> Yeah, but what you're saying is essentially "I don't need the recipe anymore - I can do this by feel"

I'm really not.

I don't do it "by feel", I measure everything in grams, including water. I hate recipes in "cups" since a cup of flour or salt is not a fixed quantity - it depends on grain size, how hard you pack it down, the weather etc. But 10g salt is a fixed amount.

I'm just saying that "500g flour, 60% hydration" tells me a lot about both how to measure it accurately (300g water), and how it will feel (fairly stiff). It's an accurate part of the recipe, expressed in the fewest numbers.

The % is scale-invariant.

He/she is saying something slightly different, not “I like that I can do this by feel without percentages” but rather “I like how, by a quick glance at this percentage, I know something about how that will feel in the bowl.”

60% hydration: firmer, like Play-Doh without the crumbling

70% hydration: softer and maybe a little sticky

80% hydration: super sticky, still kneadable

Really high hydration requires a lot more care, both to stop it from getting everywhere and to get it kneaded enough that it actually rises (if that is even desired)

> Maybe throw us a bone :)

I am often amused in forums like this one, where in one moment we will decry those who who do not learn their tech by fiddling with it, for fear of breaking it - and then in the next breath be afraid of putting a touch too much water in our flour.

The recipe is for yourself so you can remember how to do the same nice thing again.