Comments on: How to Convert a Liquid Starter to a Stiff Starter http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2007/12/07/stiff-starter/ Notes from my kitchen, in which I bake bread and raise a few other matters Fri, 24 May 2013 02:12:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: donna http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2007/12/07/stiff-starter/comment-page-1/#comment-46090 donna Tue, 09 Oct 2012 10:59:09 +0000 http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2007/12/07/stiff-starter/#comment-46090 So help me here and tell me what the ratio would be for a 60% starter? One more example and I may actually "get" it ;) So help me here and tell me what the ratio would be for a 60% starter? One more example and I may actually “get” it ;)

]]> By: Iso Guerrero http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2007/12/07/stiff-starter/comment-page-1/#comment-22664 Iso Guerrero Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:59:41 +0000 http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2007/12/07/stiff-starter/#comment-22664 hola, we love Panettone, and is a costume for us to eat a lot of it on November./December, I did a 100% starter with your recipe and i just did the 50% stiff starter right now to have for the panettone recipe, but the recipe do not said who many times a have to feed it and in how many hours , please, i need the answer, because i want to do the panettone this Sunday . sorry about my English i try my best. Dec-7 Iso hola,
we love Panettone, and is a costume for us to eat a lot of it on November./December, I did a 100% starter with your recipe and i just did the 50% stiff starter right now to have for the panettone recipe, but the recipe do not said who many times a have to feed it and in how many hours , please, i need the answer, because i want to do the panettone this Sunday . sorry about my English i try my best. Dec-7
Iso

]]> By: KitchenGeisha http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2007/12/07/stiff-starter/comment-page-1/#comment-19466 KitchenGeisha Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:25:00 +0000 http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2007/12/07/stiff-starter/#comment-19466 I opened Hamalman's "Bread" randomly for a recipe for tomorrow, and what shows up? "Building the Culture (also known as 'Elaborating')", pg 146, all about ratios and why the specific amounts are used to feed given starter amounts. Now I understand. :) I opened Hamalman’s “Bread” randomly for a recipe for tomorrow, and what shows up? “Building the Culture (also known as ‘Elaborating’)”, pg 146, all about ratios and why the specific amounts are used to feed given starter amounts.

Now I understand. :)

]]> By: KitchenGeisha http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2007/12/07/stiff-starter/comment-page-1/#comment-19457 KitchenGeisha Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:35:01 +0000 http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2007/12/07/stiff-starter/#comment-19457 Ah! I see! So essentially I can just start with a bit of the culture I have on hand and manipulate it with subsequent feedings. I didn't even realize that my starter had a hydration percentage until I read JMonkey's post over on "The Fresh Loaf" about getting more sourness from the sourdough starters. That's what sent me off on the mind numbing quest to understand different ratios. I just assumed that everyone's starter started with a 1:1 by measured cup as all mine did. Both the starter formulas I used called for either 1 measured cup of flour to 1 measured cup of water, or 2 tbs flour to 2 tbs pineapple juice. Honestly, I thought the hardest things about sourdough would be keeping it alive, not trying to figure out it's hydration. Susan, as always you impress me with your helpfulness and knowledge, and I *very* much appreciate your taking the time to answer my ramblings. Thank you so much! - Jeannette Ah! I see! So essentially I can just start with a bit of the culture I have on hand and manipulate it with subsequent feedings.

I didn’t even realize that my starter had a hydration percentage until I read JMonkey’s post over on “The Fresh Loaf” about getting more sourness from the sourdough starters. That’s what sent me off on the mind numbing quest to understand different ratios.

I just assumed that everyone’s starter started with a 1:1 by measured cup as all mine did. Both the starter formulas I used called for either 1 measured cup of flour to 1 measured cup of water, or 2 tbs flour to 2 tbs pineapple juice.

Honestly, I thought the hardest things about sourdough would be keeping it alive, not trying to figure out it’s hydration.

Susan, as always you impress me with your helpfulness and knowledge, and I *very* much appreciate your taking the time to answer my ramblings. Thank you so much! – Jeannette

]]> By: Susan http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2007/12/07/stiff-starter/comment-page-1/#comment-19452 Susan Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:31:06 +0000 http://www.wildyeastblog.com/2007/12/07/stiff-starter/#comment-19452 Kitchen Geisha, the hydration of the starter indicates the amount of water relative to the amount of flour, by weight. Forget about converting one hydration to another for the moment, and just think in terms of the feedings. For a 100% hydration starter, you feed with equal weights of flour and water. For a 50% hydration starter feed with twice as much flour as water (i.e., half as much water as flour). These ratios are independent of the amount of starter you are starting with, assuming that that starter is already the same hydration. If you are converting from one hydration to another, I find it easiest to disregard the discrepancy in hydrations and just start feeding with the new hydration ratio. Initially the hydration of the "converted" starter will be off, but after a few feedings the difference will be negligible. Kitchen Geisha, the hydration of the starter indicates the amount of water relative to the amount of flour, by weight. Forget about converting one hydration to another for the moment, and just think in terms of the feedings. For a 100% hydration starter, you feed with equal weights of flour and water. For a 50% hydration starter feed with twice as much flour as water (i.e., half as much water as flour). These ratios are independent of the amount of starter you are starting with, assuming that that starter is already the same hydration.

If you are converting from one hydration to another, I find it easiest to disregard the discrepancy in hydrations and just start feeding with the new hydration ratio. Initially the hydration of the “converted” starter will be off, but after a few feedings the difference will be negligible.

]]>