Never Struggle With Sticky Dough Again

Two practical ways to test your flour and hydration BEFORE you even bake! Plus some insider tips that will ensure you never need to handle sticky dough again.
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How to work out the hydration in someone else's recipe:
Example: 350 (water in grams) / 500 (flour in grams) = 70% hydration
How to work out the weight of water for a specific hydration:
Example: 500 (flour in grams) x 65 (target hydration in %), hit the percentage key on your calculator and then the equals key = 325 grams water
Catch me on Instagram: / culinary_exploration
Chapters:
0:00 The Right Flour
1:28 Testing Flour for Potential to Build Gluten
3:00 Work Out the Right Hydration for You
4:30 Weigh Your Ingredients for Accuracy & Consistency
5:25 Adapting Recipes To Work for You
6:38 Keep a Journal
7:12 Time - Know When to Do Nothing
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Equipment:
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[@laraegonzalesingoditrust]

I've watched about ten different programs on KZbin 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:)

[@sunderdaswani7388]

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.

[@mbrech1088]

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!

[@jimsjacob]

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…..

[@Rob_430]

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]

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

[@weisscoaching]

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

[@mays.5402]

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]

You're welcome May :)

[@missm5506]

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!

[@scotthamill2914]

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

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Scott

[@gezimcakerri6886]

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.

[@mplstb]

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]

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

[@ya00007]

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

[@johnhanes5021]

@@ya00007 Trevor j Wilson kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJjdYaJ3ncyqr8k shows how to work 85% dough.

[@Louis-op4zj]

@@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]

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

[@000cutie000]

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]

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

[@davidclark9086]

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

[@Kazeumi]

Clear, insightful, informative and brilliant!

[@FRANCENEKELLY]

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

[@kathycostello4104]

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]

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]

@@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.

[@socheekypirate]

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

[@HoracioSantisteban]

Flour and hydration tests, best tip ever!!!

[@lupusdeum3894]

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

[@CulinaryExploration]

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

[@lupusdeum3894]

@@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

[@peggymason7438]

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

[@innaf5836]

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!

[@vanessavargas7413]

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]

Awesome, Vanessa! Enjoy your sourdough baking :)

[@johnsmyth6283]

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

[@CulinaryExploration]

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

[@johnsmyth6283]

@@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]

@@johnsmyth6283 Nice buddy

[@octoberrosesaxon8818]

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

[@karenlewkowitz5858]

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

[@CulinaryExploration]

You are so welcome!

[@glynislailann9056]

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.

[@irini6172]

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

[@TheMandinotan]

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

[@CulinaryExploration]

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

[@evanhughes3035]

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?

[@tracey278]

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

[@CulinaryExploration]

Pleased it was helpful Tracey!

[@nancybazilchuk9171]

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

[@hellomisato_suki1922]

Thanks for your explanation. Simple but important!!

[@sabrinawitch22]

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]

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]

@@CulinaryExploration will do, thanks!

[@lindensheffield6434]

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]

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]

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 😊

[@DomBill1]

Love this Philip, great content and very informative!

[@CulinaryExploration]

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

[@mjudec]

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.

[@artycrafty9209]

Phillip you were born to teach! you are a natural and all of your information is so concise and clear, very refreshing, I am one of those who likes to know why rather than follow any recipe. I have been making my own bread for about 30 years! but recently it has improved beyond recognition and you are a part of that process, a huge thank you and keep on doing what you are doing as its great.

[@KaribeCuebas]

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]

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!

[@mollygardens6646]

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

[@MrRaveHaven]

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

[@tas6847]

Thanks for this info. Really useful!

[@_shaunbrown_]

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

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Shaun

[@Sam23606]

Thank you that was great notes and advice

[@happiestiam7203]

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

[@lakereed5767]

Thanks...very helpful! Nice explanation!!

[@lockedout8643]

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

[@patrickbritt-brousseau2813]

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

[@johnosullivan502]

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]

Cheers John

[@garylester8621]

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

[@geoklanong3283]

Thank you Philip for sharing great info.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Geok :)

[@carmenallocco6497]

Best bread videos ever!

[@dust_to_dust]

I appreciate you, man.

[@88kveitekaker]

Thanks! Really good stuff!

[@roselucht4583]

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!

