Crazy Spanish Flour ........ any ideas?
When in Spain this January I bought some flour direct from a mill in the middle of nowhere. It was cheap as chips and although I speak very little Spanish and the miller spoke ZERO English I managed to buy some white and some wholemeal bread flour...................
Or did I ??? I am playing with these flours today and I have a small 'white' on it's first rise which so far seems weird but OK ..... it seemed very fine and only moderately stretchy (65% hydration)......... however the small 'wholemeal' I set out to make is simply WEIRD! The dough felt more like sand than flour, took 105% hydration to get anywhere and did not stretch at all, in fact it just separates, I spent most of the time just sliding it around the work top!
However for the sake of Science and 'Britishness' I am persevering with my tests!
So the question is: does any one have any knowledge of Spanish flour and its properties? I am beginning to think that my attempt to buy 'integral' flour got lost in translation and I have ended up with 5 kilos of husk, or sawdust, or what ever!
I am of course only half serious but any ideas anyone?
:)
Rye flour will be a paste at that hydration. Durum or spelt will be rather sloppy, instead of separating. I dunno. Bean flour, maybe?
Paul
I had a go at making Rye Sourdough just now (for the first time) and the characteristics were very similar to the Spanish wholemeal ! The Rye did not separate and was just a little (very little) stretchy. Actually your description of 'paste' is more appropriate.
Maybe it is a type of Rye? Oh well, all part of the adventure ......
Over-hydration is a common mistake with absorbent flours like whole wheat, the gluten won't thank you for it. Just mix it with enough water until it comes together, think pastry! Then push it together and let it rest for an hour or two. See how it handles then...