September 23, 2010 - 2:36pm
RYE Trouble
I've been having trouble developing a gluten structure in rye breads that will will hold up. The surface of the dough cracks and splits. Anyone have any pointers?
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I've been having trouble developing a gluten structure in rye breads that will will hold up. The surface of the dough cracks and splits. Anyone have any pointers?
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Hi, probably34,
Welcome to TFL.
Rye itself doesn't really have gluten. Most "rye breads" are a mixture of rye flour and wheat flour, though. What kind of gluten development you should expect depends on the proportions of flours as well as the hydration level of your dough.
If you tell us the formula for your bread, we will be better able to advise you.
Also, at what point is the surface of your loaves "cracking and splitting?" Is this occurring during loaf shaping? Proofing? Baking? Photos of your problem would also help us diagnose your problem.
David
The cracks usually occur during proofing and widen in the oven. I think I am probably allowing for too long of a proof. I notice when I do the first bulk fermentation there are no cracks, but after shaping and during the proofing, the cracks start to develop. Perhaps I should just skip the bulk fermentation?
hi probably34,
as David and Jeremiah point out, rye has a whole different chemistry from wheat, based on polysaccharides (complex sugars) called pentosans or arabinoxynols that form a viscous gel when exposed to water. The amylase enzymes present in the dough tear through those complex sugar chains, breaking them down into simple sugars, which the yeast -- lacking the faintest hint of self-control -- gorge on. The salt in the dough will inhibit the yeast to some extent and the acid, as J notes, will slow down the enzymes, but you can expect the first cracks to appear in a 100% rye loaf about 30 minutes into proofing, and about 45 minutes for rye-wheat blends.
Stan Ginsberg
www.nybakers.com
Hi,
I've had this doubt for some time, maybe I'd better ask. Pentosans and arabinoxylans are generally considered fibers, that means polysaccharides indigestible by humans for lack of enzymes. This means that the amylases in our body don't split those fibers into simpler sugars, so how can the amylases in the flour have any effect on them?
Sorry of the question is silly, but I prefer clearing this doubt.
P & A is/are indeed considered fiber because they're significant components of plant cell walls. However, they're also made of polysaccharides, which can, in fact, be broken down enzymatically into simpler sugars.
For science nerds, this is a comprehensive link:
http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/water/hyara.html
In direct answer to your question, I'm no biochemist, but I assume that if in fact P&A aren't broken down in our bodies, it's because we don't produce the right enzymes to do the job.
Stan