October 28, 2018 - 10:38am
Rapid fermentation with fresh milled wheat
Anyone using fresh milled whole wheat?
I have started grinding my own whole wheat using the Mockmill 100, and since using it in my bread I have found the fermentation time to be significantly faster.
I use only 20% of the fresh milled wheat with 80% KAF bread flour at 80% hydration.
I have tried to adjust the leaven from 20% to 15% and the fermentation time is still pretty fast.
I am wondering if anyone has experienced the same thing when using fresh milled whole wheat?
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Absolutely! Whole grain will increase the fermentation activity every time. Great observation!
If you want to extend the fermentation time you can keep it cooler, or reduce the percentage of innoculation. Whole grain has the exact affect on your starter also.
Isn’t home milling great?
Dan
I have been adjusting the inoculation, the trick is finding the right amount to adjust.
You might be surprised how little inoculation you can use. My favorite bread uses 2% prefermented flour. So for a dough crust ntainng an1000g of flour my starter contains only 20g flour. If the levain is 100% hydration hydration the total weight of the levain for a kilo of dough is 40g. Keep in mind though, at this percentage the bulk ferment takes 16-17 hours at 78F.
Dan
I suspected using far less would stretch out the fermentation, but wasn't sure how far to go. I went as low as 14% to get a 3 to 4 hour bulk (78F). I think I could go even lower considering your experience with 2%.
Thanks!