Weigh rather than volume measurements and metric is easier/more accurate than using imperial system. Find a brand of flour and stay with it. Journal,rest the dough,experiment with refrigeration bulk rise.

People are trying to bake breads using volumetric measurements? Dear me. I even use grams for my water. I make pizza dough. The scales tare, I can add ingredients into the mixing bowl and only have 1 thing to clean. And I get the recipe right. Leaving things alone when they're sticky is a great tip. Amazing what just not touching it for 20 minutes can do.

Hi,my name is Paul I've been making bread since 1972, it was the national bread strike that started me off on my journey, have just watched your video..at last someone who has explained the secrets really well and as youv've said, accuracy of ingredients, time and patience, cracking job, i buy my flour from Lidl, Aldi (when it's available) Asda's has the highest protein content. Yeast, fresh yeast is great when you can get it, but i stumbled across a yeast company who stocked both fresh and dried and all these years later i can still get on line 500g "Fermipan" Red packet yeast about £5.50 ea. lasts for months kept in original packet inside a kilner clip top jar, use 7g per 500g flour..Great job many thanks ..Paul

@CulinaryExploration

7 ай бұрын

Cheers Paul - and thanks for the heads up on the yeast!

I’ve been baking at 75% for some time. One thing to note here is that your percentages may be higher than you think if you not including your starter totals. Hydrating with 75% and then adding 20% by weight of your starter, you’re actually up into a higher value for your dough. Sourdough baking is an art. Like an artist, your skills increase with time and practice. No two are alike…..

Amazing tips. I struggled with dough trying to follow recipes and later I found out that humidity, temperature but also different brands of flour work differently

I struggled with the doughs for sourdough at first but now I'm at 75% hydration, generally, and manage it fine., It took about a year to get to this point. and your videos helped a lot.

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Tom, I'm pleased you've found a sweet spot that works well with the flour you are using :)

@ya00007

2 жыл бұрын

Tom, how do you manage a 75% hydration dough? Is there a video or can you just explain it to me. Thanks.

@johnhanes5021

Жыл бұрын

@@ya00007 Trevor j Wilson kzread.info/dash/bejne/rJuuktF6mMrdqco.html shows how to work 85% dough.

@Louis-op4zj

Жыл бұрын

@@ya00007 Divide the weight of the water by the weight of the flour and then multiply the result by 100. For example, a recipe containing 1 1/4 cups of water (10 ounces) and 3 cups of all-purpose flour (15 ounces) will have a 67 percent (10/15 x 100 = 67) hydration level, indicating a moderately airy crumb. Flour: 100 Water: 60

@Louis-op4zj

Жыл бұрын

@@ya00007 I didn't know either, when I saw your question I did the most novel thing. I googled it.

I've watched about ten different programs on KZread about sourdough and you are the only one who actually helped me in my bread making and baking journey! Thank you so much, I will be coming to you from now on 🥰 I'm so relieved I found you:)

After watching so many tutorials, I found this one extremely informative as you differentiated between the 3( three), levels of hydration. Ty for the science behind the product.

This is genius! Testing the flour first for stretch to see if it would work out…I never even thought of this! It helped so much. The flour I was constantly using that was marked as bread didn’t give as much stretch as another brand’s bread flour. Thank you!!

@CulinaryExploration

Жыл бұрын

Awesome, I’m really pleased the tips helped and thanks for letting us know 👌

Thank you so much for this video, it was immensely helpful to me. The highest protein flour I've been able to find is 12.5% but I usually add a couple teaspoons of gluten to assist in that percentage. I don't see that discussed much in the bread baking videos and wondered what you thought about adding a little powdered gluten to help a baker out when high protein flour might not be available. I just made your 30 minute sourdough and am so pleased how it turned out. Just lovely!

Just came across your channel. Excellent presentation. As you are explaining, I am recalling all my failures and successes just like your experiences. Bread making is an art and as any other thing, success is the power of repetition. As you mentioned, the key element remains the quality of the flour. BTW your kitchen is very stylish and neat. Thank you.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I never understood hydration until now. You explained it so well. I was about to make a new bread recipe that I came across. After reading some of the reviews it seems that the water to flour ratios are off and the dough comes out wet and sticky. After learning ratios from you I can now adjust the recipe hydration. Thanks again!

