BBA Multigrain questions
I know that the multigrain struan has been discussed a lot, but I still can't find exactly what I am looking for. This is about the one from BBA not the one from WGB or his other books.
I made this for the first time the other day and have a couple questions. First, I noticed (like others) that this is very wet compared to what is expected. The consensus seem to be to add a lot of flour until it seems right. Wouldn't it make sense to just lower the amount of water added? Or am I missing something? Since buttermilk is 90% water I read the hydration (without the soaker) to be about 71%. Since the grains soak up all the water in the soaker, I am assuming that the water doesn't need to be counted in discussing how slack and sticky the dough is. I would think that the feel of dough that is being described is more like 60-65% hydration.
Secondly I noticed that the gluten development is really hard to achieve. This is partly due to the hydration mentioned above, but to me it seems the technique is missing something. My understanding is that things like seeds, etc. are not usually added to the dough until closer to the end of the kneading process. This helps keeps the seeds (or in this case grains) from interfering with the gluten. BBA has us mix it all together at once. I had to add a couple stretch and folds in there to deal with this (and the higher hydration as well). Wouldn't it make more sense to add the soaker later after the gluten has had some time to develop? Or, again, am I missing something? Perhaps I will add in time for autolyse next time to help.
I plan to make this again in a day or two, but figured I would look for some tips here since so many seem to have made this bread. Has anyone come up with a technique that works for them?
Edit to add: I used Organic High Mountain Hi-Gluten Flour from Central Milling (13.5% protein, 0.60% ash)
"My understanding is that things like seeds, etc. are not usually added to the dough until closer to the end of the kneading process"
This is true for hard seeds/grains as they will simply tear the gluten strands. Folding them in gently during S+Fs is the way to go as you suggest. In the case of your loaf however, I believe the grains are soaked overnight and/or cooked depending on what you chose to use, so on that basis they should have softened up greatly and I guess that's why the recipe has them mixed into the dough from the start.
Did you use a yeast Biga for this ? A biga should add strength to the dough.
I am following the technique outlined in BBA, so no biga is called for. I think that was added in WGB, but I don't have that book. I think you are right about the grains as written. I am using a grain mix, so some of the grains do not get as soft and I like the added texture otherwise I would cook them. So that explains why the recipe is written as it is and I will make adjustments based on the grains I am using. In this case I will add them later. I might try cooking them some other time or at least use boiling water.
As to the wetness of the dough, I wonder if it is related at all. I thought so at first, but then read others adding as much as 1 cup extra flour (the recipe has only 3 cups or 13.5 oz of flour). That would bring the hydration down 10% or more and throw off the proportion of salt, yeast, etc. I have thought about this and have come up with a couple ideas.
First is to hold back 1/3 of the water and add as needed. This seems to be a given at this point and is what I normally do when it isn't my first time making a recipe. Second is to do a pseudo-autolyse with the flour, buttermilk, and water (since there is not enough water to hydrate without the buttermilk). I just wonder if the fat in the buttermilk would hinder this too much to be affective. I don't think it would hurt to rest like this though. Third is to substitute 20-25% of the flour with whole wheat flour (perhaps white whole wheat so the flavor is not radically altered). I like the idea of adding more nutrition but am not a huge whole wheat fan. This bread is sweet enough that I might even look into the recipe from WGB.
I could add in the biga step as well, but I think that might wait until another time. I do like this bread and it turned out well enough since I made adjustments as I went along (felt like I was the dough whisperer).
like you're well in control mate. Can't fault any of your ideas and suggestions. The type of grains/seeds you have chosen will have a bearing on whether to cook, soak or add in during S+Fs and I'm confident you have that in hand. Autolyse is a good idea and if you still run into gluten strenth issues try the biga. I'm a big advocate of not being too worried about "recipes" and instead learning to feel the dough and know if you have the right hydration and consistency. So good luck with your experiments and adjustments.