[@futuschnig]

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]

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

[@ZEROmg13]

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]

Couldn't agree more :)

[@essman9711]

Huge thank you for tips👍🙏

[@desdemona98]

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

[@CulinaryExploration]

Glad you got it figured out :)

[@gohgeokkhim7855]

@@CulinaryExploration bi

[@davidc3808]

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.

[@lc3108]

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

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers LC

[@jacksonfl]

Well done. Thanks for doing this for us.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Richard

[@dbeff]

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]

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

[@svetlanag.5698]

Exelent explanation, thank you

[@patphares6258]

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

[@edithharmer1326]

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

[@CulinaryExploration]

Hey Edith, a big hello from Greece!

[@edithharmer1326]

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

[@Vormulac1]

First class advice as always. Great video :)

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers bud :)

[@menni8321]

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]

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]

@@CulinaryExploration yes I will!!😁

[@CulinaryExploration]

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]

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

[@El_Siervo]

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

[@JS-de2pp]

Have watched different people making breads. The fact they used different ratios of flour and water made me feel that I missed out on something. Thank you for introducing the concept of hydration, I can finally compare different recipes and adjust them to my own needs with confidence.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Pleased it was helpful JS :)

[@silvermoon3486]

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

[@ddunsson2]

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

[@CulinaryExploration]

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

[@carlacrafford180]

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]

That's great news Carla :)

[@immsspacecowboy]

Thank you for the explanation! V helpful!

[@CulinaryExploration]

No worries, pleased the explanation helped!

[@danalaniz7314]

Great explanation and demonstration.

[@CulinaryExploration]

Cheers Dan

[@ee6839]

I appreciate your detailed hydration calculations but how do you account for the leaven? I'm following a recipe that hydration calculates to 68% but is super sticky and doesn't hold any shape. 310 g water, 450 g flour but has 200 g of leaven. Using 50 g of ww flour and 400 g of bread flour.

[@sapat664]

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]

Cheers Sapat

[@ernestolongoria1221]

Great video! Thanks for the tips! 👌🏻

[@CulinaryExploration]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Doktracy]

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.

[@helenalauridsen5584]

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

[@rptaraporevala]

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

[@CulinaryExploration]

Let me know how you get on :)

[@rptaraporevala]

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

[@programs-software8090]

Really really good, well explained video ... engaging

[@tommyleon8293]

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

[@edmaryellenkmiec9171]

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

[@salah8049]

شكرا على المعلومات القيمة .أنا أعجن بالقمح الكامل قليل المرات التي ينجح معي الخبز و لكني لا أكل و لا أمل فأنا يوميا أجرب حتى اتعلم تحضير الخبز بطريقة متقنة.شكرا لك

[@CM_STILL_PLAYING]

So helpful!! Thank you

[@chescokid59]

Even though I've never made sour sough bread, I really want to learn it. I really enjoy watching your videos, good quality and great presentation, I can't wait to get start however I'm a bit confused with your formula, in your first sample you used 60% hydration meaning 60% water, then what is the 30 grams of water and how is this applied to the dough? if you could elaborate some more regarding this topic that would great. 😊

[@LeftyLatinaCreations]

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 %?

[@vg7410]

Great video...a question about yeast if you don't mind. I only have local access to active dry yeast, not fresh or instant. If I use the simple dough recipe you mention...do I need to hydrate the yeast first then add it to the salt/flour? Thank you!

[@safiedbanafsh7762]

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.

[@paulbrennan929]

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]

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

[@SaturninePlaces]

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.

[@stymiex]

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.

[@Brumiani]

Thanks for sharing. Good tips¡¡¡

[@angelicarose11197]

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?

[@StagArmslower]

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.

[@TheStormLarge]

Thank you so much. Do you weigh the salt and yeast or use spoons?

[@chrisjones6439]

Great vid mate, can you please tell me what flour you use, you said yours is over 13%, I normally just use Allinsons at 11%. Cheers bud

[@darrenpeel2482]

Spot on information.

[@fuglbird]

You didn't really address the stickynes of the dough. When you increase the hydration you increase the stickynes too. I'm using a tipo 00 pizza flour with 13.5 % protein. The dough is sticky with any hydration percent at 65 or higher.

[@federicomachon8841]

Good advice thanks