Brilliant! Love these videos. So marvelously helpful. What an amazing teacher!

Keep a journal or make good notes is, in my opinion, very important and I thank you for explaining that.

I’m an experienced home baker and this and your other videos are great. I still learn and love watching bread videos. It’s my hobby and making bread is very therapeutic for me. All my recipes through the years are on my computer, printed out. When I bake a loaf from that recipe, I put the date and any notes, deviations plus most of the time I take a pic. I use to make breads using volume, but that changed when I started making sourdough, so now I weigh flour and water, not the small stuff, as I only bake one loaf at a time.

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Nice one Rob. I'm pleased you are enjoying the videos. I find using scales easier and quicker too. Cheers for your comment :)

5:14 Thank you!!! I honestly can't believe how many people are making and publishing delicate recipes that measure flour by volume. Boggles my mind for this exact reason. There are already SO many other factors you have to deal with that it just doesn't make sense to take the four seconds and measure to keep consistent results across a recipe.

Thank you for such a detailed explanation! I never thought of trying to determine how much water can be absorbed by the particular flour, I was always following the recipe. Now I can check how much water I need in the dough. I'm still learning the techniques and how to check the dough at each stage, so every good tip is very helpful. Thanks again!

Great tips on figuring hydration. I'm really dense about percentages!

Very very useful tips as usual :) and you're right, taking notes in a journal is also a good practice too. Experiment is always fun for making breads. Thank you Philip!

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome May :)

Clear, insightful, informative and brilliant!

very useful,much obliged,finally got the infos about percentages/hydration/how to calculate those things and so on,thx a lot

Thanks Phil. It's great to review you videos after a period of time. Great refresher.

@CulinaryExploration

Жыл бұрын

Cheers Scott

Thank you so much. This is information I’ve been looking for.

This is awesome! I’ve become obsessed with making sourdough. Homemade bread is so rewarding!

Thanks for your explanation. Simple but important!!

Thanks! We'll give it a try for sure. Keep baking & carry on!

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Lupus, how's it going? Hope all is good with you. Let me know how you get on :)

@lupusdeum3894

2 жыл бұрын

@@CulinaryExploration Will do! I've been out of sorts lately, so not much baking which is a shame as I have a kilogram of yeast in the freezer waiting for me! "What a drag it is getting old" eh? ❤️🍞🥐🥖🥯❤️p

Wow, what a dough ball of great information. Thanks.

Flour and hydration tests, best tip ever!!!

Excellent! Super Thankyou for all the generous thought that went into this video! 🎉🎉🎉🎉

@CulinaryExploration

7 ай бұрын

You are so welcome!

Thank you! Leaving the dough to rest for 15 minutes makes all the difference.

I have been writing in a blank recipe book I got 5 years ago. Just never had the push to use it till I started bread baking. And I have begun using a scale as well. I love hand mixing and waffle about getting a good stand mixer. I also bean my sourdough journey by mixing up a starter. It is a fun journey! Thanks for the great videos that help so much.

@stizan24

Жыл бұрын

You don’t need a stand mixer for bread, but I would get one for all the other uses. Beignets, frostings, icings, creating whipped cream, creating peaks with egg whites. I put 2 deer through the grinding attachment on my kitchen aid ( got it at a yard sale for 20 bucks!!! It needed a new main gear, and that cost only a couple bucks and I’m handy like that) before I got a dedicated grinder.

@stainlesssteellemming3885

5 ай бұрын

@@stizan24 Arthritis in my hands has finally pushed me into buying a mixer. Didn't hurt that KitchenAid was running a huge deal ($250 instead of $450) this year.

Thanks for this info. Really useful!

I have enjoyed your explanation....I hope to follow and get better

this information is so clear, I've followed your recipe for sourdough and it worked!! you make it really easy for beginners like me, thanks so much!

@CulinaryExploration

Жыл бұрын

Awesome, Vanessa! Enjoy your sourdough baking :)

Thanks...very helpful! Nice explanation!!

Thank you soo much! I will order a new food scale andI also ordered some higher protein bread flour. Now I understand why my sourdough bread hasnt been working out like I really want it too!!than you thank you!

Finally I've got the answer! Been having this issue for years and have been discouraged. I'm going to try this again!

