What happened? Mixer vs Hand
Hi Loafers.
I'm making my usual weekend batch, a white (70%) sourdough and a whole (60%ww) 80% sourdough.
Prefermented 30%. Then gone to mixing. First the faster WW. I've being doing this kneading by hand, slap and fold style. But I got my arm hurt, so I gone for the mixer. I have a very simple mixer, 300w, it has a stand that poorly mimics a kitchen aid. I've done my first breads with it. They were dryer though, around 65%.
So this dough worked as expected, developing gluten fine an gone to bulk.
But when I made the same procedure with the 100% white dough, there were no development. I mixed for 4min/rest/10 min/rest/10 minutes. Nothing. So I put the stuff in a bow and using a one arm technique (only one injured :) I managed to develop the gluten, it was some work. Once the stuff started to get together, I tried to put it back in the mixer to see if it could get it from there, no luck. The dough even seems to get looser, so I went back to the bow and finished that way. The dough is fermenting right now, and looks really fine.
What do you think? If I kept mixing it would eventually develop the gluten?
Why have this happened?
Thanks
vicente
Have you changed your flour?
There's no reason why a gluten grain should fail to develop gluten unless the issue wasn't gluten development but too much hydration. The feel of an overly hydrated dough could be mistaken for poor gluten development if not handled correctly. You say the recipe is the same as usual but have you changed from your usual flour?
Hi Lechem, thanks for your thoughts. I indeed, did get a new batch of the same brand, and perhaps that's causing over hydration. The dough was very wet indeed... But. The fact that I get the gluten to develop by kneading by hand doesn't mean that the dough was ok? I mean the hydration?
Also the whole wheat dough, using the same white flour (40% of the dough) worked normally...
Gluten formation would be easier in a machine but as I only knead by hand I wouldn't know why this should be so. I think with bread (or indeed anything in life) it's whatever works! Recipes are guidelines and because different flours and climates will affect the dough differently you should also go by feel. Another good idea is to hold a little of the water back and you can always add more if the dough needs it. Better this way than over hydrating it and then adding more flour as this will unbalance all the other ingredients as the flour is always 100% in baker's maths and all other ingredients are a percentage of the flour. If you start adding more flour then the salt will be out of whack etc.
It's indeed weird... Anyway it worked, and as you pointed... Whatever works :)
I'm probably over hydrating my doughs, will make some tests.
I've never thought that adding flour unbalance the whole recipe, good thinking. Thanks for your replys Lechem.
Vicente