Multigrain Woes
Hi, I am at my wits end! I can bake what I consider a good loaf of white or wholemeal bread. But have always had trouble with multigrain and poor volume. Lately, it seems to be getting worse but my formula has not changed. I have checked several different commercial formulas and mine is near enough the same. It takes a lot longer for it to prove, and quite often the dough collapses in the pan rather than kicks once put into my deck oven even if it had good volume in the prover. I get superb oven spring with white and wholemeal bread. I've tried adding a bit more yeast, changing proving temperatures to no avail. The only thing I can put it down too is that our water is now treated and has a small amount of chlorine added where as before it was raw untreated water. The only other thing I have not tried is not soaking the grain overnight in salty water as I have always done to soften it.
Any ideas please?
If the loaf "collapses in the pan" it is WAY overproofed. Are you looking at the clock or the loaf to see if it is properly proofed? Multigrain dough ferments and proofs differently than AP/bread flour. WHOLE grain always benefits from a long soak built in somewhere.
Ap/Bread flour, whole grain flour, coarse ground flour, rye, spelt,emmer-all behave in a unique way. So stick with one recipe for now and take notes with every bake and every change until you nail it.
Thanks for your advice- I will persevere and keep trying. I don't generally go by the clock when proving but just keep an eye on the rise.
I didn't start getting really good spring from my 100% whole grain loaves until I started using a cloche. I tried pans of water, ice cubes, wet towels, spray bottles, etc. It was expensive, but it made a huge difference in how my loaves come out. I preheat it in the oven with the lid off at 550 F, flip the dough out of the basket onto a round piece of parchment paper, slide onto the cloche, then put the lid on with a thick oven mitt. Drop the temp to 450. I bake 30 mins with the top on, then remove it and go another 15 minutes or so.
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