"Gordon Hayes" > asked in message =
...

> Would it be beneficial to maintain your starter at a hydration level =
that
> matches the majority of breads you bake?=20

Possibly the question relates to the difficulty of calculating the =
"hydration"
when a preferment at particular (or unknown) hydration level and when =
the
rest of the dough is made to another level.

Well, you could try arithmetic, or use the calculator at =
http://samartha.net/SD/

Keeping a starter culture at dough consistency is a possibility, but it =
is=20
difficult to distribute such a culture in dough.

> My thinking is that you would not have to make adjustments to your=20
> non-sourdough recipes' flour/water ratio.

Adjustments requiring arithmetical calculations can cause serious=20
headaches. A simple answer is to go ahead and make your dough,
and, when the kneading is just about finished, adjust the composition
by adding flour to obtain the right consistency (your call). Adding=20
fluid is messier, so it is good to keep the dough loose during most of
the kneading.

(Then you could do what I do -- weigh the dough and calculate
the hydration from the weight and the total water content. Well,
that requires some arithmetic, but once you have done it, and=20
made a simple table, assuming you always use the same amount
of fluid (water), you never have to do it again. That way you check
your guesses about "right consistency".)

("Hydration" is a sloppy concept anyway, because one never=20
exactly knows the amount of moisture in the flour to start.)

--
Dicky