Altus: Wet or Dry?

I do both adding dry and/or wet crumbs to dough and add/or to the starter.  A lot depends on the amount of dough being mixed.  If you are mixing for 10 loaves, then soaking pressing out the water and running this thru a mixer while making the dough breaks it up nicely.  Sometimes one sees in bakery videos, the altus water has been calculated and therefore pressing is skipped.   I find for making one loaf, the altus can be put into the blender (without soaking) with the liquids and pulsed.  Altus can also be dry pulsed.  What ever you feel like cleaning up.  If you have no kitchen machines,  soaking overnight breaks up the old bread best.

Adding altus to the starter really brings out flavor!  Use it for a build.  Mix altus and water to about the same consistency as you make your starter.

Dry altus.   Weigh it and add enough water to balance the dough.  If the dough is 84% hydration and you add 100g altus, add 84g water.   I've done it both ways adding the water to the dough and/or just the altus.  One thing that occurred to me; when grinding dry; don't grind them to a fine powder, they should be coarse.  Very fine or powdery crumbs change the crumb dynamics and instead of providing some structure, weigh the dough down.  I tend to dry cut up bread and grate in barrel grater and store in a large jar to use when needed.  

Moist crumbs need your own judgement as to how much water to add.  If the old bread has dried a little, sprinkle with a tablespoon of water and toss well, repeat until you can pack them into a crumb ball and they just barely hold together.  (think: finished bread crumb)  If altus has been soaking, fill your hands with the wet bread and press out the water between your crossed over palms.  Wrap your fingers around the back of the opposite hand and press as flat as you can over a bowl to catch any liquid (may use later.)  Set aside and go through all the altus in this manner.   Frozen bread should first be thawed out before soaking or crumbling.   Toasting is a good option as it adds more crust flavor and color to the crumb.  (Can you tell I love crusts?) 

Although it hasn't been discussed, the altus should be at least a day old and completely cooled from baking.  I would not take a hot loaf and on the same day (say I forgot the salt in the loaf) cut it up and crumble as altus.  It needs to have set and cooled first.  :)    There is something magical in stale bread!

I put a small slice of my rye onto a scale and it weighed 50g.  I don't know if you will notice a difference with just 20g.   :)   You will notice the aroma!