The Fresh Loaf

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Raisin bread and hydration

pmiker's picture
pmiker

Raisin bread and hydration

I plump the raisins when I make raisin bread.  I soak them in hot water for about 30 minutes and then set them aside to drain and I pat them dry.  I make the bread dough and then add the raisins and my dough goes to mush.  I have to add flour to rescue it.

I have tried adding a touch of flour to the raisins right before adding them but it did not help.

Yesterdays bread came out interesting.  I did not want to overwork the raisins and cinnamon chips so I added both together.  Well, in trying to save the dough, the raisins and chips took a beating.  I made some nice bread with a light cinnamon flavor and some raisins throughout.  But the bread is orange.  I've never made orange bread before.

Anyway, I use a Bosch Universal Plus for the mixer.  Any suggestions on adding plumped raisins without screwing up the hydration?

Mie

ElPanadero's picture
ElPanadero

Put the hot water into a suitable jug and weigh how much water there is in grams. Then put in the raisins to soak. When they are done soaking, pour out the excess water into another jug and weigh how much water there now is. Subtract one measurement from the other and that's roughly how much water is now in the raisins. Reduce your recipe water by that same amount then when you add the raisins you should have your normal hydration. Since the raisins will always retain some of that moisture these figures won't be exact but with a little juggling you should be able to suss out the hydration adjustment needed.