January 12, 2017 - 11:52am
What is the best way to build strength for high hydration dough?
I am wondering about both during the autolyse/mix phase as well as during the bulk fermentation.
I know that some people also knead the dough after mixing in the salt, I looked at the Rubaud Method for that didn't get the results that I wanted.
During the pre-shape my dough just doesn't want to stay a boule or create any real tension, the dough just ends up spreading out with very little tension.
I of course also do a number of stretch and folds through the bulk fermentation!
How do I build more strength before the pre-shape!
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http://www.breadwerx.com/
Take a look at the video for handling high hydration doughs. Great method for all doughs.
Hmm, googled that method and first video was from the above site. Nevermind.
I'm not really sure there is a way that would yield an equivalent to lower-hydration doughs.
Here's what I've learned:
1. Use quality ingredients. The difference between "generic bread flour" and King Arthur bread flour is - believe it or not - definitely noticeable. Enough that I think it's vitally important.
2. Autolyze does make a difference, but only 20-30 minutes. More is not better here.
3. After I made a high hydration ciabatta (Jennifer Menke's "That's a lot of Ciabatta" video here), I gave up on "stretch and fold" methods and went to 15 minutes of kneading in my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. It made a big improvement.
4. Watch the use of anything other than "white bread flour." As you start adding more whole wheat, whole (un or coarsely milled) grains, etc., the coarse bits interfere with the gluten and you get less tension, less spring, etc.
5. Make sure you use a couche or banetton. The bacteria in the starter tends to digest gluten, so you'll always have some looseness or goopiness - I think to some extent it's unavoidable.
YMMV and all that.
-Dave
I second the motion to mix it for a significant period of time in a stand mixer, assuming you have one. If not, you need to work it quite vigorously by hand for probably at least 20 minutes. Also, make sure your starter has not passed its peak and started to degrade (assuming you are using a starter). If it's a bread made with commercial yeast, try using cooler water.
I recently made a loaf of sourdough (123 bread, about 71% hydration) by hand as it was only one loaf. It was quite slack and spread out a lot, and was also sticky and difficult to get off the couche. I made a very similar batch a couple of days later (same flour, 72% hydration, slightly lower percentage of starter to dough flour), but mixed this batch in the big stand mixer for about 6 minutes (it was a batch of nine loaves; not doing that by hand!). The difference in the strength of the dough was significant. The batch mixed in the mixer was stronger, springier, easier to shape and less sticky. Good oven spring and nice moist, open crumb.
only with high hydration sourdough breads. The recipes I have been following theperfectloaf blog doesn't really emphasize or stress kneading the dough for much, I thought it was primarily because the hydration of the loaf is 87% pretty high. His dough looks much more developed than mine.
Any advice on how to know when your starter is at its peak for a levain build? I use rye flour to feed my starter and my starter just does not pass the float test.
this (often) comes largely from mixing of doughs with enough quality gluten in them...but high hydration doughs make mixing less effective (lack of friction), so you might consider a double hydration (mix to sufficient development holding back some water, then adding the remaining water to combine). Otherwise, you need to be quite vigorous in your stretch and folds, and/or extend your bulk to allow the proper development (as in a bulk retard).
Acid also contributes to strength, and so a well developed levain will boost strength, as will time (both from the perpsective of gluten development and acid development).
we know rye is a different critter in terms of gas retention, so the float test may not be the most appropriate...or might need to be complemented by other indicators, like visual indicator of some volume gain, smell, and taste. If you want to get really precise, pH meters aren't that expensive, but I certainly wouldn't say that is needed at all, and you really should develop your ability to judge without it (using all your senses).
the other real test is whether you can raise bread in the time frame you seek...if not, more time (for levain and/or bread), or higher temps for either/both)