Adding more whole wheat to Hamelman's Pain au Levain w/ Whole Wheat

Mmezeezee,

I started to respond to your question Friday, with some suggestions. Instead, Saturday morning I started building an all Whole Wheat levain (500g) to make a couple of 40% Whole Wheat loaves of sourdough (pain au levain). I build the levain with three feedings, over approximately twenty-four hours. I keep a close watch on each build's development, and do  each feeding as the prior build peaks, which is usually about every eight hours at room temperature.

This morning mixed up our weekly sourdough substituting the all Whole-Wheat levain, for the usual, and adding additional WW flour to account for 40% of the total flour.

Here are the bakers percentages, and scaling for 1500g of 68% hydrated dough

Levain

seed starter, 100% Hydration, (all-clear flour) 20g

Whole wheat flour   240g

Water                    240g

Total Flour in levain 250g                                       28%

Final Dough

All the levain         500g

Whole wheat flour 105g                                          12%

Bread Flour           527g                                           60%

Total Flour            882g                                         100%

Water from levain 250g

Water                    350g

Total Water          600g                                           68%

Salt                         18g                                              2%

1. Mix the dough, on low speed until fully incorporated

2. Autolyse, 30 mins.

3. Knead, with dough hook, 4 mins. on 2nd speed (KitchenAid planetary mixer)

4. Bulk ferment for 2 hours, with 3 Stretch and Fold at 30 minutes intervals.

5. Turn out and divide into two equal portions. Preshape (boules, or batards) Rest. 15 mins.

6 Final shape.

7. Final proof (1 to 2 hours, or until loaves pass the poke test)

8. Bake in preheated oven (500°F), with steam for first 15 minutes. Decrease oven temperature to 450°F immediately after loading.

9. Remove steam source, and vent oven. Bake until done (internal temperature 205°F), or by feel and sound, approximately, 15 mins.

I kept this dough mix at 40% Whole-wheat because that's what we like, but it could readily handle 50%; a fourth S&F might be needed, and remember all bread flours aren't the same. I use King Arthur Bread Flour which has about 12% protein.

Here's the results. Prefermenting all but 12% if the Whole-wheat flour gives this bread plenty of wheaty flavor.

Living in, argueably, the lightning-strike capital of the USA we frequentlly loose power. This morning, fifteen minutes into the bake, we lost power (wasn't restored for four hours). I left the oven door closed, and the vent covered for an additional 30 minutes, checking the bread's color through the glass door with a flashlight. I took out the larger batard quickly reclosing the oven door, and checked the internal temperature: 206°F! I pulled the smaller boule, and breathed a sigh of relief. These loave's light color is likely due to the power failure. They taste great! Crumb is light, but chewy.

This formula, usually made with 10% whole rye, 45% AP, and 45% Bread Flour evolved from Hamelman's Pain au levain.

David G

If you're doing a whole-wheat pain au levain then you're basically talking about desem.  Desem is--simply put--pain au levain adapted for whole wheat-- which means firm starter, more starter, and coolish temperatures in order to minimize sourness with whole wheat flour.