Can someone translate: "Refresh 100% starter to yield +200 grams for the next morning. Overnight room temps can be 60F. Use 50 gm whole wheat, 50 gm AP, 100 gm H2O and 30 gm natural leaven at 100% hydrations." I REALLY want to make the steel cut oat bread posted here, but have only been baking for about 6 months and have not graduated to the % method... use recipes that prescribe grams. Can someone help?
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Hello LanaL
It can be a bit bewildering at first. Great to hear you work in grams this means you can replicate a recipe with confidence and keep a concise record to refer to. When you are ready to learn about bakers% you will find it helpful. To answer your question only a very basic understanding is needed.
100% starter/natural leaven at 100% hydration both refer to the same thing. That is an established sourdough starter which is maintained by adding equal weights of flour and water. The ratio is expressed in reference to the flour - 100 flour : 100 water by weight. [As another example I maintain a firm starter using more flour than water at a ratio of 100 flour : 60 water by weight this is referred to as a 60% hydration starter]
In your example the 30g of natural leaven at 100% hydration will consist of 15g of flour and 15g of water.
To this you add 100g of flour (50g WW+50g AP) and 100g water. That is equal weights of flour and water are added.
The yield will be 230g of 100% levain (contains equal weights of flour and water).
For this bake if your starter is not maintained with equal weight of flour and water it won't be a major problem. Any difference in the very small amount (30 grams) of it you use won't affect the water content of your final bread by much at all. That 30 grams is supplying the microorganisms rather than making any major contribution to dough hydration (water level).
Enjoy the bake!
Cheers Robyn