You've probably had this question before about hydration

[roberto2]

Sorry if this is a repeat question: 

If I use 16 oz. of water/ 5 cups unbleached flour, is that 40%? 16/40=.40?

Thanks in advance.

Roberto

[Pete-zza]

Sorry if this is a repeat question: 

If I use 16 oz. of water/ 5 cups unbleached flour, is that 40%? 16/40=.40?

Thanks in advance.

Roberto

Roberto,

To clarify things for Tom should he see your post, is the 16 ounces of water by volume or by weight, and where does the 40 in 16/40 come from?

Peter

[TXCraig1]

Roberto,

where does the 40 in 16/40 come from?

Peter

Peter, I'm guessing
5C x 8oz/C = 40oz volume

Roberto,
Hydration is typically defined as the weight of water divided by the weight of flour in a formula. Volume measurements do not work because of the significant difference in density between water and flour. Also, volumetric measurements can be very problematic with flour as the weight of 1C flour can vary dramatically ( >35%) depending on the meaurement technique employed.

Craig

[Pete-zza]

Craig,

I'm sure you are right. I have gotten so used to working with weights that I rarely think about volumes anymore. If Roberto weighs the water and the five cups of flour, he should be able to calculate the hydration that corresponds to those values but realize that the hydration value may be different the next time.

Peter

[roberto2]

Hi all,

I am using a measuring cup, 16 oz. water, (5) 8 oz. cups of flour.
What type of scale do you use, just a general kitchen scale? (spring coil)

Thanks.

[TXCraig1]

A digital scale such as one like this: http://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-AMW-2000-Digital-Jewelry/dp/B000OIRSSU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351042001&sr=8-1&keywords=aws+2000  is ideal, but a spring kitchen scale is better than nothing.

16oz water = ~474g
5C flour = ~620 to 775g depending on how you measure it.

Your hydration is likely in the range 76% to 61% (474/620 to 474/775). The way I measure flour by scooping, cutting, and leveling, it would be closer to 61%.

[The Dough Doctor]

Roberto;
You can't do bakers percent using a mix of weight and volumetric measures. Everything must be in the same weight units such as grams, kilograms, pounds or ounces. While we could use approximate weights for the volumetric portions (bread flour: unsifted 4.75-ounces or 4.25-ounces sifted once) it is always best to portion it and then weigh the portion to get an accurate weight of the portion since there can be differences depending upon the technique of the person doing the portioning. Once you have the weight of the flour you can then divide the weight of the water by the weight of the flour and multiply by 100 to get the percent flour absorption used.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

[roberto2]

Thanks all. 

So to recap I guess an 8 oz. cup of volume flour weighs anywhere from 4.25 to 4.75 physical ounces? An 8 oz. glass of water weighs? I'll have to find out once I get my digital scale. Have to tare weight the actual cup first.

But are there any tricks to doing this for a lot of dough? Seems like I would take a while to measure each individually. Unless I just do it for one and replicate what I need for the amount I'm mixing.

R

[TXCraig1]

Thanks all. 

So to recap I guess an 8 oz. cup of volume flour weighs anywhere from 4.25 to 4.75 physical ounces?

124 – 170g = 4.4 – 6.0oz.

I would think the typical cook measuring flour would be in the 124-155g range = 4.4 – 5.5oz

An 8 oz. glass of water weighs? I'll have to find out once I get my digital scale. Have to tare weight the actual cup first.

8 fluid oz water = 236g = 8.3oz mass (at room temperature)

But are there any tricks to doing this for a lot of dough? Seems like I would take a while to measure each individually. Unless I just do it for one and replicate what I need for the amount I'm mixing.

If you build your formula starting with a bag of flour (25kg, 50#, etc.) that eliminates one measurement. You probably don’t need to weigh your water if you are working with large quantities of flour.

[mkevenson]

Roberto2, there is an app called kitchen pro, thru iTunes. It is easy to use and you simply convert volume, or weight  to grams. It also gives you the choice of picking ie. the weight of water,honey,oil etc which by volume could all be 1cup, but by weight would all be different.

Mark

[TXCraig1]

There is no app that can tell you what a volume of flour weighs. Liquids, yes.

[roberto2]

Thanks for the responses.

[The Dough Doctor]

Roberto;
What we do is to get an exact weight for each of the ingredients used, then divide the weight of each ingredient by the weight of the flour and multiply by 100. This will give the the bakers percent for each ingredient (flour is always 100%. Once you have your dough recipe in bakers percent you can now manipulate the formula into any size you wish and it will always be in balance. To do this, first decide how much flour you wish to use. Enter this weight into your calculator then enter the ingredient percent you want the weight for, now press the "%" key and read the ingredient weight in the display window. When you have done this with each ingredient you will have your new batch sized and ready to go.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

[roberto2]

Great thanks Tom. I'll let you know how I do.