The Fresh Loaf

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Questions for 100% ww no knead bread

sphinxie's picture
sphinxie

Questions for 100% ww no knead bread

I want to try regularly baking 100% whole wheat no knead bread, and I have some questions! 

1. When you grind your own wheat, roughly how much wheat makes how much flour? (I am using a vitamix w/ dry pitcher, though I doubt that's relevant.)

2. I've read 1-2 teaspoons of vital wheat gluten per cup of whole wheat flour, and I've also read 1 teaspoon VWG per 2-3 cups of WW flour. What do you use?

3. Would you say that, using vital wheat gluten and added water ratios, any refined wheat recipe can be transformed into a WW recipe? or are there other needed changes?

4. Speaking of which, does anyone know how much extra water is needed when switching from refined flour to WW flour?

5. Is it wise to use less vital wheat gluten when the dough will have a longer wait before being baked?

6. What temperature is best for no knead bread dough that is going to hang around for a week? I know most cookbooks recommend using the fridge, but ours is small--it is doable, just means we have to choose between bread dough or pot of soup, can't have both. I'm wondering if our cellar would be cool enough.

7. I see recipes for artisanal style bread, sandwich bread, and bread that is somewhere in between. Aside from a moist oven and the bread pan/stone/pot used, is there any other difference between these as far as technique goes?

BreadBro's picture
BreadBro

Personally, I wouldn't ever use vital wheat gluten for whole wheat breads, as there are a number of methods to improve the rise and gluten structure (including increasing the hydration level, soaking the whole wheat overnight).

Peter Reinhart's "epoxy" method is a great way of making light, 100% whole wheat breads. 

sphinxie's picture
sphinxie

That makes sense, since from descriptions it sounded like with a slow rise you could minimize the added gluten and I guess that goes all the way to zero... another book requested from the library!  I might start with adding gluten anyway since I already bought it, and want to start making breads soon, but will research this technique.

ken2400's picture
ken2400
sphinxie's picture
sphinxie

I found the answer to Q4 in Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day, reading the preview on Amazon while waiting for the book: "...increase the liquid by about 1 tablespoon (.5 oz/14 g) for every 2 oz (56.5 g) of whole grain flour you substitute in place of white flour. But even here, brands vary..."

barryvabeach's picture
barryvabeach

for question 1 use a scale. That way if you need 300 grams of wheat flour just use 300 grams of wheat berries