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hydration and chia question

_vk's picture
_vk

hydration and chia question

Hello. 

How should I deal with the water added to chia (or others seeds) and then added to the dough? I thought it would not alter the final hydration as the water should be absorbed by the chia (it's said to absorb 12 times it's mass in water). But the result I'm getting point in the other way.

I've being adding chia, soaked in water, 4 times it's weight, to my 70% hydration white dough. It worked, the dough becomes harder to deal with, but I've being thinking that was only because the jelly chia would make the dough harder anyway.

Now I tried adding the same stuff to my 80% hd (60%WW) dough, and the dough becomes completely slack. I baked it in a tin, and got a good bread from it. But I started to think that the water added together with the chia is counting in total hydration. Is that so? Should I reduce initial water when adding soaked seeds?

Thanks

ps. I only tried chia that has this particular jellification property, so the water, can't be drained. The whole stuff becomes a jelly mass that wouldn't drain. I imagine that other seeds, drained, would behave differently... 

v.

rudirednose's picture
rudirednose

me again! ;-)

for soaking seeds, grains, nuts, and so on I use with great success this list

http://www.homebaking.at/quellen-und-quellen-lassen/

see below at

Richtwerte von Wasseraufnahmen bei Saaten und Körnern:

 

happy baking rudi

_vk's picture
_vk

Thanks Rudi. I think I'll have to learn German, :) 

Lovely table, with the help of google translate I got it. but there is no chia there, right?

So following that table should I keep the original hydration of the formula right?.

thanks

vicente

rudirednose's picture
rudirednose

hello vincente,

"I think I'll have to learn German, :)" good idea! ;-)

no, chia isnt! sorr! but mini has the best trick! thx mini! chia : water about 1 : 6 for jelly I read.

first take the original hydration of the formula and if needed add some water to the final dough. in my experience the water in the table is not to much! depending on the quality of the products. :)

happy baking

rudi

_vk's picture
_vk

I think learning german is to difficult for me now :)

thanks for the tips.

hb

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

Just add the chia to the flour and the 4 x weight in water to the recipe water, after mixing the dough, let it stand for half an hour to let the chia soak up the extra water.  This gives you seed well situated into the gluten matrix instead of sliding all over the place.  ;)

_vk's picture
_vk

Thanks Mini Oven. This sounds like a perfect idea. Will do. :))) 

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

tiny seeds like chia and flax.  

It is a pleasure to mix up the dough and then let it get stiffer as the water is absorbed.  

Also adding these gel type dry seeds to a high hydration dough makes the dough too easy to handle and shape.  (tip!)

_vk's picture
_vk

Didn't know that. Thanks for the tips Mini. How much (%) you usually use of those in a loaf?

:)

v.