@CulinaryExploration

Жыл бұрын

"Stick" at it! You'll get there :)

Thanks, helped me understand what's going on with my dough.

Welcome to the metric system. Where measurements make sense

@iandthopper

4 ай бұрын

Non metric measures are more mentally demanding. It’s a feature, not a bug.

@barbaraholly387

2 ай бұрын

Does not make sense to most Americans.

@PanagiotisPolitis-bl9xj

2 ай бұрын

Because measuring systems are the best place for cognitive challenges ​@@iandthopper

@IMACTED

Ай бұрын

@@barbaraholly387weighing is accurate while volume is not

@johngraham5948

Ай бұрын

Measurements are just details working the ingredients only once with your hands using the "slap and stretch" method is the art

Another superb and detailed video Philip, well done. The hydration explanation is clear, simple and concise.

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers John, have you got any loaves baking this weekend? Sounds like your sandwich loaf is a weekly staple?

@johnsmyth6283

2 жыл бұрын

@@CulinaryExploration hi Philip, I did a two loaf regular sourdough bake on Thursday for the family. I’ll do a bake Tuesday, not sure what yet but yes, likely to be the sandwich loaf! We love it’s texture and taste 👍

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

@@johnsmyth6283 Nice buddy

Love this Philip, great content and very informative!

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Dom, hope all's well with you and your family back in the UK

I mix my bread dough in stainless steel container & use a large metal mixing spoon to work it by scooping the dough from one side to stretch & fold it over to the other side. I do this several times. It works for me.

Great...great...great tips.... Thanks for sharing.

Very helpful and I love the examples of various doughs and hydrations! I did the Bloomer recipe with, yes, 75% hydration (I wildly over hydrated the poolish) and I loved it. The challenge of managing a super hydrated dough was really exciting and it still produced an amazing result! I was creating the poolish using cups but after this video (and my personal experience) I will be using a scale in grams going forward … thanks so much for the heads up! One quick question, no matter how I score the tops of the Bloomers they always burst out of one the sides, could this be caused by the high hydrated dough and too high an oven temperature? Should I lower the oven temperature and extend the bake time so the dough expands more evenly?

I wish I’ve seen this video before, took me lots of classes, videos, reading to learn what you’ve encapsulated in this super useful video.

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

I'm really pleased it was useful Miranda, Thanks for the feedback. I'm just starting a month email community that will include one video just for my email community. I'll be sharing lots of tips and extra recipes so if you find my content useful, feel free to signup on the website :)

@sabrinawitch22

2 жыл бұрын

@@CulinaryExploration will do, thanks!

Thank you Philip for sharing great info.

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Geok :)

Thanks for that calculation on working out water to flour ratio depending on protein 👍🏽

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Pleased it was helpful Tracey!

Thank you that was great notes and advice

Thanks! Really good stuff!

This was so useful! I understand the hydration formula now!

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you got it figured out :)

@gohgeokkhim7855

2 жыл бұрын

@@CulinaryExploration bi

You sir, are a hero. Thanks for all the great info!

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Shaun

When working with high hydration (75% or more) wet hands instead of flouring and use stretch/folds in the bowl instead of regular kneading. It also helps to use a bugs,polish or to presoak the flour/water before adding the yeast/salt,especially when using whole wheat flour.

Really really good, well explained video ... engaging

So helpful!! Thank you

Well done. Thanks for doing this for us.

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Richard

Exelent explanation, thank you

Thank you for this helpful video. I think you have hit on the solution I have been looking for. I’ve been following the Richard Bertinet method with 70% hydration but whereas his comes together nicely after mixing the ingredients, mine is sticky and doesn’t gain any real strength after working it for a good while. I’ll leave it to rest and see if that helps it gain strength.

Thanks for getting back to me it’s cleared it up. I think I’ll go for 65% hydration. Love your vids, great presentation and professional 👍

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers John

Very helpful and informative video. I started my journey to making my own bread in 2020. Many recipes I found were in cups and I did not understand why sometimes they worked and sometimes they were awful. I wish I had seen this video back then. I almost got discouraged. But now thanks to some research and your wonderful videos I have transitioned all the recipes to grams using the formula for hydration and I feel like a pro now.😉. Anyway, thank you kindly for sharing your knowledge. Have a wonderful day!!

