Mike Avery wrote:
>
>However, I think a more productive approach is to learn by doing... that
>is, bake bread. When you have problems, ask for help. If you got the
>recipe from a particular person or web site, ask that particular person
>or the people at the web site. The person or web site that provided the
>recipe understands it better than someone who randomly answers a message
>in a newsgroup, and has more at stake in making the recipe work.
>
>Worrying about "might be" problems, like humidity, doesn't help you
>avoid problems.
[snip]

Fantastic advice. Just so you know, Mike, you and your site (and, indirectly, Laurel Robertson)
are the reason I'm able to make light, good tasting whole wheat sourdough. A very belated
thank you.

>
>In sourdough, I am pretty much in the middle of the pack between people
>who do everything by feel on one extreme and those who track enzymatic
>reactions on the other.

I suspect I'm close to the same place. I don't track enzymatic reactions, but I do like to be
fairly precise with my measurements.

Russ, regarding the other thread on Baker's Percentages, buying a digital scale with gram
and ounces measures, and learning to use Baker's Math brought me to a new level of
understanding and experimentation with sourdough.

For example, trying to find the right amount of water to use in whole wheat sourdough was a
real pain in the ass before I started using a scale. Whole wheat absorbs a ton more water
than white flour, and different whole wheat flours differ quite a bit between them. Using
Baker's Math, I could very easily make a mental note of how well 68% hydration worked (way
too stiff - dry crumbly bread) compared to 82% (a bit on the wet side for sandwich bread, but
much more to my liking).

I could also play around easily with different proportions of starter with ease. Putting 30% of
the flour into the starter produces a different flavor and a shorter rise than 15%. Again, it's
much easier for me to play with these variables using Baker's Math.

I've worked up a spreadsheet that allows me to quickly change all kinds of variables so I don't
have to do the math on a scratch sheet. Email me, and I'd be happy to send it to you, if you
think it might help.

Best,

Jeff

On Jan 20, 4:18 pm, "Jeff Miller" > wrote:
> Mike Avery wrote:
> >However, I think a more productive approach is to learn by doing... that
> >is, bake bread. When you have problems, ask for help. If you got the
> >recipe from a particular person or web site, ask that particular person
> >or the people at the web site. The person or web site that provided the
> >recipe understands it better than someone who randomly answers a message
> >in a newsgroup, and has more at stake in making the recipe work.
> >
> Fantastic advice. Just so you know, Mike, you and your site (and, indirectly, Laurel Robertson)
> are the reason I'm able to make light, good tasting whole wheat sourdough. A very belated
> thank you.

Aren't Mike's recipes great? When I started in sourdough his 100%
whole wheat was the first sourdough recipe I made. I know I've thanked
him AT LEAST once on this list, if not a bunch of times.

That's how I got so confused when a bunch of the folks here dumped on
me saying the recipe was all wrong. It worked, it tasted good, it
seemed fine to me. Then a bunch of others on the list said how the
rising times and the number of rises were all wrong.

> Russ, regarding the other thread on Baker's Percentages, buying a digital scale with gram
> and ounces measures, and learning to use Baker's Math brought me to a new level of
> understanding and experimentation with sourdough.
>
> For example, trying to find the right amount of water to use in whole wheat sourdough was a
> real pain in the ass before I started using a scale. Whole wheat absorbs a ton more water
> than white flour, and different whole wheat flours differ quite a bit between them. Using
> Baker's Math, I could very easily make a mental note of how well 68% hydration worked (way
> too stiff - dry crumbly bread) compared to 82% (a bit on the wet side for sandwich bread, but
> much more to my liking).
>
> I could also play around easily with different proportions of starter with ease. Putting 30% of
> the flour into the starter produces a different flavor and a shorter rise than 15%. Again, it's
> much easier for me to play with these variables using Baker's Math.
>
> I've worked up a spreadsheet that allows me to quickly change all kinds of variables so I don't
> have to do the math on a scratch sheet. Email me, and I'd be happy to send it to you, if you
> think it might help.
>
> Best,
>
> Jeff