Is the Samartha's Starter table difficult to understand?

Here you will find, hopefully, some hints to cope with all these numbers.



The following "article" is organized as follows:



1. Background

2. Building means

3. Analysis

4. Little problems? No problem!

5. Conclusions





1. Background



I 've spent an awful hour to understand all the data and how they're built.

At the end of the process I decided to write down the findings so to recover
them in the future.

Finally I decided to post everything so that others could benefit of my
work.





2. Building means



To analyse the Starter table and to make some calculations, it is necessary
to share the same data.

I propose to go to the Samartha's Detmolder 3-stage calculator web page and
start by introducing the following data as parameters:

Dough Weight: 1000.000

Rye %: 80

Salt %: 1.80

Dough Hydration %: 89.00

Salt %: 1.80

Yeast %: 0.00

Temp Units: Celsius



You should then press "Recalculate" and print out the page.



The Starter table has a main row and a main column.

The main row contains the following cells: Stage, add to "previoius" stage,
Rye, Water, Starter, Hydr %, Factor *), Ratio **), Time, Temp.

The main column contains the following cells: Storage leaven in, 1.

Refreshment, 2. Refreshment, Ripe Sour, Storage leaven out, Total.

The table has inside 58 cells which are partly empty and partly fulfilled.

As I'll make numeric examples and try to determine formulas, it would be
better to name all these 58 cells.

Start then with the printout of the Starter table and give to the internal
cells the following numeration: AA, AB, AC subsequently starting from the
first row of internal cells.

When the row is finished start with the second row (always from left to
right). When the AA series is finished then start with BA, BB, BC and then
with CA, CB CC...

You should end with CF.



Now make a simple test with the following cells:

AA: empty

AE: 90.00

AK: 3 x water

AQ: 0.96-0.80

AW: 39.604

BB: 15-24 hr

BH: 475.248

BN: empty

BX: empty

CB: 90.26

CF: empty



Our tables should now correspond with a high probability so that we can
proceed with the analysis.







3. Analysis



The table is a very efficient way of building up the Starter for later
backing purposes introducing a little inoculation ("Storage leaven in") and
feeding it with food at the right temperature. At the end you obtain the
requested quantity of Starter from which you take out the inoculation
("Storage leaven out") you have inserted.



The table is not using measure units like Oz. or Kg, but simply "units".

This allows the table to be read in the different countries without
problems.

Suppose you set the Dough Weight as 1000, meaning that the Dough should
weight 1000 grams, therefore all the numbers of the table referring to
weights are grams. Alternatively, if you mean 1000 Kg, every data in the
table would refer to kilos.

In my assumption for example 1000 stands for 1000 grams.



Other units popping up in the table are hours, grades and some "aseptic" and
mysterious multiplicative coefficients.

We will go through them in a while.



How is build the table?

The Detmold researchers have probably well studied the behaviour of the
microbiological content of the Starter and found nice interesting
relationships between the temperature, the activity and the time spent

at different stages.

They finally set a 3-stage method saying that:

a. you have to spend 5-6 hours at 25-26 degrees,

b. 15-24 hours at 23-27 degrees and

c. 4 hours at 30 degrees.

This corresponds to the last 2 columns "Time and "Temp" which are the basic
characteristics of the method.

To be more precise, both temperature and time are given for the 1st and

2nd stages as ranges (i.e. 5-6 hours, 23-27 degrees etc.)



Which values should you choose?

Further reading will clarify to you that the time and the temperature should
be combined in fixed proportions and should lead the starter to the same
final point in order to start the following stage in the same conditions.

For the moment, if you consider the cell AS you find 25-26 degrees while in
the cell AR you find 5-6 hours. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the same
final point either remaining 6 hours at 25 degrees or remaining

6 hours at 25 degrees.

In the same way, considering cell BB and BC it is possible to remain 24
hours at 23 degrees or 15 hours at 27 degrees.

If you remain in a temperature between the highest and the lowest, you
should adapt the time consequently.

To make an example, if you stay at the second stage at 25 degrees (mid point
between 23 and 27) then the time is the mid point between 15 and 24, i.e.
19.5 hours.

Another observation, if you are familiar with the description of the

Detmold 3-stage method in the web page of Samartha, you should notice

that he uses the "long" version, i.e. taking 6 hours + 24 hours +4 hours.

(Unfortunately his experiment is not matching 100% the method, in that the
first and the second stage are led at 80F and 82F (26,6C and 27,7C degrees)
while they should be run at 77F and 73,4F (25C and 23C), but this is a
practical subject matter when implementing the method. This article is more
directed to the underlying theory).



