Benefiber in bread-an experiment

It has been discussed a few times here on adding fiber to bread to increase the fiber content. Being a WW enthusiast, I don't think adding fiber is necessary but I was curious as to the effect of using something like Benefiber (which is Wheat Dextran these days) on a dough. I looked on the Benefiber website and they actually have a recommendation of no more than 3 tbsp for a 2 loaf recipe. Since the bread I was making that day was a WW and rather dense fruited/nut bread, I decided to try 2 tbsp. I thought it was going to make the loaf even denser so planned on using less than the recommendation.

I was surprised. The final loaf was actually a bit fluffier than usual. The dough behaved like I had added some rye flour and seemed particularly sticky. If I wasn't a little familiar with sticky doughs, I would have added more flour. I just proceeded as if I was handling a rye hybrid and did stretch and folds with wet hands. After an initial rise (this dough takes its time being a sweet,enriched sourdough with just a little commercial yeast), I shaped and proofed and baked. It was in the proofing that the loaves seemed to rise higher and faster than is typical for this dough. No change in flavor. Overall, excellent loaves. The only reason I tried this experiment is the Benefiber was sitting out on the counter on the day I was baking. Baking with added fiber was on my mental "to-do" list so it all came together. 

In retrospect, I may change my flour for this recipe to include rye. That may change the flavor (favorably) and have about the same fiber content without paying the cost of an expensive,highly processed ingredient. 

So experiment and have some delicious fun!