September 27, 2011 - 4:32pm
Hydration Level of Rye Sourdough Starter
I've been reading Hamelman's BREAD and he appears to be very fond of rye. I have used rye but not as the main flour, and I want to give it a shot. I just activated some rye starter I received from the generous folks at NY Bakers. Is 125 hydration the most common level for rye sourdough starter? Thanks.
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I keep mine at 100%.
There is no rule - except what works for you.
I started making sourdoughs following recipes in Whitley's "Bread Matters": Rye starter at 200% hydration!
It keeps in the fridge for ages - to me it's the least problematic one. I keep it as a backup and put it through a feeding cycle every 3 weeks or so. Very forgiving (to me, at least).
At the monment I am making more bread that needs a starter at 80%, so I'm keeping one of those as well.
Generally, lower hydration makes a more sour starter.
Juergen
mine currently has a 133% hydratation because my superfine rye flour drinks a lot of water. With other less fine flours I can get down to 80-90%.