June 10, 2017 - 8:19am
Whole wheat stone ground flour varies...what to do?
Hi Everyone! I've always used stone ground whole wheat flour for my artisan breads and gotten great results. The store I usually get it from was out of it (not a brand name flour) so I bought another from a different source. It seems to be much more absorbent and none of my breads have turned out. I've tried lowering the hydration from 85% to 81% and the dough is still too wet. I'm an amateur baker just trying to get a rise! Your thoughts please!
Share
when you are trying out a new flour whose properties you are unsure of. Recipes should always be a general guide and not a hard and fast rule. Also, I think you might have things backwards. If the dough is too wet, that means the flour is not absorbing the water as well as the one you are accustomed to.
Is less absorbent. Agree with Alan. Hold back enough water so you've dropped the hydration by 10% and slowly add more water as you are kneading till it feels right. Make a note of how much extra water you've added and there's your new hydration for this particular flour.
Thank you Alan & Lechem! I'm just a self-taught bread enthusiast who is always open to learning more. Very much appreciated!
making bread by hand with your old flour to know exactly what it should feel like. This is something many bread makers never learn because they use mixers and machines to make bread so they never get the feel for how dough should feel like at every stage of the process. and it is much harder for them to adjust o new flour or flour combinations.
But if upu make bread bu hand you know exactly what it should look and feel like along the way and moving on to new flour and flour combinations is pretty easy and 2nd nature.
Like the others have said just hold back water and add it back in until it feels right. Making bread is about feeling the dough, knowing what it should look like, smelling the levain recording in memory the kitchen temperature proof looks like in you baskets, It is a very personal a specific thing that is all about you, your bread, your process and your environment. It won't work well for anyone else.
Happy baking
Thanks Dabrownman! I'm understanding the process much better now. I'm headed to the kitchen to remake my bread- so much more fun than cleaning the house!
Have a good weekend!