September 1, 2020 - 8:05am
Recipes/Suggestions for Coarse Grind Hard Whole Wheat Bread Flour?
I picked up a new-to-me flour from Weisenberger on a whim, and I'm looking for sourdough recipes that have beginner-friendly instructions for using it:
Coarse Grind Hard Whole Wheat Bread Flour
Suggestions for subbing it in to recipes that call for whole wheat flour are also welcome. Should I plan to mix up a soaker? Should I keep it under a certain percentage of the total flour in the recipe?
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You can use the search box at the upper right of almost all pages here.
Search on/for: "whole wheat" or "100% whole wheat" or "50% whole wheat".
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another recommended website with recipes just from the site owner is www.theperfectloaf.com which has lots of in-process photos.
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What bread cookbooks do you have already?
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if you like Kindle ebooks, see my list of inexpensive and free Kindle bread books at: https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/61480/free-or-discounted-kindle-bread-books
There's a free one by Dennis Weaver in the main post.
You can use the search box at the upper right of almost all pages here.
Search on/for: "whole wheat" or "100% whole wheat" or "50% whole wheat".
Yes, I tried searching the forum first, but realized that I was unsure if coarse grind could be subbed in for a finer flour without tweaking the recipe in some way.
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another recommended website with recipes just from the site owner is www.theperfectloaf.com which has lots of in-process photos.
Thanks, I will check out the other resources you shared!
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What bread cookbooks do you have already?
I have Reinhart's "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" and KAF "Whole Grain Baking"
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if you like Kindle ebooks, see my list of inexpensive and free Kindle bread books at: https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/61480/free-or-discounted-kindle-bread-books
There's a free one by Dennis Weaver in the main post.
If a formula calls for medium or finely gound Ww, and you use coarse, an autolyse (soak) of up to 60 minutes is enough, in my opinion. That's 60 min total, not an additional 60 min on top of what is already in a formula.
If it is not 100% Ww, consider autolysing the Ww separately from the white flour, so the white flour does not get to the water first and overhydrate and keep water away from the Ww.
But also be aware that when autolysing, or whenever flour gets wet, the enzymes turn starch into sugar. so extra autolyse time means extra sugar, which boosts fermentation. Meaning don't let it go too long, or else be prepared to cut fermentation shorter than otherwise.
If your dough feels more like "wet sand", that means the flour hasn't hydrated yet.
I use coarse home-milled flour and get that effect. It doesn't turn to "dough" until about 45-60 minites after adding levain, and that's even with a 60 min autolyse beforehand.
I _gently fold_ in the levain after the autolyse.
I don't attempt kneading or stretch-and-folds until after it reaches the "dough" stage because kneading would just undo and tear whatever little gluten has built up. Others may do differently, but that works for me.
To play it safe, start with 50% Ww and work your way up.
Btw, the Kindle edition of Reinhart's whole grain breads is $9.99, whereas it is usually $12.99 or more. But ebooks are hard to use directly while working in the kitchen. https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Reinharts-Whole-Grain-Breads-ebook/dp/B004IK8PFU?tag=froglallabout-20
in this post: https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/64863/7-things-about-freshmilled-flour
Items 3, 3a, 3b, and 6 would apply to store-bought coarse ground Ww.
Item 3 is about how coarse-milled flour can go through 3 phases and appear to be over and under-hydrated , changing over time, so be patient, and take good notes, record all weights and water additions so you can "dial it in" on subsequent bakes.
Thanks idaveindy, all of this detail really helps!
Zwrei, I have played around with coarser grinds a few times, and did not notice much difference in terms of recipe or procedures, though iIRC , the coarse had a different texture out of the oven - not bad, just different. Dave has you on the right track. If you are going to dip you foot into the pool, the standard advice is to make a recipe as directed, then make it the next time, and sub in 10 to 20% home milled wheat, and adjust the hydration and timings to get a similar feel at each stage, then repeat with gradual increases in the percentage of whole wheat so you can get a feel on how to adapt the recipe to your particular wheat and grind.