Customer told me my sourdough was too dense, so I dropped hydration from 80% to 70% and now it's way fluffier

She said it tasted good but felt like a brick, and after reading up on it I realized my starter was too weak for that high hydration, has anyone else had to adjust their water ratio based on feedback?

3 comments

3 Comments

riley_wood8428d ago

Lower hydration definitely shifts the whole timeline, I had to add an extra hour to my bulk ferment when I went from 75% to 68% water. Ended up with a better oven spring but the crumb got a little tighter than I wanted, so now I'm back at 72% with a longer autolyse to compensate. Guess it's all about finding that sweet spot where the starter and the water ratio actually get along.

ryan_shah3829d ago

Oh, have you tried adjusting your stretch and fold timing too? When I dropped hydration from 78% to 72% I had to do fewer folds because the dough wasn't as sticky, which actually helped my crumb open up a little. I also found that bumping up my bulk ferment by about 30 minutes made a big difference with lower hydration, it needs a bit more time to develop that airy structure without the extra water doing the work for it.

kimr7428d ago

72% hydration really forced me to rethink my whole fold schedule too, @riley_wood84 I found dropping to three folds instead of four kept the dough from tightening up on me.