Will wrote:
> On Mar 9, 5:08 am, Mike Romain > wrote:
>> Will wrote:
>>
>>> So the math (attention Mike R) works like this 100% (flour) + 68%
>>> (water) + 2% (salt) = 170 parts.
>> <Snip>
>>
>>> So... I keep a few numbers in my head. The relative hydration numbers
>>> for basic classes of bread: whole grain vs white vs mixed. And I
>>> adjust for the baked form: boule, batard, or pan. So 1800 for boules,
>>> 2200 for pans...
>> ROTFLMAO!
>>
>> OK, sure.... So just what bakers percent is 170 parts or 1800
>> somethings or 2200 somethings?
>>
>> Mike
>> Some bread photos:http://www.mikeromain.shutterfly.com
>
> Mike,
>
> Baker's math is a bit obtuse when you first look at it. Flour is
> always 100%, everything else is ratioed to the weight of flour. So the
> total percentages are always over 100. It's good for communicating
> recipes/technique and good for scaling batch size. I use it to manage
> hydration, not much else.

It is still clear like mud, do I need to break out my old slide rule?...

Don't folks talk about things like a 60% and 100% hydration which really
doesn't fit into your numbers at all if you start at 100% or I need
something stronger than coffee to grasp it.

So just 'what' is 100% hydration?

Mike