Bosch help- dough always wraps around center pole, never forms ball. Gluten development rough
Hi all,
I've always had problems with my bosch kneading. Can you help me out? The only time I ever got the perfect dough ball was when I borrowed a bottom drive bowl, but surely that can't be the only way to get a decent loaf to form?
I'm just using AP flour with a pretty high protein content (11%). I attempted to make 4 loaves of bread with the following recipe:
- Flour-1680g
- Water-1110g
- yeast-50g SAF Instant (I know this is very high, I'll decrease it in later experiments, but it shouldn't affect gluten development should it?)
- Sugar-80g
- salt-40g
- oil-50g
I mix all the ingredients except flour and let it sit for a minute or so until the yeast begins to bloom. Then add half the flour and mix until smooth. Add the rest of the flour in parts. Check windowpane. Begin kneading. I keep it pretty low, around 1 or 2, but it just wraps around the center from the get go! When I make smaller batches, I can get a decent windowpane test after 10 minutes, but it's still wrapped around the pole. This time with the double recipe (4 loaves), every time I checked the windowpane, it looked like it was getting stringier and stringier until I gave up at 10 minutes. It was never not "stringy," however. So it's almost like it started out being overkneaded.
Below is the video of what it looked like at 6 minutes of kneading on speed 2:
Can anyone tell me what's happening in my machine??
Thanks!
Have you checked out the dough hook extender sold by PHG and others? It is an aftermarket attachment designed to stop dough riding up the shaft. It may help.
Lance
It's actually attached in the video! I bought it because I primarily cook smaller batches.
... of the flour into the water until smooth, is already doing some gluten development. What happens if you do that mixing step only until the first half of flour is wet?
In other words, maybe you're right, maybe it IS overkneaded, and maybe that step is the culprit.
I have the same mixer and used to have that problem. I am thinking it happens from over mixing and with stiffer doughs. If it gets to the stringy phase it has become too tight and overworked. Try mixing it less and incorporating a fold before letting rise and another half way through the bulk ferment.
I found something that helps to prevent that sometimes. After the autolyse I use a spatula to move the dough off the spot where it has been resting. Turn it on briefly and free up any remaining spots stuck to the bowl. The dough should then travel around the bowl like it should. This works best with less than 70% hydration so any additional water required by the recipe I add in slowly while it is kneading at the end of the mix. When it does eventually wrap around the center again I stop mixing because the dough seems strong enough by then. I always do a fold in the bowl that is used for the first rise.