March 11, 2011 - 8:39am
Retarding rye, it works!
Lately there's been some speculation between Mini, Andy and me regarding retardation for rye breads.
I tried it yesterday retarding in the fridge the already formed "loaf" from 9 to 20. I found it a bit risen in the fridge, so I moved it to a warm place for 3 hours, then I baked it as usual at 200°C for 1 hour.
It raised as usual, without the slightest problem. It was almost the usual rye bread recipe (hydratated at 85% with a small part of oil) with some sugar in it (25%).
I still have to slice it, but for sure the fridge didn't distabilize the dough.
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Sugar acts as a preservative, changing osmotic pressure enough to slow down fermentation. Have you tried this without the cold temps?
but I don't think it affects the enzymes that destabilize the dough.
Previously I noticed that sugar had a terrible effect on my branched rye starter, relenting it much more than I expected. I ended up droppping it because it didn't satisfy me.
mentioned are documented.
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091108062726AAjS5qT
seem to stiffen rye dough's delicate stretching structure (70 - 100% rye) could the sugar be softening it? Preventing a stiff dough structure and thus allowing the rye to support itself better?
Mini,
one unusual thing that I noticed is that the consistency of this dough was totally unaffected, as if I didn't add 25% sugar at all. In a wheat dough the conistency would have been very slack, but in this case absolutely not (at room temperature of course). Evidently penthosans are hygroscopic up to the point of not suffering the competition from sugar, unlike wheat's gluten. I didn't test the consistency when the dough was in the fridge, so I couldn't say. The sugar was completely dissolved with salt in the water of the final dough.
As for the fermentation I guess that you are thinking that a reduced fermentation (due to sugar's osmothic pressure) will not take the penthosans network to the break point, correct? It's perfectlyt possible and I have to say that I didn't think of it.
Some complex set of reactions must have been going on. I hope someone can help us to understand. One thing is sure: I need to repeat the test without sugar to be completely sure.