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Dick Adams
 
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Default Experiment


"Ron Anderson" > wrote in message=20
hlink.net...

> ... to get more flavor/sour in my bread. I decided to push the starter =

to=20
> the limits.


I am not sure what angle you are attempting to work here, Ron, but there
seem to be a lot of numbers and times and times of day, not much about
temperature, and in the end you ask:

> Now would some of you math wizards confirm or correct me on the=20
> hydration ...=20


It seems to me that the starter should be built to obtain high =
fermentation=20
activity. Manipulating the starter to make the bread sour/flavorful =
does=20
not make much sense to me. Bread that rises longer gets more sourdough=20
flavors.

An easy way to determine the "hydration" is to keep track of the amount
of water used (and salt). Then, from the weight of the final dough, the
"hydration" can be determined by simple arithmetic. That is to say, =
make
the dough so that it feels right, and figure out the "hydration", if you =
must,
when you are done.

Once I worked in a research lab for a boss who was quite smart (and
famous, eventually). To ready himself to conduct a procedure based=20
on readings in the microbiological literature, he would make a sketch,=20
a diagram, on a single page of notebook paper. I guess it could be=20
called a flow chart though its nomenclature was unique to the discipline
of the institution. One piece of paper could summarize the result of =
many=20
hours of study and planning.

Most recipes are not even close to flow charts, but if one is seriously=20
interested in trying to succeed with a recipe, I think it is useful to =
construct
a simple flow chart. Perhaps the information in the referenced post =
could=20
be presented in a form more like a flow chart?

--=20
Dick Adams
<firstname> dot <lastname>at bigfoot dot com