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

That's great news Maria, I'm pleased you are enjoying your baking and able to adjust your own recipes. Have a great day too!

Huge thank you for tips👍🙏

one of the best decisions i've made is to invest in a good scale, you become more consistent and...AND...you only have one bowl to clean at the end.

@CulinaryExploration

7 ай бұрын

Couldn't agree more :)

As always, thanks Philip. The one thing I'd like to add from my own (limited) experience is that sometimes too much patience isn't a good thing! I've over-proved a few batches of sourdough, and it goes back to a sticky mess only fit for the bin, so now I err on the side of caution and when in doubt, slightly under-prove and that gets me the most reliable results. If you have any comment on my over-proved, terribly sticky dough (which wasn't before the prove) please let me now if it's retrievable. Brilliant videos though, I love all of them!

@SpasmicGamer

2 жыл бұрын

Ive done this too, and it can be incredibly frustrating because with it sticking to the counter and all over your hands, it feels like waste. :(

@lindabalz

10 ай бұрын

Over proofing is usually the problem of sticky dough I've discovered from a utube. Who pours the sticky dough into two small metal moulds, leaves it for two hours and then baked it on 190 - 200, hör 30 minutes. The loaf /ves are compact, somewhat sour but tasty for some people. Or would some oil (1 tbs) ?mixed in (somehow) and made into pizza base....? Heard that one too, but never tried it 😊

I'm a longtime sourdough baker but I nevertheless find these videos helpful with tips and ideas. Thanks for sharing them!

Great video! Thanks for the tips! 👌🏻

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

Good advice thanks

I`m baking with sourdough for a couple of years now and I wish i would have had those tipps right at the start. Very helpful for beginners.

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Max. Choosing the right flour and not going crazy with hydration should be at the top of the list :)

I did this test with my flour after wasting a bag of it before I found your video. My Bread flour could hardly tolerate 70% hydration and anything above it, even added starter became a struggle and the dough could not become cohesive. In the meantime, my starter improved a lot. I also started baking small bread about 200 grams. It let me watch the dough behavior much closer.

Ive just finished watching Richard Bertinet making dough using '1Kg strong flour 720g water 20g yeast and 10g seasalt (most of you will know what the science is in that mixture) but it was how he worked his dough that was fascinating the only time he used his hands was when he did the "slap and stretch" method of working the stickiness out of the dough lift flip and stretch fascinating he used a comb only and no hands to bring his mixture together from bowl to the bench

Thanks. This is very helpful. I have always ended up with sticky dough. I will follow your tips next time.

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Let me know how you get on :)

@rptaraporevala

2 жыл бұрын

@@CulinaryExploration i will. Probably next weekend or after.

I appreciate you, man.

Great stuff! - I knew I was missing some finer points on this endeavor...

I just get it with you, such a great instructor 😘

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers LC

Educational! Very helpful! Thank you for sharing! Greetings from Singapore! Edith

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Edith, a big hello from Greece!

@edithharmer1326

2 жыл бұрын

@@CulinaryExploration BEST of luck with all! 🇸🇬🌷🌷🌷

Thank you for the explanation! V helpful!

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

No worries, pleased the explanation helped!

Thanks for sharing. Good tips¡¡¡

Great explanation and demonstration.

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Dan

I only use King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose Flour which is 12.7% protein. I also have their whole wheat. Thanks for the info on hydration. Really helpful.

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Sapat

Yes I have had problems with recipes that are very wet & sticky. 😊❤👍🏼

hello and thank you for posting your nice video. I was in the middle of my bread making and I realized my dough was too sticky. I started watching your video hoping you would tell me how to fix the already sticky dough. however you never said HOW TO FIX a sticky dough. you gave some pointers about how to avoid things that may be troublesome to your bread-making but never said anything about how to fix them once they happen. so hopefully in your next videos you would consider including how to fix problems when they have already happened, because I don't want to throw away my dough. I spent too much time on it.

You have the best tips! I was struggling a lot to make a simple bread and your channel was the only one that made me understand what I was doing wrong and also improve everyday bread. Thank you a lot!

