Hi Eric, that's a great question! The DDT formula isn't percisely scientific, but it can be a helpful tool when used along with your own baking experience and perceptions. And you're totally correct that there is a gap when it comes to the hydration of the dough, but I doubt in the long run this is going to have a massive effect on dough temperature. For example, say you were baking a recipe that called for 800g of flour. 70% hydration would be 560g of water, and 90% would be 720g. That's a difference of 160g of water, or approximately 5 1/2 ounces. That is a significant amount of addtitional water, but over all the added ingredients, adding less than 3/4 cup water at the temperature you've calculated to work best, probably won't sway you too much off your intended temperature mark. If anything, you could aim for a slightly lower dough temperature (say 75 instead of 78), assuming that the water will have a greater impact in a high hydration dough. On the other hand, a wetter dough doesn't develop as much friction during kneading as compared to a stiffer dough, so this may help balance out the equation a bit.
October 16, 2020 at 8:32am
In reply to Thanks for this helpful post… by Eric Helmuth (not verified)
Hi Eric, that's a great question! The DDT formula isn't percisely scientific, but it can be a helpful tool when used along with your own baking experience and perceptions. And you're totally correct that there is a gap when it comes to the hydration of the dough, but I doubt in the long run this is going to have a massive effect on dough temperature. For example, say you were baking a recipe that called for 800g of flour. 70% hydration would be 560g of water, and 90% would be 720g. That's a difference of 160g of water, or approximately 5 1/2 ounces. That is a significant amount of addtitional water, but over all the added ingredients, adding less than 3/4 cup water at the temperature you've calculated to work best, probably won't sway you too much off your intended temperature mark. If anything, you could aim for a slightly lower dough temperature (say 75 instead of 78), assuming that the water will have a greater impact in a high hydration dough. On the other hand, a wetter dough doesn't develop as much friction during kneading as compared to a stiffer dough, so this may help balance out the equation a bit.
Barb