Ardent Mills Dark Rye Flour - Too Dry?
Hello! I've been a longtime lurker but this is my first post. I've been doing sourdough with wheat for a while, I recently started baking with rye and, having been laid off, I impulse bought a 40lb package of dark rye flour, Ardent Mills brand. I have no complaints about the flour except one - it seems to soak up a massive amount of water. When I try to refresh my starter at 100% hydration, the mix seems waaaay too dry - so dry it doesn't even absorb all the water. The same thing happens when I try to bake - if I'm baking a high-percentage rye, I need to dramatically up the amount of water I'm using or the dough is way too dry.
Does dark rye flour generally require more than 100% hydration? Is this an Ardent Mills thing? Either way, does anybody have any tips so I can figure out a reliable ratio of water to flour without winging it every time?
Thanks!
Rye will absorb significantly more water than regular white flour, but typically 80-85% hydration should get you there. However, water absorption is not constant, it changes based on season, geography, and a particular variety of rye.
Did you manage to figure out good hydration levels/baking time for this flour? I bought it too, and I'm struggling now, trying to convert regular recipes (at 100 hydration, I don't even have all the flour mixed in, seems extremely dry). Just had a total flop :)
I've been doing more experiments with it, today I'm attempting a Gotland rye that's 50% rye flour. So far I've had mixed success with increasing the amount of water to 125% of what is called for and trying to eyeball it.
Just received a 40lb bag of Ardent Mills Dark Rye and I’m having the same problem. Made one recipe that had worked very well with Bobs Red Mill Dark Rye and the dough was unworkably dry and stiff and the bread failed badly.
I tried to begin a rye sourdough starter and it is clear that I need more water for my 100% hydration starter...but what is the right ratio?
There are two definitions of "dark rye."
1. The more or less official definition is here: http://www.theartisan.net/Flours_One.htm
And it means wholemeal rye flour that has had some of the endosperm removed.
This also means the flour is darker than wholemeal rye, because the bran now makes up a larger percentage.
This means that the ash% is higher than the nominal/standard 1.6% of whole grains.
(The removed endosperm is then sold as "light rye.")
2. A "common" definition of dark rye is just "whole rye." They apparently mean to say it's darker than medium rye.
Whole rye, or wholemeal rye, is nominally 1.6% ash.
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Higher ash usually means it needs more water.
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One should always expect whole grains from different millers and growers to vary. They will come from different varieties/strains of the species, different fields, different growing conditions, different storage conditions, different time since harvest, and different time from being milled.
Hope this helps.