Now the next problem: having set the time and the temperature how much flour
and water do you need for a 1000 g Dough?

The "core" of the method is approaching.

Read the column "Ratio" and you'll find the answer to your problem.

The column "Ratio" allows you to determine the needed quantity of flour to
lead the method.

Take for example the cell AR (05-06 hr) and the take cell AQ

(0.96-0.80), after multiplying AR with AQ you obtain the cell AP (4.8).

To be more precise, the time is given in a variable range between 5 and

6 hours, consequently the ratio is also given in terms of range:

0.96-0.8. Basically if you have 5 hours the ratio is 0.96 and if you have 6
hours the ratio is 0.80. Notice that 5x0.96 = 6X0.80= 4.8 anyway.

(If you consider something in the middle of 5 and 6 hours, you should
consider a mid value between 0.96 and 0.8, but you'll reach always 4.8,
which is the ground basis of the method).

The "Ratio" column is not really bothering you and you won't use directly
it. Take it as a means for allowing a certain flexibility in
Time/Temperature to bring you at a fixed condition.





Now, it starts to be a little more difficult.

How to interpret the value 4.8? What is really meant by "flour
multiplication"?

Here, I suppose, most of you gave up.

Follow me. It is only math.



The method assumes that you start with an inoculation starter weighting 2.2
grams (cell AD), 90% hydration (cell AE).

You can check it because AC/AB = 1.042/1.158 is really 90% (well... there is
a slight approx., but we can cope with that).



The "flour multiplication" (cell AP) 4.8 now is used for multiplying the
initial flour quantity (cell AB) to obtain the total flour of the starter at
this step.

Numerically AP*AB=4.8*1.158=5.558.

Considering that you already have 1.158 in your starter you have to add

5.558-1.158=4.400, which is cell AL. (I suppose that you start to feel a

sort of magic sensation now...!).

Shortly, cell AL which represents the exact quantity you have to add is
determined by the equation: AL=AP*AB-AB=AB*(AP-1) (equation 1)



Now, again a hint from the Detmold researchers (hereinafter arbitrarily
renamed "the Detmolds") suggests us to bring also a precise quantity of
water with the flour.

This quantity of water has a fixed relationship with the flour used and
should bring always to a definite fixed hydration of the starter.

I can imagine that this fixed relationship is depending on the PH and the
activity of the culture.



In any case the cells AJ, AK, AT, AU, BD, BE are fixed cells which indicate
the proportions between the rye and water to use.

AJ and AK tell us that rye and water should stay in 2:3 relationship.

AT and AU tell us that rye and water should stay in 5:3 relationship.

BD and BE tell us that rye and water should stay in 1:1 relationship.

(Why then there is written a "1.5" in BD and BE remains still a mystery also
for me).



These proportions allow you to determine the exact quantity of water to get
to the level of the fixed hydration determined by the researchers.

In fact: AO (fixed hydration data from the

Detmolds)=137.5%=(AM+AC)/(AL+AB) the quantity to determine is AM which is
easily obtained by

AM=AO*(AL+AB)-AC (equation 2)

numerically AM=137,5/100 *(4.400+1.158) - 1.042=6.601 which is exactly

AM (please another smile!!)



And the proportions?

You can obtain also AM by making simply AL *3/2. This magic and simply value
is merely a consequence of having chosen a fixed hydration of

137.5%.

In fact if you observe the quantity AM/AL you can express it in a different
way.



From equation 2, AM=AO*(AL+AB)-AC, therefore



AM/AL=(AO*(AL+AB)-AC) / AL but from equation 1 AL=AB*(AP-1) therefore

AM/AL=(AO*(AB*(AP-1) +AB) -AC) / (AB*(AP-1))= AO * AP/(AP-1) -

AC/(AB*(AP-1))



but AC/AB=AE which is a fixed initial quantity (90%), therefore



AM/AL=(AO*AP-AE)/(AP-1)



all these quantities are fixed data and give, magically...

(137,50/100*4,8-90/100)/3,8=1,5=3:2

which are the proportions indicated in AJ and AK! (smile again!!)



Now it is clear at least at the first refreshment that you have to add 4.4
grams of rye and 6.601 grams of water to your initial starter.

How much starter do you have now?

Easy! AN=AL+AM+AD=4.400+6.601+2.200= 13.201 grams



Don't escape... things are not linear in the followings...







4. Little problems? No problem!



Now we come to the second refreshment.

Temperature is set by the Detmolds as well as Time and "Ratio". We now have
a "Factor" (cell AZ) of 12.9.

Let's find how much rye we need.

