Tartine high hydration techniques
A practical guide to Tartine-style high-hydration sourdough techniques: autolyse, gentle folds, shaping, proofing, and baking for open crumb.
Tartine-style high hydration is less about copying one famous loaf and more about learning a sequence: strong flour, long autolyse, gentle development, confident shaping, and enough steam to let the dough expand.
why this works
Wet dough needs structure before drama. If you chase holes before fermentation and shaping are consistent, the loaf spreads. Start with the fundamentals in why 80% hydration changes everything and use this as the next step.
ingredients
- Bread flour
- 450 g
- Whole wheat flour
- 50 g
- Water
- 400 g (80%)
- Active starter
- 100 g
- Salt
- 10 g
method
- Autolyse flour and 375g water for 45-60 minutes.
- Add starter, salt, and remaining water. Pinch until cohesive, then rest 30 minutes.
- Do 4-5 gentle coil folds over 3 hours. Stop when the dough holds shape and shows bubbles.
- Bulk to roughly 50% rise, not double.
- Pre-shape lightly. Rest 20 minutes. Final shape with tension but without degassing.
- Cold proof 12-16 hours.
- Bake covered at 500°F for 20 minutes, then uncovered at 450°F for 20-25 minutes.
baker notes
- Use wet hands, not extra flour, during folds.
- If the dough tears, rest longer before the next fold.
- A strong pre-shape matters more as hydration climbs.
- Open crumb is a fermentation result, not a shaping trick.
where to go next
Once this feels stable, try inclusions from top sourdough add-ins and inclusions.
Crosodo Blog entries are recipe and craft notes from working cottage bakers. Recipes assume working with an active starter and basic equipment. Cottage food sales are governed by your state's law — see our state directory for legal details.