Sourdough Inclusions Calculator

Calculate the right amount of cheese, nuts, seeds, or dried fruit for your sourdough based on flour weight. Simply choose an ingredient and get instant inclusion weights for your recipe.

Why Some Add-Ins Work Better Than Others

Your inclusion percentage is only part of the story. Two loaves can both contain 20% inclusions but behave completely differently in the oven. That's because some ingredients absorb water, some release water, and some simply add weight to the dough.

Understanding these differences makes it much easier to adjust recipes and get consistent results.

🍒 Nuts, Seeds & Dried Fruit

Generally the easiest inclusions to work with. Walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, raisins, and dried cranberries add flavor and texture without dramatically changing fermentation.

For most recipes:

  • 10–20%: Balanced flavor
  • 20–30%: Inclusion-forward loaf
  • 30%+: Heavily loaded loaf

Tip: Soaking dried fruit before mixing helps prevent it from pulling moisture from the dough.

🧀 Cheese

Cheese is heavier than most bakers expect. A loaf with 20% cheddar will usually feel denser than a loaf with 20% dried fruit.

For best results:

  • Cube or grate the cheese.
  • Add during folding rather than initial mixing.
  • Start around 15–20%.

(Many popular jalapeño cheddar sourdough recipes sit between 20–30% total inclusions).

🫑 Fresh Vegetables

Jalapeños, olives, roasted garlic, and other vegetables introduce extra moisture. The wetter the ingredient, the softer your dough becomes.

If your dough already feels very slack:

  • Pat vegetables completely dry.
  • Reduce water slightly.
  • Avoid extremely high inclusion percentages.

📉 More Inclusions = Less Oven Spring

Every ingredient added to the dough interrupts the gluten network slightly. That doesn't mean heavily loaded loaves are bad. It simply means:

  • 10% inclusions: Usually rise the easiest.
  • 20–30%: Gives a good balance of rise and taste.
  • 40%+: Often sacrifices some volume for flavor.

Many experienced bakers intentionally accept a slightly lower rise in exchange for more inclusions.

📏 A Simple Rule

If you're unsure where to start:

  • Seeds: 10–20%
  • Nuts: 10–20%
  • Dried fruit: 15–25%
  • Cheese: 15–25%
  • Mixed inclusions: 20–30% total

Use the calculator as a starting point, then adjust based on the style of loaf you enjoy baking!