July 5, 2013 - 8:04am
85+% WW hydration. Normal?
Hey guys,
My whole wheat doughs are very firm, even at high hydration, and I feel like I'm probably doing something wrong.
A simple loaf recipe will look something like:
500g KA whole wheat
350g water
50g skim milk
25-30g olive oil
Even at 85% the dough is quite firm and even french kneading is difficult. I feel like I could easily french knead a dough of this type at 90% or more, in fact, I'm considering expeimenting with a 100% WW bread this weekend. I know most people with AP or bread flour would consider even 75% to be slack. Is this common for WW? Should I autolyse overnight or make a preferment to loosen up the wheat?
Side note: I'm just now cultivating my first sourdough starter, so maybe that will help things once it's ready.