Measuring hydration

Leucadiard

hello! I'm a home baker, so bear with me..... I am finding the humidity factor greatly impacts my final product. After measuring and mixing, I add flour according to the 'feel' so calculating the hydration of a recipe is too variable. Is there a mechanical way ( like a hydrometer) to measure the water content of a dough? I've looked but find nothing on this. Thank you so much for your thoughts. 

Category: 
up
212 users have voted.

Replies

farinam's picture
farinam 2015 October 15

Hello Leucadiard,

There probably is a gadget out there somewhere that you could use to measure the dough texture in a scientific and reproducible way but I'm betting it would be pretty expensive and meant for factory application.

I think that the path that you are on is the way to go but I would be thinking you might be better off working in the other direction.  That is, I would hold back on some of the liquid that the recipe calls for and add more if the texture calls for it.  The reason for this is that dry flour takes time to absorb water to its capacity and so it is possible to add flour until the texture is 'better' initially but then, as the flour absorbs more water, the dough becomes too stiff.  You also have a potential problem of having flour at different stages of development in your finished product.  Going the other way, the flour is all at the same stage of development and the water absorption is quicker and so you are less likely to overdose (provided of course that you make sensible small additions).

Good luck with your projects.

Farinam

Anonymous 2015 October 15

Thanks very much for this! Makes perfect sense...... will hold some of the water and play with how that works. Good point about the different stages of flour development. Funny thing, as it sits overnight (basically a no knead) even if I have it to a basic 'handle-able- stage' in the evening, it is just unmanageable with wetness in the morning. I'll certainly switch to your approach.

Thanks for your help, Farinam,

Joyce

 

farinam's picture
farinam 2015 October 15

Hello Joyce,

If that is left on the bench overnight, it could be that the gluten has broken down and all the hold-togetherness is gone.  In other words, the dough is severely over-proved.  Just a thought.

Good luck with your projects.

Farinam

Post Reply

Already a member? Login