Scope & limits

The math is one part of the bake.

Sourdough Bench is an educational planning resource. Its calculators turn your chosen weights, percentages, and ratios into ingredient quantities. They do not observe your ingredients, starter, dough, or kitchen.

What the dough calculator assumes

The formula contains flour, water, salt, and a starter made from flour and water. The target is mixed dough weight, not the weight of a baked loaf. Additional ingredients, handling losses, fermentation losses, and baking losses are outside this model.

What the feeding calculator assumes

The target build includes the amount you need and the amount you want to keep. It assumes no material is lost to evaporation, discard, or the container. Final hydration includes the flour and water already in the seed starter.

No guaranteed fermentation schedule

A feeding ratio alone cannot tell you when a starter will peak or when dough will be ready. Temperature, flour, culture condition, and handling all matter. Use the calculations to plan quantities, not as a promise of timing or a particular loaf.

Food safety is outside the calculation

A numerical result cannot establish that a starter or food is safe. The site does not diagnose contamination, check allergens, or certify food-safety procedures. Follow applicable food-safety guidance when preparing and storing food.

For the source conventions and how examples are described, see our editorial policy.