I understand that math makes the lights flicker and for some the smell of burnt toast comes wafting in. Then one finds one’s self in Mrs Walkers sixth grade classroom with unfinished homework and how the hell do you solve for X?
But bread math is different. Bread math is a helper daemon, not an evil demon. Bread math helps your bread be better. There’s no solving for unknowns or anything vaguely quadratic. Bread math is all about percentages. These percentages allow the baker to determine the character of the dough and how it will behave during mixing, working, rising and baking as well as the character of the final product. The process is your time, but the product is what your audience sees and subtly judges.
Flour is the kingmaker in the bread making process. Your other vassal ingredients base their behavior on the amount of flour present. Flour is the alpha and omega, if you will, (without the ecclesiastic overtones). When measuring the additional ingredients in your bread the percentage is based upon quantifying flour as 100%. For instance:
Flour 650g 100%
Water 455g 70%
Yeast 8g 1.2%
Salt 14g 2.2%
TOTAL 1127g 173.4%
As your eyes start inspecting your brain from the inside you’re asking “Jake, what are you doing this for?” The answer is complex but not drawn out. Because it’s part of baking. It lets you play with numbers to determine the best ratios of ingredients. No two baking situations are the same. Your house may be more humid than mine. You may use a different type of flour that requires higher hydration related to increased protein content. You may like a slightly saltier bread. What these percentages do is allow for you to discover how your bread is going to behave and make changes accordingly. Also when your friends and family ask you sound cool saying “I played with the hydration a bit to increase the tenderness of the crumb. I think it worked. What do you think?” Most people will agree just to get you to shut the hell up because they hate maths as much as you.
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