Whole Wheat Loaf
I 've been interested in really dialing in on making a nice whole wheat loaf this year, hoping to get to a point where I can consistently make a loaf that has enough of an airy texture + richness of whole wheat to make white flour less relevant in my repertoire. I've had some good starts that I documented here [1], but I recently had a really satisfying breakthrough loaf, that I think pretty well meets my criteria for success, so I'll give it a post of its own.
I recently moved to work in Maine, so I was working with Maine Grains hard red spring wheat.
Maine Grains whole wheat 100%
Water 90%
Starter 11%
Salt ~3 tsp
Pretty much same approach as documented in earlier posts but some of the stages were a bit drawn out because I was working with lower temperatures. Maybe slightly longer on the retard stage (12-13 hrs) as I was at a dinner and didn't get back home to bake until later than planned.
The result is really nicely airy, a few overly big holes, but not enough to bother me much. Flavor is nice- rich but mellow, not as bland and astringent as the KAF whole wheat I was using previously. Texture is very soft.
I'm not sure what to attribute the improved results to- perhaps good grain, perhaps an appropriate hydration for the flour, or maybe just pushing the bulk fermentation and retard a little bit longer. Whatever it is, if I can consistently make this loaf, I'll be very pleased!