Versions of Rye, can I bliend
I'm playing along with MellowBakers and one of the April Challenges is Hamelman's "light rye." The recipe calls for "medium" rye. I know I can substitute, and I know a darker rye will require more water. But, I've also noticed that some of our international members have a lot more variety available to them in versions of rye. I believe someone mentioned that one of the most common is what they call 1150 which I understand to be a rye with 1.15% ash.
I have available to me a "white" rye at .7% ash, a pumpernickel at 1.6% ash, and a dark rye at 2.7% ash. They also have an "organic" rye that is supposed to be a whole rye flour, but they don't know the ash content yet.
So, if I want a 1.16% ash could I mix 77% white rye and 23% dark rye and get similar results, or are there other factors involved?
I've also a suspicion (I haven't used it myself) that white rye tends to absorb less water than medium. If the dark rye is pretty fine, rye not? Mixing the two, they would offset each other.
Mini
Just to contribute to the confusion: Another parameter is how fine or coarsely ground the flour is. I believe that the "medium" in medium rye refers to this, although I would defer to anyone with better information. I also think that "dark rye" is not always simply finely ground whole grain rye flour.
White rye and dark rye tend to both be finely milled. Pumpernickel is whole grain rye that is very coarsely milled.
I think a blend of either white rye and dark rye or white rye and pumpernickel would make fine rye bread. Note that white rye by itself has very weak rye flavor.
David
in my experience fineness determines the amount of water rye flour absorbs: finer flour absorbs more water than coarser, whether white or wholemeal doesn't seem to make a difference to me. I'm using a white flour that is milled so finely that at less than 200% hydratation results in a *very* thick paste, very bothersome to stir.