March 10, 2011 - 11:00am
80% hydration = pancake batter
I was getting burnt, no-bounce sourdough loaves and thought this problem might be fixable with higher hydration.
So I mixed an 80% hydration sourdough. It was so soupy that despite several stretch and folds, it remained the consistency of pancake batter. I could not shape it at all. I literally had to pour it into a loaf pan.
What am I doing wrong? I used 400 g flour (including the flour in the starter) and 320 g water (including the water in the starter). That results in a dough that is 80% water by weight. Am I not using correct baker's math?