Basic White Sourdough using 100% Hydration Starter – Northwest Sourdough (2024)

FAQs

Should sourdough starter be 100% hydration? ›

Different recipes may suggest different hydration levels because it will ultimately impact your final sourdough baked good. A lower hydration (under 100%), meaning more flour and less water, is often used to create a thicker dough and stiffer baked good.

When talking about a sourdough starter, 100% hydration simply means you're using equal amounts of flour and water. So if you had 50g of sourdough starter, you'd feed it 50g of flour and 50g of water.

I typically like to stick to the 70 to 75% range. This gives me a nice open crumb without being to wet of a dough that it is impossible to work with. Should sourdough starter be 100% hydration? Sourdough starter can be at right at, above, or below 100% hydration.

This is not always a bad thing, and sometimes extra flour is necessary to rectify a runny starter or make the starter peak at a later time. Feeding a sourdough starter too much water is worse as the starter won't have enough flour to feed on and it will be runny and less bubbly than it should be.

Note: Most sourdough discard recipes will call for 100% hydration discard. This means that the discard comes from sourdough starter that has been fed equal weights of flour and water.

Hooch is formed after your sourdough starter has already had some bubbles, rises and falls. Hooch will smell like alcohol. This is a big indicator that your starter is really hungry. You can choose to pour off your hooch or stir it in, then feed it both water and flour using your typical ratios.

High hydration dough results in bread with a thin and crackly crust and a tender, evenly open crumb. When done right, the baked result is sublime: bread that's light and airy with a creamy texture and an impeccable mouthfeel. As a bonus the loaf stays moist and tastes fresh for days after it's baked!

This process takes at least five days to active your dried sourdough starter before if can be used as an active leavener in a recipe.

The general rule of thumb is that it takes about 10-14 days to develop a starter strong enough to rise a loaf. Experienced sourdough aficionados may be able to bake with a new starter in as few as five days. And, for less experienced bakers who struggle with the process, it may take up to 30 days.

To start off, the standard hydration in the industry is 60% (e.g., for 1,000 g of flour, use 600 ml of water). Why? it provides a good loaf, without being overly hard to prepare or handle. Now you'll probably find people referring to hydration levels north of 75%, which will help give an open crumb.

Does higher hydration make more open crumbs? ›

One common misconception in bread baking is that you have to have a high hydration dough to achieve an open crumb. The hydration percentage of a dough, which is always relative to the flour you're using, can range from low to high and still result in a light and airy loaf.

Generally 4 to 6 sets of stretch and folds should be sufficient (4 folds in each set). Similarly, 4 to 6 coil folds should be enough to develop the gluten in a higher hydration dough.

Premature discarding and overfeeding will weaken your starter and elongate the process. Don't discard and re-feed a weak starter before it shows increasing bubble activity or height from the previous feeding. If you don't see more bubbles or a faster rise each day, skip a feeding, and give it more time.

With the “poke test” you put some flour on your finger and poke the dough. If it springs back immediately, it needs more time. If it slowly springs back about halfway it is ready to bake. If it does not spring back it is overproofing and should be bake right away.

It is important that you stir the sourdough starter every day in the morning and in the evening. Feed the starter. Add 60 g flour and 60 g lukewarm water, stir well to combine, and let sit out for 24 hours.

There is no single best ratio, but I've found a ratio of 1:5:5 fed twice daily at 12-hour intervals to produce a sourdough starter that's strong and healthy. This ratio corresponds to 20% ripe starter carryover, 100% water, and 100% flour (a mix of whole grain rye and white flour) at each feeding.

Ideally your sourdough starter should be the consistency of warm peanut butter. It should be pourable once at peak, but have a mousse like, aerated texture. What flour is best to use for a sourdough starter? You can literally use any kind of flour for a sourdough starter - as long as it's not bleached.

Another reason you might see dry patches are that your starter is overly hungry (either you forgot a feed or it's ready for more food per feeding) and this is the beginning of hooch forming. If you see dry patches along with some liquid on top, you're seeing the separation of water and flour in the formation of hooch.

Characteristics: hydration at, or less than, 65% water-to-flour. incorporating into dough mix is a little more difficult due to the thick, tough nature.