February 9, 2010 - 3:44am
100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Success!
Yesterday was a milestone in my Bread Baking quest. The seemingly defiant Wholewheat has been brought to its Knees, Well at least to me.
This was a 100% Whole Wheat Sourdough Boule i Baked yesterday. Constituted of 100% White Whole Wheat flour i milled, and baked under stainless steel bowl on a stone. It is very mildly sour, and very tender and creamy/ nutty somewhat moist crumb.
Credit and props go to: thefreshloaf.com, and its members: David (dmsnyder), and ShiaoPing (ShiaoPing), for enlightening me on the stretch and fold method.
Scoring did deflate part of the dough, as evident from the second slice.
Mebake
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I recall the first time I was able to bake a decent 100% WW loaf. It is a milestone. Yours looks terrific! Congratulations.
Eric
Thanks Eric, your breads have long inspired me.
Mebake
The crumb shot looks amazing....I don't think you are on your knees anymore...
Judd
Thanks, Captain! Glad to hear it from someone like you.
Mebake
I believe that's the most open crumb I've ever seen in a 100% whole wheat loaf!
I presume this was a very high-hydration bread. Do you think using fresh-milled flour had an influence on the crumb structure?
David
Thanks, David!
I think i know the two secrets to achieving such an open crumb in a 100% Whole Wheat bread:
1 - The High hydration as you mentioned
2 - Mixing 40% fermented dough with 60% Autolyzed Dough in an epoxy way method (cutting bits of each dough and mixing each different part with the other evenly).
3 - Though not a secret, minimal subtle handling is crucial
To crown it all, Final dough was folded 4 times during 4 hours in the bowl. 5th fold was done on the bench.
Having said all the above, i believe that Stone milling White Hard Whole Wheat (Australian harvest) will result in high quality starch that has not suffered damage.
You were my inspiration David! Thanks
Mebake
That crumb looks fantastic and your photography is great too!
Salma
I was surprised too when i cut this bread open. It weighed considerably less than usual! Which means it'll be consumed faster.
Mebake
I strongly recommend everyone tries this bread. It is as tasty as being healthy.. i promise! It is a marriage between Peter Reinhart's Wholegrain skills, and Chef Hammelman's techniques.
Did i mention that when sliced and toasted, this bread's flavour is exponentially enhanced!! here, i had to say it.
It's people like you, sharing events like that that make this forum such a pleasure to be a part of. There's always something to learn here, from experts as well as from "newbies". Thank you; and everyone else.
Judyinnm, thanks.
I couldn't agree with you less. I myslef have learned tons from TFl. Even Chef Jeffrey Hammelman has at one point become a member in TFl. Such an inspiring forum it is.
go freshloaf! or yet .. go Floyd.
I think we're saying the same thing, why do you say you couldn't agree less?
I have used freshly home milled Montana Mills Prairy Gold in sourdough breads in the past and loved the flavor, I would like to try this again. Is your recipe posted here?
Russ
Could you post your formula and method notes, pretty please with sugar on it!
Judyinnm, Sorry hehe, midnight baking must have caught up with my rationale!! I meant i couldn't agree with you more :P.
Russ, Home milled flours are the best. The wheat berries i milled where the australian hard white, with about 10.5-11% protein content. As for the recipe, i'll post the method, rather than the recipe, simply because i didn't feel like weighing flours, sorry..
I made a wet biga (80% hydration). It was wholewheat flour+ripe levain diluted. Then, i made a soaker (75% hydration) with WholeWheat flour+Salt. Soker remained covered on 25C bench. The Biga went into the fridge after 1 hr.
Next day (24 hrs), i took the Biga out (2hrs prior to mixing) to dechill. Then, i cut equal pieces of both doughs and intermix them in a bowl, knead with wet hands for some time and move the dough to another oiled bowl. This is where i depart Peter Reinhart's instructions for Hamelman ingenuity. 1 hour into mixing the dough, i started stretch and fold, with 20 stretches. One hour later, the same. All with the bowl rested in a switched off oven. After the fourth stretch and fold, the wet dough has taken shape. i scraped carefuly the dough to a well floured workspace. I intensively use the dough cutter at this stage for stretching the dough from under to spread it to a rectangular shape. I use again the scraper/cutter to fold the dough into a letter shape for a final time, rest covered under a bowl for 5 minutes. Then, i flip the folded dough with the scraper, all with adequate flouring on the bench so that the fold seams are up. I preshape, wait and then close the seams to shape into a boule. The dough goes seams up into a proofing floured cloth lined basket.
I preheat the oven to 450F, for about half an hour with a stone, and a stainless steel bowl in. 1/2 hour - 40 minutes later, i carefully flip the dough unto parchment paper, score and into the oven it goes, with the HOT stainless steel bowl on top for 40% of the bake time (about 25 minutes).I reduced the temp to 420 - 400F. After 25 minutes i removed the bowl and leave the bread brown nicely.
I know that this is nothing new, but i presume that i had all the conditions and time constrains to my favour. A fluke to get so open crumb?, i doubt. I have a theory. I think that using epoxy method for wholegrains (mixing part of the biga and soaker to form a strong resilient dough), and Hamelmman's stretch and fold technique to distribute fermented dough with all its airbubbles while strengthening the gluten further. Having said that, i also believe that flour that is stone milled will form a strong dough, as excessive and heat generated milling can damage the flour contents, especially starch, and will result in lower sugar breakdown by enzymes during fermentation.
To suffice, i believe that a properly milled wheat will make a flour with capabilities to retain more hydration, great starch structure, and eventually oan open tasty crumb!
Mebake