The Fresh Loaf

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hydration question

christinepi's picture
christinepi

hydration question

My recipe asks for 9oz (255g) starter with 166% hydration. But how do I determine how many grams of starter, how many grams of water, how many grams of flour? 

Ford's picture
Ford

Hydration percentage (baker's percentage) is based on the flour content, only.  

Starter 255g = flour + water

Hydration = (water x 100)/flour = 166

water = 1.66 x flour

255 = flour + 1.66 flour

flour = 255/2.66 = 95.9 g

water = 95.9 x 1.66 = 159.2

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I suggest you take 85 g of refreshed starter and add 159 g of chlorine free water plus 96 g of unbleached, all-purpose flour and mix this well.  Let it ferment for a couple of hours then start your bread making, removing 85 g of starter to replace that which you used.  (The 166% hydration comes from using equal volumes of flour and water.)

Ford

christinepi's picture
christinepi

I want to start this recipe with the starter already ready to go at 9am so I can be done with  the recipe by 9pm. So I don't really have those 2 hours fermentation time to add that you suggest. Could I just do what you suggested the night before, meaning adding the 159g of water and 96g of flour to my  85g (currently 1:1:1) starter, and then use 255g of that, after it has spent ca 12 hours feeding, in the morning?

Ford's picture
Ford

"Could I just do what you suggested the night before, meaning adding the 159g of water and 96g of flour to my  85g (currently 1:1:1) starter, and then use 255g of that, after it has spent ca 12 hours feeding, in the morning?"

Yes. BUT.  You say your current starter is currently 1:1; Is that by weight?  If so, then use 64 g of refreshed 100 % starter plus 21 g water to make this 85 g of 166% hydration starter.  That will keep your hydration the same.  However, in my opinion, you could just continue with the regime I originally suggested.  I think the difference in total hydration would be negligible.

Ford