The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Help with Ankarsrum. Roller vs dough hook

Patti Y's picture
Patti Y

Help with Ankarsrum. Roller vs dough hook

I am trying to get used to using a mixer when baking bread, dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, etc. I know Ankarsrum users mostly say to use the roller instead of the dough hook, but I am having trouble getting the dough kneaded correctly. So, I thought that I would post a recipe to see what I should use with a particular recipe....dough hook or roller. I am also still trying to understand hydration and how to know if I have a high hydration dough.

Should I use the dough hook with this recipe? Is it high hydration? I kneaded over 25 minutes (knob at 4:00) with the roller, and it never got to the consistency I wanted.

Thank you for any advice.

So here is the recipe: From King Arthur Flour website.

 

TANGZHONG (STARTER)DOUGHFILLINGICING
  • 227g confectioners' sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 28g melted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 28g to 43g whole milk or cream, enough to make a thick but spreadable frosting
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. To make the tangzhong: Combine all of the starter ingredients in a small saucepan, and whisk until no lumps remain.
  2. Place the saucepan over medium heat, and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until thick and the whisk leaves lines on the bottom of the pan. This will probably take only a minute or so. Remove from the heat, and set it aside for several minutes.
  3. To make the dough: Mix the tangzhong with the remaining dough ingredients until everything comes together. Let the dough rest, covered, for 20 minutes; this will give the flour a chance to absorb the liquid, making it easier to knead.
  4. After 20 minutes, knead the dough — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a smooth, elastic, somewhat sticky dough.
  5. Shape the dough into a ball, and let it rest in a lightly greased covered bowl for 60 to 90 minutes, until puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk.
  6. To make the filling: Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, mixing until the cinnamon is thoroughly distributed.
  7. Gently deflate the risen dough, divide it in half, and shape each piece into a rough rectangle.
  8. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough into an 18" x 8" rectangle.
  9. Sprinkle half the filling over the rolled-out dough.
  10. Starting with a long edge, roll the dough into a log. With the seam underneath, cut the log into 12 slices, 1 1/2" each.
  11. Repeat with the second piece of dough and the remaining filling.
  12. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan. Space the rolls in the pan.
  13. Cover the pan and let the rolls rise for 45 to 60 minutes, until they're crowding one another and are quite puffy.
  14. While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the bottom third.
  15. Uncover the rolls, and bake them for 22 to 25 minutes, until they feel set. They might be just barely browned; that's OK. It's better to under-bake these rolls than bake them too long. Their interior temperature at the center should be about 188°F.
  16. While the rolls are baking, stir together the icing ingredients, adding enough of the milk to make a thick spreadable icing. The icing should be quite stiff, about the consistency of softened cream cheese.
  17. Remove the rolls from the oven, and turn them out of the pan onto a rack. Spread them with the icing; it'll partially melt into the rolls.
  18. Serve the rolls warm. Store completely cool rolls for a couple of days at room temperature, or freeze for up to 1 month.
gary.turner's picture
gary.turner

Hydration is the sum of the weights of the liquids (water, milk, eggs, oils (not fat, eg. lard, butter)) divided by the weight of the flour. In the case of this formula, 59%. I'd consider this to be on the cusp between low and medium hydration. My rule of thumb: less than 60% is low; between 60 and 70% is medium; and over 70% hydration is high.

By touch,  low hydration feels dry, medium hydration feels tacky and high hydration is sticky. Different grains will have different tells.

Use the roller and scraper for normal bread doughs up to 4kg. For heavy doughs, eg. whole grains, lots of nuts or grains, etc.,  use the roller and scraper for doughs weighing less than about 2.75kg. Your mileage will  vary, so use these metrics as a starting point. Above the weights indicated switch to the hook and scraper.

gary

Patti Y's picture
Patti Y

So count all liquids weight and divide by flour weight. Ignore sugar, salt, lard, fat, butter (even if melted).

And as long as the dough is under a certain weight, whether or not it is high, medium, or low hydration, use the roller/scraper.

 

For some reason I thought low hydration dough would use the dough hook. I have no idea where I got that!

Thanks.

gary.turner's picture
gary.turner

Butter is a fat, and solid at room temps. If you use a lot in a given formula, you may include the water part of the butter. American butters run about 18% water, so there is little effect in overall hydration. 10% butter alters the hydration by ~2%. Moisture content in your flour may vary more than that depending on storage conditions.

If you view youtube videos about the Ank, you're seeing a lot of folks sharing their ignorance, not knowledge.

g

Patti Y's picture
Patti Y

Thank  you! I learn more every day. I think I forget about half though. Too much going on in my life..remodeling, learning about diabetic meals, learning to make healthier bread, Amazon shopping for holiday presents, and helping my Autistic grandson when I can on Friday's. Then add in all the normal household stuff...geez! I thought life was supposed to slow down when I retired from teaching. 

Ankarsrum videos...yes, you are right. Even a certain Ankarsrum sales person contradicts herself from video to video. I have to assume some of the videos were really old though so maybe she just changed the way she uses it.

4 new bread books were delivered so I have lots of reading to do. Cheers!

gary.turner's picture
gary.turner

To properly retire, you must indulge in ease; avoiding labor and exertion, being habitually idle. Fortunately, baking and reading about baking fit those requirements.

Patti Y's picture
Patti Y

You are so right! I finished Rose B's  The Bread Bible. Starting on the Culinary Institute book next. The problem is too much information. I am not remembering much, but by the time I read the 4th book, surely something will stick!