I recently converted my storage starter to 50% hydration to see if I could get a more sour flavor. Not sure how I should apply this to my reciepes. If reciepe calls for 280 grams at 100% hydration should I just bring it to correct hydration and weight with several feedings, wouldn't that bee the same as keeping a 100% storage starter, wouldn't that be less sour. Or should I just use same weight of starter and leave it firm just adjust liquid in recipe accordingly. I also realize I need to rise longer times to effect sour flavor.Just not sure how to handle the firm storage starter to keep it more sour.
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Hi, just complete the hydratation percentage in the formula. To keep sourness, maintain the levain in a cooler temperature than usual.
I find your question a bit hard to follow but will take a stab.
There is the issue of the overall hydration of the entire dough.
So you might have 65% hydration dough and the starter is 100%.
Or 65% hydration dough and the starter is 50%.
In either case you add the water and flour in the starter
to the water and flour in the dough
total the water, total the dough, and figure out the overall hydration level.
So to answer your question: all you really need to know is the total dough hydration for your recipe, not just the starter hydration. And when you change the hydration in the starter, you make adjustments to the water and dough in the main dough mix later in order to maintain the same hydration in the overall dough and so that it ends up being the right weight.
I have all this on a spreadsheet. I start with what weight I want the loaf to be (both pre and post bake weight).
Then I input the hydration level of the overall loaf.
Then I input the starter hydration (in my case always 100% but I can change if I like).
Then the spreadsheet kindly tells me the ingredient weights for both tarter and main dough mix.
So once that spreadsheet is set up, it's very easy to figure out.