The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Ingredients

Discussions about different ingredients, where to procure them, etc.

J.D.'s picture

Maximum percentage of salt

July 28, 2022 - 11:55am -- J.D.
Forums: 
Ingredients

I'm a bit of a salt tooth, and I'm curious about pushing the limit of dough saltiness. One source I've come across said to beware of any recipe calling for anything higher than 2.5%, that it messes with yeast growth, but I've been making pizza dough at 3% with good results (it begins with a fairly high amount of starter, which might help) and I've heard rumors of going up to 4% and beyond. I did a quick search through the forums and couldn't really find anything on this question, and I'm curious what the thoughts here are.

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gabasa's picture

K2 Mill - Flour Recommendation

June 27, 2022 - 12:11pm -- gabasa
Forums: 
Ingredients

Hi, I'm new here and this is my first post!

I've been searching for a good flour source that's not too far from home, to use for my family's baking needs. I live near Toronto and I just discovered K2 Milling. One day this week I'm going to make the drive up there.

My problem is that they have so many different flours. I'd like to try their Einkorn, their Corn Flour, and perhaps a couple of their wheat flours for breads, pizzas, and baking.

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albacore's picture

Using Out of Date White Flour

May 20, 2022 - 1:16pm -- albacore
Forums: 
Ingredients

I used to think that white bread flour would be good to use for a long time, including for several months (or more) past its best before date. But now I'm not so sure.

Two recent bakes have made me question my original view.

One used mainly Granoro Manitoba flour, BB April 22 in a levain raised recipe. It produced a very sticky dough that took a while to form a windowpane. The loaves were dense, with a tight dry crumb. When you cut the loaf, you could see that tell-tale white edge to the cut alveoli. You could say the loaf was "lifeless".

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Anonymous baker's picture

Fava Bean flour - What does it do in the dough?

April 30, 2022 - 5:46am -- Anonymous baker (not verified)
Forums: 
Ingredients

Hi

 

Can anyone help me please?

I use weak UK frown flours. For free form baking. With a white flour I get a pretty open crumb with 65% water using autolysis and a sour dough starter. Above 65% hydration the dough won't hold its shape.

I have recently started adding 2% fava bean flour. This seems to have increased the elasticity of the dough and now I can use 70% hydration and the result is a more open crumb and a higher volume and the dough is able to hold its shape.

I am aware that there is an element of dough oxidation supposedly taking place.

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bimfi's picture

Bakers percentage question

April 7, 2022 - 10:14am -- bimfi
Forums: 
Ingredients

I do apologize up front if this topic has been talked about or is in the wrong category. I have read about bakers percentage before, and I even have a spreadsheet that I use to break down the percentages of my yeast products.

The issue or question I have is this. Does the recipe dictate the percentages or does the percentages dictate the recipe?

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Gadjowheaty's picture

Poolish - miniscule amount of IDY?

March 22, 2022 - 4:17pm -- Gadjowheaty
Forums: 
Ingredients

Hello, many of  the German formulas I use call for tiny amounts - 0.1g - of fresh yeast (Brotdoc describes it as a "large rice grain size bit).  I use IDY and so try to weigh out 1/3 of that on my 0.001 scale but at that level I've no confidence in either the precision or accuracy of such a tiny amount.  When I have done it, we are talking dry-yeast particles I can count on one hand and I've had "Vorteigs" that were essentially inert going into the main doughs.

Even if I go with 40-50% of fresh yeast at this level, again, no confidence in any of the measurements.

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