April 9, 2018 - 11:27am
Dough Is Too Sticky
Help, please:
I am making a Whole Wheat Rye Sourdough recipe (75% hydration):
Sponge: 75g rye flour, flour 75g water and sourdough culture;
Dough: 300g whole wheat flour, 200g water, the above sponge and 7 g salt.
The dough is very sticky - really sticky. I fold and knead and fold and knead and it never gets that nice soft and satiny feel and look.
Is it possible that I added too much culture to the sponge? Do I simply keep folding and kneading? Reduce the hydration?
What could I try to solve this?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks! :-)
Share
If so, try reducing the hydration to 70%. Once you know how that feels, you can adjust up or down as you see fit.
Or, you could mix the flour and water together and let the mixture rest for a couple of hours before mixing in the sponge and the salt. That would give the bran in the whole wheat flour time to absorb more water, making the dough less sticky.
Since the dough contains approximately 20% rye flour, that will also add to the stickiness. Not much to do about that except adjust the way you handle the dough and, maybe, your sense of "sticky" versus "very sticky". I find I can manage (and tolerate) a much wetter and stickier dough now than I could several years ago.
Paul
Thank you, Paul. I will incorporate your advice and let you know how I make out. Appreciated.