hydration noob question
Hi guys
so ive done some reading but i think im overcomplicated it and am unable to figure it out properly.
So in my case if i have a starter that was created with roughly 1:1 water and flour. i take out about half of it daily (200 grams about ) and then add back 100 grams water and 100 gram flour . its been doing great for months but im curious if this is too little to be feeding ? there isnt a horrible odour the next day and no hooch layer. my red fife bread has not been as bubbly as i like though so im concerned about my feeding pattern.
What would be my sourdough hydration percent in this case? my understanding is i feed it @ 100% hydration but the sourdough itself not sure where its at :S
Edit: not sure if this is the right sub forum , apologies if not..
thank you !
Which is good in that there is a variety and bad in that it creates irritation between people who think their way is the one true way. I always tell people to keep doing what works for them.
So if your way works for you, then stick to it.
Your starter hydration is 100% - same as mine (except the Rye which is 150%) To work out the final hydration of your dough, just add the water in the starter to the water in the main mix, same for the flour and it's water/flour * 100.
-Gordon
aaah yes a minor oversight.. thank you Gordon...
I figured sourdough bieng an ancient art is very forgiving and there are probably many ways to go about it.
Im sure all flours and grains behave differently too and depending on the temperature of your house as well etc.
Thanks for the tips!
Gordon if i may ask, im curious why your post is much shorter on here and then in my email notification its much longer with more interesting content?
Thank you for your help
I was replying to the wrong thing and realised after posting, so edited it.
-Gordon
Means 1:1:1. Or in your case with your left over 200g of stater should look like this when feeding:
200g Starter: 200g water: 200 grams flour. Giving you equal amounts of starter, water, and flour. Think of the starter as a whole (200g) when feeding it, and not 100g of flour and 100g of water. But then when mixing with your dough, to minus the flour and water for proper measurements and percentages.
It sounds like you might be under feeding your stater.
I have a 100% Rye starter at 100% hydration. I start off with 100g of unfed starter from the fridge. When I'm ready to use I feed it 100g of water, and 100g of flour= 1:1:1. Let it sit out at room temperature for around 12 hours and it's ready to go, when it passes the float test nicely.
Hope this helps out.
Cheers!
Thank you for the feedback and tips Dave.
Yes i was confused at first, as i felt like i should be doubling what i currently feed but it seems to be doing fine. i store it at room temp for now as i have been baking alot but it will probably end up in the fridge.
are there others that feed the way i do ? example; take out 2oo g. add 100g water and 100 flour and not 200 of each? does this depend on the type of flour or its appetite perhaps?
i assume the signs of an underfed starter would be the layer of hooch on top which i have not yet seen ever.
I have much to learn from you fine folks..
Warm regards