Math...60 g is more like 9 tablespoons of water?

Question

I just made my starter and it looks like playdough. I weighed the water. 60 g. Weighed the flour 60 g. But when I do the math 60 grams of water is more like 9 tablespoons of water. Did I not do the math right? Not enough water? It is thick, like a paste.. Thank you for the help!!!!! Don't want to waste the rye flour, it was so hard to find!!

laketahoeme · Answer

Thank you so much. I am going with the 60 g rye flour and 60 g water.... Fingers crossed...

laketahoeme · Answer

Thank you! I am new at this and appreciate your input. :) I looked at another recipe. This is my first go at a starter.

Nancy · Answer

Thanks for this science-based note, especially the reminder of other water-based liquids subject to same principle.

HalfPint · Answer

Speaking from a science background, @Nancy is correct. Water (and any water-based liquid, like vinegar or milk or wine) has a specific gravity (density) of about 1 g/ml (at standard temperature and pressure). That means that 1 gram water = 1 ml water, as @Nancy pointed out.

Rye flour contains a lot of absorbent carbohydrates. It can hold 10 times its weight in water. This is probably why your starter is so thick.

Nancy · Answer

Writing from a country that went metric in 1970s and usually publishes recipes in both formats, my understanding is that for water (alone, not other ingredients) weight & volume are the same.
Thus, 60g water measures 60 ml, which at 15ml each, is 4 tbsp.
I fear both the recipe's 6 tbsp and your 9 tbsp are off.
For this batch of bread, go by your experience and feel if you've made it before.
Or, if this is a new bread for you, compare similarly named recipes from other sites and then adjust.

Math...60 g is more like 9 tablespoons of water?

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