The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Newbie signing in and a question (of course)

DavidEF's picture
DavidEF

Newbie signing in and a question (of course)

Hi, I've been baking simple things like biscuits and cookies for years, but I just recently got interested in sourdough bread. I started kinda rogue-like, not following any recipe, just feeling out what the stuff would do. I didn't get any good results that way, not surprisingly. Also, I didn't at first have a kitchen scale. Both of these issues have been resolved, now, I'm happy to report. I have baked some bread successfully from recipes I've found on Susan's blog at www.wildyeastblog.com, as well as a couple other recipes that I've converted from standard yeast. It works the same with sourdough, but it just takes a LOT more time!

Now, for the question. I'm keeping a spreadsheet to watch the different recipes I'm making, to look for patterns. I'm an experimental cook and I would like to learn the most bottom-line, basic principles that I can then manipulate to make new and weird stuff! In order to compare and contrast, I have the spreadsheet to automatically convert volumes to weights of various common bread ingredients. I also use it in reverse to see what weight-based recipes look like in volume measures. My question is about sourdough starter. Does anyone know the "right" weight, in either ounces or grams, of a volume measure of 100% hydration starter (or the opposite, the volume measure of a specific weight of starter)? Some recipes I've encountered call for "one cup" of starter, and I need to know what weight it "should" be, in order to plug it into my formula spreadsheet. I know I could measure it myself, but I'm sure it would be hard to get accurate and consistent results.

tchism's picture
tchism

IIt's debatable depending on who you ask. The easiest thing to do would be to weigh it yourself with your starter. Place your cup on the scale and tare or zero the scale than fill the measuring cup with the starter. Use that weight.

Below is a eairlier post regarding the issue. Good luck

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/9639/weight-cup-100-hydreation-sourdough-starter

Ford's picture
Ford

For my purposes I use the value of 9 oz/cup for degassed, 100% hydration starter.  I think the exact measurement is not critical

Ford

DavidEF's picture
DavidEF

I thought for sure I had looked for an existing post already, but I guess somehow I missed it. So, I suppose I will have to just measure my own starter out to a cup, weigh it, and go from there. As I said in my first post, I knew I could do that already, but I thought there might be a "right" answer out there somewhere. Thanks, guys!

yozzause's picture
yozzause

Hi DavieEF and welcome to TFL

i use 100% hydration starter at a rate of 3:2:1 as the base for my sour doughs

3 being flour by weight

2 being water by weight

1 being 100% starter by weight

Other ingredients  are usually small additions and relate by percentage to the flour ie salt 2%  butter 2%  etc only minor allowances if need be if there are lots of liquid additions or lots of dry addittions such as dried fruit or to suit your ability to handle the dough.

 

regards Yozza

DavidEF's picture
DavidEF

If my calcualtions are correct, that would result in about 71.4% hydration of the water/flour, not counting other ingredients. I've been pretty close to that with my experimentation. Most of my successful tries have been in the range of 72% to 76% hydration, counting only the flour/water/starter. Your way sounds simpler than what I'[ve been doing. Thanks again!