Question About Tartine Bread and the Baker's Percentage

[Dewesq55]

I bought the Tartine book on Kindle earlier in the week. I've been reading and rereading the Basic Country Bread recipe and noticed something anomalous. Based on my understanding from Chef Jacob Burton, the baker's percentage is the total water (from whatever source) divided by the total flour (from whatever source.) Robertson (Tartine) clearly says the basic load is 75% hydration. Yet, he seems to NOT account for the flour and water in his poolish starter, the way Chef Jacob teaches. The Tartine recipe is: 1000 g flour (900 white and 100 whole wheat), 750 g water, and (200 g poolish starter. (Salt is omitted for this discussion.) Avoiding to my understanding of the baker's percentage, this is a 77.27% hydration dough (850 g of total water divided by 1100 g flour.) And I missing something? Or does the extra 2.27% hydration not matter (unlikely IMHO)?

[rickgregory]

Wait, which recipe are you looking at? I'm on p 53 (location 343) and see the 75% basic country loaf bread. His poolish recipes are later in the book and I've not played with them at all yet.

[Dewesq55]

Poolish was my word based on Chef Jacob. In The Tartine recipe, it's called leavin, but the point is the same. 200 g leavin is 100 g flour and 100 g water. Totals are 1100 g flour and 850 g water = 77.27% hydration. He calls it 75%.

[Thunder77]

When I make bread, I count the water and flour in my poolish or levain as part of the total flour and water in the recipe. (As Forkish does)

[MBMorgan]

Yep +1

[Dewesq55]

Chef Jacob does the same. Robertson, apparently, does not.

[scottranda]

My recommendation is to (yes) account for the poolish, but also bump your first few loaves to 67 to 70% (if you’re using all white flour (no wheat)). It’ll be MUCH easier and you won’t be frustrated with a sticky dough.

By the way, incorporating whole wheat flour will accommodate a higher hydration b/c the whole wheat eats up that water! So, if you’re using whole wheat, maybe 75% wouldn’t be too wet for your first loaf.

I’m just giving some encouragement if your first loaf is hard to handle!

[Thunder77]

Looks like your math is correct. The extra water will make a looser dough with that much regular flour in the mix. You might not mind the extra hydration with a larger amount of whole grain flour.

[RonB]

Forkish also counts the poolish ingredients.

[Mark V]

Want to get into this. What size dutch oven combo is best, 3 or 5 quart?

[Dewesq55]

5 is good.

[MBMorgan]

I use a 5 qt. Lodge combo:

[scottranda]

Go 5!