Submitted by celestica on January 1, 2010 - 12:27am
I am adding some ground flax and wheat bran to a bread I love to make- for flavour and nutrition.
How much water should I add to compensate for 60 g of ground flax and 40 g of wheat bran? I started with 1/4 c but the bread seemed a little drier and denser.
Thanks!
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To wing it
I would add the water to them before adding to the dough. Take your 100g of flax and bran and add enough water to make a thick paste and let stand 30 minutes. If it get thicker and drier add more water until it resembles your dough and then add to the dough and blend in.
My guess would be anywhere from 60g to 200g of added water. So you could add a little bit more 1/4c being 59g. Flax seeds soak up lots of moisture.
Mini
Use Soaker Method?
Hi
Soak your flax/bran mix in boiling water @120% weight of flax/bran combination, and add salt @2%. I don't do cups, sorry. Bring back to the boil to gelatinise the starch in your flax. Stir well, cover and leave ambient overnight. Add this to your final dough.
This allows you to maximise the amount of water you can get in, thereby doing all possible to keep the crumb moist. It also helps to release vital enzymes which will help with dough rheology as well. You may need to make adjustments to the liquid element in your final dough, I haven't seen your full recipe spec.
Hamelman is very good on "soakers" if you have his book.
Best wishes
Andy
Flax/bran water adjustment
Thank-you both for your answers. I'll try your suggestions and let you know how it works out. Maybe I'll post the recipe if I get it perfect.
Question for Ananda - re: Flax and Bran
Hi again,
by 120% do you mean
60 g. bran
72 g. water?, then 1.2 g salt?
I tried this and the water did not even moisten all of the bran flakes. So I kept going to make it 150 g water which made everything moist. Is my math suspect?
Thanks,
Celeste.
I was under the impression
I was under the impression that if you heat enzymes beyond around 150F, you run the risk of denaturing them.
Denaturing enzymes
Hi
Reflecting on this and think you are correct.
The idea of the hot soaker is to create a mixed temperature of <66*C [sorry, I don't do *F, but I think that is just below the 150 mark?]
I had a good read through Hamelman, and realise salt is added to a hot soaker to prevent enzymatic reactions in the soaking stage, saving this for the fermentation when the final dough is mixed.
I don't have Reinhart's Wholegrain book with me at home just now, but I know his section on Mash Bread is excelllent on this.
So, sorry, my advice to bring the soaked mix back to the boil is maybe not the best course of action.
However, my reasoning was to ensure maximum starch gelatinisation, therefore, maximum water take up. No doubt you see where I'm coming from with this.
Thanks for pointing this out, and best wishes
Andy
soaker
Looks right to me Celeste.
Don't forget to link this to your final recipe and adjust the final water as needed.
If you need help with that, send back with a copy of your formula and I can help out.
Thanks
Andy
Bread a Success
This is how it worked out - great colour, rise, texture, moisture, and about 60 people dug into the 3 kg. bread I made,
Soaker:
60 g. bran
150 g. hot water, soaked overnight
2% salt
Country Bread
420 g. 100% rye starter - 100% hydration
840 g. water
1260 g. flour (roughly 25% whole wheat, 3% wheat germ, 2% gluten, 70% unbleached all purpose)
2% salt
Stretch and fold 4 x during Bulk Rise - 6 hours
rest 30 min.
shape - overnight retard
Bake @ 450, turned down to 400....
Until done.
Served at the community centre in the woods - Vallican Whole Community Centre - Locavore's Feast (100 mile community potluck meal) - 100 mile meal. Lots of home canned peaches, saskatoon berries, goat milk butter, home made cheese, deer, root vegetables, all kinds of good stuff.