December 9, 2016 - 6:50pm
Rye not fermenting like I thought?
I bake the tartine bread. I have had a starter for 7 years now. It's flour is Half Whole wheat and half All Purpose. I recently wanted to try to get more fermentation from it so I started adding some Rye to its food (about 11%).
I am NOT noticing any more/faster fermentation?? I am actually noticing less fermentation, it takes longer to rise and fall.
Why? I thought Rye was supposed to boost activity?
Thanks.
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It is true that rye flour can stimulate more fermentation activity, but that does not always translate to faster or more noticeable rising. Rye also has the effect of weighing down a dough, so to speak, preventing it from rising like a normal wheat dough. Rye does not possess the gluten quality that wheat does and cannot trap CO2 as effectively, thus you will have a dough that does not rise like a normal wheat dough.
I would suggest you work with 5% rye to start : that will give a little fermentation boost without weighing down on the dough too much. Additionally, at 5% you should still get a nice subtle rye flavor.
Happy baking !
Thank you!!