The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

When to mix in multigrain porridge?

Danni3ll3's picture
Danni3ll3

When to mix in multigrain porridge?

Has anyone done a comparison on what happens if you integrate the porridge at the beginning with the autolyse or whether you wait after the autolyse and integrate it after the first set of folds?

I have usually done the latter but once or twice, I have tried the former. I like the former better because I can add the water to the porridge, loosen it up and then add my flour for the autolyse. Mixing it in seems a lot easier this way. 

The other way, I usually have to resort to slaps and folds on the counter to get it distributed evenly. 

I suppose I could experiment this weekend but my doughs are not identical. One ended with more spelt because I ran out of Kamut flour. 

Lazy Loafer's picture
Lazy Loafer

... it's a good thing to test, because if there's no appreciable difference in the outcome, it certainly is a lot easier to mix it in with the water at the beginning!

Runnerfemme's picture
Runnerfemme

I just took my first porridge loaf out of the oven.  I haven't sliced it yet, but it looks decent.  I mixed in the porridge from the very start (i.e., it was in the bucket at the autolyse stage) under the theory that it would not only be easier to mix in but b/c I wouldn't get a false read of the hydration of the dough.  I have read that porridge loaves can result in too slack dough b/c the soaked/cooked porridge releases more water into the dough than anticipated...  We'll see once I slice, but the dough was pleasantly wet without being too sticky or slack to fold.