Plan your levain with clarity
Enter your final dough weight, the flour percentage of your dough, your levain percentage, and your preferred starter:flour:water ratio. The calculator estimates exactly how much starter, flour, and water you need.
Levain / Preferment Build Calculator
The total dough weight you plan to bake (all loaves combined).
Default 60% is typical for a straightforward bread dough.
Common range: 10–30% of total flour weight.
Examples: 1:1:1, 1:2:2, 1:3:3.
Enter your final dough weight and a valid ratio (like 1:2:2) to see your levain build.
How to use this levain build calculator
Start by entering the total dough weight you plan to bake, and roughly what percentage of that dough is flour (60% is typical). Then choose a levain percentage based on how fast you want your dough to ferment, and set your levain ratio, such as 1:2:2 or 1:3:3.
These numbers are approximations meant to help you plan your baking day. Adjust them based on your starter strength, flour choice, and fermentation preferences.
Levain planning for Canadian sourdough bakers
Temperature, flour type, and starter strength all affect how your levain behaves. In Canadian kitchens, seasonal changes can make fermentation faster in summer and slower in winter. Use this calculator as a starting point, and adapt based on your local conditions.