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

That's great feedback Daniel, I'm pleased the videos have been useful :)

Very good video, thank you. How does seasonal humidity affect your targeted hydration level?

Watching this after I used a whole wheat flour with pieces of bran in it. Still gave a pretty good bread, but it definetly makes it harded to handle (really sticky) and it needed to be scored twice.

Spot on information.

It looks so delicious. 🌿💚 You're very good at cooking. That's a good recipe. wow good Information 🥰❤️🧡

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers and thanks for stopping by. Appreciate the comment :)

GREAT information, I will definitely try measuring my dough from now on. QUESTION: with hydration does adding oil and honey count with the water content %?

Hi Philip! Thnx very mucg! Very useful.Thats why my breads are not perfect yet. I used whole wheat flower. I was guessing a little that my flower wasn't right. A bag of 25 kg strong flower 13% just arrived. So you just confirmed my thoughts were reasonable. Thnx again and have a nice weekend. Looking forward to your next video!👍🙏🙌

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers Menni, have a play around with the ratio of strong white and wholewheat flour. You'll find the sweet spot that works for you.

@menni8321

2 жыл бұрын

@@CulinaryExploration yes I will!!😁

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

FYI - Im going to be filming a monthly video just for my email community. It will have a focused Q&A and additional recipes / tips. If you are interested then you can sign up to the email on the website. Have a great weekend

@menni8321

2 жыл бұрын

@@CulinaryExploration oh yes I will! Thnx alot!!

First class advice as always. Great video :)

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Cheers bud :)

Thank you for a great video! Can I ask where you got your cuttingboard from?

Excellent video for a wannabe bread baker. There were many aha moments. Thank you for offering this great tutorial….

Best bread videos ever!

Your demonstration of mass variance using volumetric measurements was golden. Biggest takeaway from the whole video.

You would run screaming from my kitchen! Love Me Bertinets' work too. I make dough purely by look and feel. Some times the flour is drier than others. Birdy

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

As long as you are happy and it works for you, then I promise, I wouldn't run screaming :)

Love this you are brilliant-thanks. What is your opinion on using Danish Dough Whisk,Large Wooden Danish Whisk for Dough With Stainless Steel Ring? 2 eye? or 1 eye?

Starting at 1:09. Behind you, I noticed your stunning wood peels and rolling pins. Even the peg board is nice. Super elegant set-up. Where did you get these things? Thank you.

great info

Hi there thanks very much for sharing ! very usefull ! i live in a warm country and now it s very humid too! as i am learning about dough I noticed that i didn t get the same results as on the reciepe ! for various reasons (like weat flour quality ) but looks like high percentage of humidity in the air can be a big factor. So this why a simple idea as trying diverse hydratation rates is genuis as simple lol thx !!!

@CulinaryExploration

2 жыл бұрын

Let me know how you get on and if you find the right flour / hydration combination

@jeremieyirmeyahu3468

2 жыл бұрын

@@CulinaryExploration I chosed a 70 % rate ( I tried 65 and 70 ) but at the end the dought was way too « liquid ». Then I started to mess with it by adding flour but couldn t get it dryer. It s weird I thought adding flour would make it dryer but feels like it stays endlessly wet… at the end I let it rest in the Fridge over night and it get finally better. Looks like I should aim for a 55 % hydratation… my flour is only 10 % protein though….(this might the issue ?)

This video was really helpful. I do have one question - how do you figure in honey and/or oil when calculating your hydration? Thanks.

I have been baking sourdough bread for almost 3 years. But thanks to your videos, it is the first time ever that my sourdough breads look and taste the way that I had hoped. Delicious - and best of all, not time consuming. By the way, our flour doesn't have a high protein (maximum 11%). I added about 10 grams of pea protein to the flour and that seems to have helped?

@CulinaryExploration

Жыл бұрын

That's great news Carla :)

For a beginner, the perfect baker’s percentage is 63%, especially if the flower is on the lower protein content spectrum (less than 12%)

Thanks for the lesson about hydration! I make old family recipes, but they are all by cups, feel, and Mom's family method. 😊 I am going to try weighing in the future. Richard Bertinet seems to continually talk about not adding more flour. Does it alter the recipe and end result. I haven't tried his recipe yet, but do wonder if the result of 65% vs 75% hydration would be noticeable and if so how?