the day that it's baked. Once it's cooled down to room temperature (or thereabouts), I slice into it, smear on a generous layer of butter, and sprinkle a little bit of sea salt over the top.

The chewy, moist, and utterly moreish crumb often has me "snacking" on almost a quarter of a loaf before dinner without even noticing.

More Sourdough Bread Recipes To Try

For more inspiration, check out these delicious sourdough bread recipes that showcase a variety of techniques and flavours. 

High-Hydration Sourdough Bread (80% Hydration Recipe)

If you've been baking sourdough for a while and feel ready to level up, this High Hydration Sourdough Bread recipe is a brilliant place to start. Working with wetter dough can feel intimidating at first, but it's the secret to achieving that open crumb structure bakers dream about. With the right technique, practice and a few practical tips, you'll be rewarded with an impressive final product that looks (and tastes) like bakery-quality bread.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 3 hours hrs

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Fermenting and Proofing: 20 hours hrs

Total Time 23 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Course Bread

Cuisine Sourdough, Worldwide

Servings 1 boule/ batard

Calories 1590 kcal

Ingredients

  

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• 400 g extra strong bread flour a.k.a. Canadian flour, with at least 13.5% protein content
• 305 ml water
• 160 g active sourdough starter 100% hydration
• 8 g salt

Instructions

 

DAY 1:

Feeding Sourdough Starter

• First thing in the morning, feed your sourdough starter. I typically feed 70g of my starter in a ratio of 1 part starter:1 part water:1 part flour. This simply means that I mix 70g of starter with 70g water and 70g flour. Scoop the mixture into a clean jar, and leave it in a warm spot (ideally, (21-27°C)), semi-covered for 4 hours. Your starter should at least double in volume in this time. If it doesn't, it may need a couple of good feeds before it's fit for purpose.
• I use 160g of active starter for baking and feed the remaining 50g before storing it for the future.

Autolyse

• When your starter is almost at its peek (~1 hour before it's ready), add flour and water to the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook attachment. Run the mixer on low speed for 2-3 minutes, just until there are no more dry flour remaining.
• Cover the shaggy dough with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and leave the flour to hydrate (autolyse) for 30-60 minutes.

Mixing the Final Dough

• Once the sourdough starter is active and bubbly (and at least doubled in volume), mix the final dough. Sprinkle the salt all over the flour mixture and pour in the sourdough starter. Run the mixer, fitted with a dough hook attachment, for 8-10 minutes, until your dough is smooth. It does not need to pass the windowpane test just yet (the gluten will continue developing when we fold the dough during the bulk fermentation period).

Coil Folds And Bulk Fermentation

• Scoop the dough into a large bowl or plastic container, cover with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place (21-27°C) for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, with cold wet hands, perform the first set of coil folds. Simply lift the bread dough with both hands from the sides and tuck it under to form a coil (video below). Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and coil again. Cover the bowl again, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes again.
• You should repeat the process every 30 minutes until you have done 4-6 sets of coil folds. Your dough will spread less with every set of folds, and by the end of it, you will have a much less sticky, very soft and elastic dough that has blisters on top of the dough. For more information on how to coil fold and when to know when you've done enough folding, head to our dedicated article about Sourdough Coil Folds.
• Once all the folds have been completed, cover the dough and let the dough rise at warm room temperature for 2-3 hours to finish bulk fermentation. Your dough should just about double its original size. If you are using a see-through glass bowl for bulk fermenting, you should see a lot of activity and bubbles forming at the base and sides of the bowl.

Shaping and Final Proof

• At the end of bulk fermentation, using a bowl scraper, scoop the dough onto a lightly floured surface (I highly recommend using rice flour). Try and make sure that the smooth top of the dough (the side that is not intact with the bowl) is placed on the floured work surface. Then swiftly fold the corners of the dough to shape a boule (or batard, if that's what you're baking). My method of shaping is in the video below.
• Drag the ball of dough across the worktop to create surface tention. If your dough is too sticky to handle, dust the work surface with a little more rice flour and use a bench scraper held at a shallow angle to the work surface, pushing the dough while using your hand to tuck it under itself, creating tension. This fluid circular motion involves pushing and gently rounding with the bench knife, while your free hand continues the rounding motion, tucking the dough slightly under itself.
• Place the dough ball into a well-floured banneton basket. We recommend using rice flour for dusting your proofing baskets. The smooth side of the sourdough ball should be at the bottom, with the seam at the top.
• If your dough is spreading in the basket, cover it and let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes at room temperature before stitching.
• To stitch, pull and pinch the sides of the dough together with your fingers. This will strengthen the structure before the cold proof and improve oven spring. The method is shown in the video below.
• Cover the sourdough, and place the proofing basket into the fridge overnight (12-36 hours) to cold ferment overnight. NOTE: I don't place high-hydration sourdough in a plastic bag - I actually want it to dry out a little and form a thin crust to make it easier to score the next day.

DAY 2

• The next day, place the Dutch Oven in the oven, and preheat it to 240°C (typically, it is the highest temperature home ovens will go to) with the Dutch oven in it. It needs to be piping hot!
• At the same time, place your sourdough in its proofing basket in the freezer for 30 minutes. This will make it easier to invert and score.

Scoring The Dough

• Once the oven is hot, take the dough out of the freezer.
• Invert the dough gently onto a large piece of parchment paper.
• Gently brush off any excess flour from the top of the dough. Using a bread lame or a razor blade, score the dough deeply (approximately 1cm deep) at a 30- 45º angle.
• NOTE: I tested it with a 6-minute score too, and it made little to no difference. If your sourdough spreads fast after inverting it onto parchment paper, I'd recommend you place it in the Dutch oven and into the oven right away for 6 minutes. Then take it out, score and return to the oven - more on this in the article above.

Baking

• Take the hot Dutch Oven out of the oven, take the lid off, and lift the sourdough into it, holding the edges of the parchment paper. Be mindful of how you lift the paper. Sometimes, the scored slash can begin to close up during this process. To prevent this, lift the parchment from the sides that won't push the two edges of the scored dough back together.
• Place the lid back on the Dutch Oven and place the bread into the hot oven for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, take the lid off, and return the sourdough to the oven for another 20 minutes. If you don't want your loaf of bread too dark in colour, you can reduce the oven temperature to 200°C.

Cooling

• Once baked, take the Dutch Oven out of the oven. Lift the bread out by holding the corners of the parchment paper. Place the bread onto the wire rack, and slide the parchment paper from underneath the loaf.
• Leave the sourdough to cool down to room temperature before slicing.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 1590kcalCarbohydrates: 321gProtein: 52gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 3126mgPotassium: 401mgFiber: 11gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 8IUCalcium: 71mgIron: 4mg

Keyword 80% Hydration Sourdough Bread, High Hydration Sourdough Bread

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