(attention here)

Considering the 1. Refreshment, I would expect this formula:

AV=AZ*(AL+AB) - (AL+AB), i.e. 12.9*(4.400+1.158) -(4.400+1.158)=66.140

whereas the table gives 66.007.

Not that the difference is not too much ( 1 gram!!!), but I cannot find
apparently why.

This is not really a disturbance. We can cope also with this approximation!

For the water, considering the proportion set in AT and AU, is simply
calculated as AW=3/5*AV=3/5*66.007=39.604

Also in this case, the proportion 3:5 is derived from the fixed hydration
set by the Detmolds at 66.02%.



In fact you can verify that AY (hydration)=(AW+AM+AC)/(AV+AL+AB)



The 3.rd stage is "missing". In fact there's no 3rd stage mention in the
table.

.... no it's a joke! It is called Ripe Sour, but it is at all effect our

3rd stage!



The procedure is similar to the previous steps. I escape a deep analysis,
but I simply note that rye and water are used in the same quantity with a
proportion of 1:1 (therefore as I have already said, there are apparently no
reasons to have a 1,5 in BD and BE).



Little exercise: how much starter do you have now?

Solution: BF+BG+AX



Finally what is the Storage leaven out?

Very academically, the Detmolds, having introduced 2 grams of inoculation at
the beginning of the process, they now take out from the starter a couple of
grams.

Notice that the quantity BQ, 2.2 is equal to AD, the quantity introduced.

But because the hydration BI was set to 90,26% the relationship between
flour and water is different from the "Storage leaven in" row. You can check
that BO and BP are slightly different from AB and AC.





5. Conclusion



Provided that you probably skipped all the previous points and reading only
this paragraph I briefly summarize the findings:

A. To start the process the first thing is to enter some parameters, for ex.
the final dough weight, the dough hydration and the Celsius/Fahrenheit
grades in the Detmold-3 stage calculator Samartha's web page.



B. The Detmold researchers provide you a scheduled process with times and
temperatures that you should follow stage by stage. They also give you the
quantities of rye and water to add to each stage.



C. Pay attention to the term "units" used to define the rye and water
quantities to add. This is a flexible way of expressing either Oz. or Kilos
or grams, on your choice. Whenever you have chosen to interpret the data as,
for example, "grams", then be reasonable and enter data consequently: a
dough can normally weight 1000 grams not 100000000!



D. Pressing "Recalculate" you will obtain a Starter table with rows and
columns containing 3 stages, for each one you obtain the quantities of rye
and water to add to your starter and the time and temperature of the stage.
If you've not read the article look only at the columns Rye, Water, Time and
Temp. Dismiss all the others, you'll be puzzled and abandon the method
before trying it.



E. To start, you are asked to provide a small amount of starter at 90%
hydration. This initial quantity is in the cell crossing the column
"Starter" with the row "Storage leaven in". Read this quantity and the
following ones in the columns Rye and Water according to the choice you've
made for your dough weight (Oz, grams, Kg).



F. At each step add the quantities of rye and water in the respective
columns and leave them for the time and temperature indicated in the column
Time and Temp.

You have some options at this step.

Either you choose the highest temperature and then the lower time or the
lowest temperature and the longest time.

Please remember that if you choose a mid temperature between the two given
by the table you should also get a mid point between the lowest

time and the highest time.



G. At the end of the process take a bit out from the starter (row

"Storage leaven out).



H. Proceed with the Mix table.



I. If you want to understand the columns

Ratio,

Factor,

add to "previoius" stage,



and the working effect of the column Hydr%, please read the whole article.









I apologize for the length of the article and for the language, which is not
my native one.



Hopefully someone could benefit of these findings and understand more
appropriately the table.



Last Word; this was an attempt to understand the Starter table using an
approach from right to left, i.e. from the Time/Temperature columns to the
Rye and Water ones.

It is possible also to start from the right and go to the left trying to
give reasonable interpretations, but I found it personally less attractive.



Very last word; please do not ask me for the secrets and the problems of
this method, with this article I'm playing only the role of a pure
theoretical and speculative math hobby analyst.



Bye



Luke

"Luke Skywalker" wrote in message =
...

Is the Samartha's Starter table difficult to understand?

Until just now, I thought it was easy.

[ ... ]

Very last word; please do not ask me for the secrets and the=20
problems of this method=20

OK, I am not asking.

with this article I'm playing only the role of a pure theoretical=20
and speculative math hobby analyst.

Do not even consider presenting your loaf here unless you can=20
provide its wave equation.

---
Prof. Heisenburg

P.S. Thanks for being a good poster and providing a distinctive=20
identity plus email addy, not cross posted. Feel welcome here.