The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Hockey anyone?

ehanner's picture
ehanner

Hockey anyone?

I just baked my first 100% whole wheat bread using the BBA formula. It rose decently to the top of the pan but the instant I moved it it deflated to half it's previous size. I waited for both loaves to recover but they only partially came back so I gently placed them into the oven where they had a race for the bottom. My daughter says they taste OK but as soon as they cool completely I'll be able to use them as tire blocks to keep the car from rolling.

 I'm guessing that the flour is the culprit since I didn't have any gluten additive. The dough was strange from the start. It never grabbed onto the hook. There wasn't any gluten forming at all. After I started kneading by hand it take on a more dough like feeling and I thought it was developing. This was my first 100% WW bread and frankly I'm a little disappointed at the results. It's been a while since I had a complete stinker and I was just starting to think I know what I'm doing. I think I'll have myself a big slice of humble pie while I wait for my KA flour order.

 

Eric

Noche's picture
Noche

Was it hard red winter or soft white spring? Was the wheat fine ground or rough ground or cracked wheat? Did you boil your water and stir it in and let it cook or just put in cold water?

I never make 100% whole wheat bread. In a two loaf dough I will use two cups of hand ground soft white spring WWF max and the rest will be store bought white unbleached. I will make my starter stiff as I can - not soup and I will use a minimum of 1/4 cup sugar to speed things up.

I very gentally punch the dough down once after four hours, divide it and let it rise in the warm pan (microwave it to warm not hot) and on a heating pad set to medium for somewhere around two hours. As the dough rises above the top edge of the pan I watch to see if it is runny or firm.

If firm I know I kneeded it dry enough and hard enough to make it glutenize. If you don't get it dry as you give it the kneeding you will regret it - soup. If you don't really bear down kneeding you won't like it either. This is what gives you the gluten mix.

I just got the KA whisk and found that when I mix with it and pour it out on the counter, my dough is dryer than it would have been using a wooden spoon.

I would drop down and make single loaf batches until I got things straight.

ehanner's picture
ehanner

I was using King Arthur WW and a mix of 25% white KA WW. I added a little rye and wheat germ. I'll try some of your suggestions and try to lean on the kneading a little more. I didn't boil the wheat at all but I did use hot water as per floyd's suggestion.

 

Eric