39th bake. 02/16/2021. 77% WW durum. 3 stage hydration.

Feb. 16, 2021.

This is my 8th bake for the durum Community Bake. The previous bake, #7, a tortilla/chapati, is at: www.thefreshloaf.com/node/67438/mini-bake-384-ww-durum-tortilla-chapati-02152021

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Submitted to the durum Community Bake at: https://www.thefreshloaf.com/comment/481725#comment-481725

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As a result of experimenting with 3 "mini-bakes" (38.1, 38.2, 38.3), I think my "baseline" for hydrating this whole grain durum is to soak it several hours at 77% hydration, and after the soak slowly bring it up to 89% hydration for the bulk ferment, adding the additional 12% water in two steps to avoid excess stickiness.

Going directly to 89% hydration turns the dough into a sticky paste that makes it more or less unworkable.  But hydrating it slowly, allows it to stay in the form of a workable dough.

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Goals/plan:  Use 640 grams of total flour to get a 9" diameter boule, 80% whole wheat durum (Sher Fiber Wala. see: https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/62248/praise-durum-flour-brar-mills ), 20% KA bread flour, do a three stage hydration of the durum (add 77% H2O, soak, add 6%, wait, add 6%), 5% chia, 1% nutritional yeast (add after the first soak, with the first 6% water), use sourdough starter -- no commercial yeast.

I forgot to include the starter's flour and water in the calculations and ended up with 77% durum instead of 80%.  

I ended up doing a four-stage water addition, not three. And at the last minute decided to leave out the nutritional yeast.

I hadn't planned on adding oil, but during the preparation of the soaker, the dough stuck to the bowl, so I added about 1 tbsp of regular olive oil. I added one more tbsp of regular olive oil during stretch and folds.

-- Here we go:

1:20 pm - Mix 512 grams Sher Fiber Wala whole grain durum, 10.2 grams salt, 394 grams of bottled spring water. Knead until well mixed. Put in quart size zippered storage bag, put in oven, about 68 degrees F.

4:00 pm - Slowly work in 20 grams more water. Oops, need to transfer it to a gallon bag.

5:55 pm - Slowly work in 20 grams more water.  The dough is now more pliable / extensible. Put a few drops of regular olive oil in the bag, to prevent sticking.

 8:10 pm - Slowly work in 21 grams more water.  

8:20 pm - Make a separate dough of 128 g King Arthur bread flour. 84 g water, 2.5 g salt.

- Make a soaker of 32 g whole chia seed, 20 g ground flaxseed, and 86 g boiling water.

- while soaker was cooling, mixed the KABF dough into the durum dough.

- Mixed the soaker into the dough.

- added 1 tbsp olive oil.

- decided to leave out the nutritional yeast.

[ 1:20 pm - 9:10 pm. 7 hours 50 minutes - non-fermenting soak/hydration, with salt, of the WW durum.]

 - Finally remembered the starter. Should have mixed it into the KABF dough, and soaker.  Mixed 51 g starter (my home-brewed from old red wheat) into the main dough.

9:14 pm - finished mixing / kneading.

Dough weight at beginning of bulk ferment: 1292 grams.

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Formula stats / percentages:

Total flour: 512 + 128 + 25 (starter) = 665.

Total Water, not counting soaker: 394 + 61 + 84 + 25 (starter) = 564.

Grand Total water: 394 + 61 + 84 + 86 (soaker)+ 25 (starter) = 650.

% hydration not counting soaker:  564 / 665 = 84.8%.

Grand total hydration, including soaker: 650 / ( 665 + 52 ) = 650 / 717 = 90.6%.

% pre-fermented flour: 25 / 665 = 3.7%.

% whole grain: 512 / 665 = 77%.

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10:04 pm - stretch and fold.  Added one more tbsp regular olive oil at some point -- for a total of 2 tbsp oil.

10:55 pm - stretch and fold.

Left in cold oven, about 68 F.

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Feb. 17, 2021.

[ 9:10 pm - 5:45 am.  8 hours, 35 minutes bulk ferment, cool room temp ~68 F. ]

5:45 am - fold, shape,  put in lined and dusted banneton and back in cold oven.

7:50 am - put banneton in fridge. Start oven warm up to *495 / 470 F.

[ 5:45 am - 8:50 am. 3 hours, 5 minutes final proof. ]

8:50 am- bake covered, 475 / 450 F. 15 minutes.

9:05 am -  bake covered, 450 / 425 F. 15 minutes.

9:20 am -  bake uncovered, 425 / 400 F. 25 minutes. 

 9:45 am - done, looks nice, internal temp 209.3 F.

11:35 am - Not satisfied with how it "thumps" at center of bottom of loaf, so I put it in pre-heated 375 / 350 F oven for 10 minutes. Tested again. Baked for another 3 minutes -- 13 minutes total. It now sounds good when thumped on bottom at center.

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* First temp is the oven thermostat setting, second temp is a thermometer reading. Oven appears 25 degrees off, if my thermometer is correct.