Flour, Hydration & Troubleshooting
Master flour absorption properties, protein strengths, and diagnose dough behavior with confidence.
Flour Types & Protein Strength
The structural backbone. Strong gluten matrix, supports high hydration (75–82%), delivers tall oven spring and open crumb.
Bran and germ absorb 5–10% more water than white flour. Bran shards cut gluten strands; keep at 15–30% for high volume loaves.
Contains high enzyme activity and mucilage (pentosans). Yields deep earthy flavor, but minimal gluten structure. Recommend 5–15% in country loaves.
Delicate and nutty. Tends to slacken quickly during bulk fermentation. Reduce hydration by 3–5% when using over 20% spelt.
Formula % vs. True Hydration
Hydration % = (Water Weight ÷ Base Flour) × 100True % = (Total Water incl. Starter ÷ Total Flour incl. Starter) × 100When you add 100g of 100% hydration starter, you add 50g flour and 50g water. That shifts your dough hydration by ~2%!
Diagnose & Fix Common Issues
Flour protein might be too weak for the hydration level, or bulk fermentation is overproofed and enzymatic breakdown occurred. Lower hydration by 5% and shorten bulk fermentation.
Classic symptom of underfermentation. The starter wasn't mature enough or the dough did not ferment long enough before cold retard.
Classic symptom of overfermentation. Yeast consumed all available sugars leaving none for caramelization/Maillard browning. Bake earlier when dough passes the gentle poke test.