October 22, 2020 - 10:09pm
How to mix add-ins to a 50-55% hydration stiff dough -
if I can't use a mixer? Does "lamination" work well with stiff dough?
Thanks,
Yippee
P.S. maybe I can roll out the dough, spread the add-ins on top, cut the dough in a few sections, stack them on top of each other, then repeat the cutting and stacking if needed. But then I will have to let the dough rest before I can shape it. I am looking for a way to mix the add-ins without having to delay shaping.
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As you note, that hydration makes a pretty stiff dough. Nuts, seeds, cracked grains, and hard cheeses will still be identifiable after incorporation in the dough. Softer items, like berries, will be crushed by mixing, folding, etc.
I sometimes make something called "Apple Chopped Bread". For that, I roll out the dough, spread the apple filling on the dough, fold it into a packet, and then chop up the whole shebang with a bench knife. It makes a royal mess that is then scraped into a prepared loaf pan. Not too different than what you propose with stacking and cutting. It's a softer dough than you are working with, so I don't know how the technique might work for your situation. It isn't anything that is apt to show up on Instagram, since the top of the loaf has a lunar landscape appearance.
Paul
And plumped raisins, Paul. I'm making bagels. I hope giving the stacked dough a 30-minute rest before shaping won't do much harm to the bagels' shape. I have to let it rest if there are no better alternatives.
Yippee
Delicious!
Since you are plumping the raisins first, that will soften them. Therefore, you will want to minimize dough handling to keep from crushing the raisins.
How about this: Roll the dough out as flat and thin as possible (may need some rests to let the dough relax), scatter the raisins and cinnamon, then roll up the dough/raisins/cinnamon. Let that rest a few minutes. Coil the rolled-up “log” of dough. Cut bagel-sized pieces from the coil and shape into bagels. That's still a lot of dough manipulation after the raisins are added in but it will be easier to avoid crushing the raisins because the only significant pressure they will see is during the final shaping. Since you will only work with one bagel at a time during shaping, you will be better able to control the force you exert than when handling the entire dough mass.
What if you didn’t plump the raisins? Or, after plumping, allow them to dry just enough that they aren’t squishy soft? You want them to be moist, obviously, but not so soft that they crush under light pressure.
Or try Mini's suggestion.
It's definitely a challenge to marry a soft inclusion with a stiff dough.
Paul
each bagel snake, fill, pinch shut and then finish shaping? Would that work?
or what about the cinn roll log. Cut and each piece rolled out flat (on side with cut edges as long sides and then rerolled or twisted to shape.
I can't believe this hasn't been mentioned - just mix with the dry ingredients and go from there. Always works for me. Enjoy!
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I'm still trying to sort out a way to do it.
Yippee
Maybe better not to soak the raisins.
Don't soak the raisins that long-just a few minutes. The baking process will then trap the moisture around each raisin and continue to moisten them. That way they won't dissolve iinto paste but will still be deliciously moist.
Where you landed with this? I've been experimenting with add-ins in my low hydration bagel dough. I've found that if I add them too early in the mix they inhibit gluten development. At the same time, they're difficult to incorporate towards the end, even with a stand mixer. Curious to hear what worked best for OP and others. Personally, I'm leaning towards embracing a higher hydration dough and different proofing and shaping technique for bagels with inclusions. Thanks!