Hello,
I have been experimenting Ken Forkish's FWSY recipes, and whilst I had a reasonable success with the overnight Poolish bread (100% white), I'm struggling with the Saturday Bread (%75 wholemeal).
I have been following the recipe fully (bought a thermometer for the water temperature etc.). Main problem appears to be denser bread in comparison to pictures shown on the book. I know they are probably the "perfect" ones but I'm trying to get close to it. While they taste pretty good, this dense structure also makes it a little bit "doughy" in my opinion. For example, even after my bread is fully cooled to room temp (after 3-4 hrs), when I slice it knife is not 100% clean (i.e. some dough sticks to it, like a thin layer).
According to the 75% wholemeal bread recipe, 80% hydration is required. This level is 72% for the 100% white flour version. After number of attempts to get it right, I have decided to reduce the hydration a bit, as I suspect my bread is a bit "too wet". So I went with the hydration level used for the white bread (72%) but used a 50:50 mix of white/wholemeal flour. Looking at recipe mixes I think Ken would use around 76-77% hydration, so in my opinion I reduced the water by 5%. Overall the dough felt less wet and it was easier to handle in comparison to previous ones I made.
I have been using Allinson Strong White Bread flour (12% protein) and again Allinson Very Strong Wholemeal Flour (13% Protein). In an attempt to use similar protein level flours as described on the book, I previously tried Allinson Plain Wholemeal Flour (%12) but this was a disaster (created a very flat bread). I use Allinson easy bake yeast (instant) for all my baking and bought a new one to eliminate yeast related questions.
Anyway, I bake my bread for 25-30 mins in a Dutch oven with the lid on, at 250C (fan assisted), and another 15-20 mins without the lid (I don't alter the temp).
I would very much appreciate if you could let me know your thoughts/tips in getting this right. I think my breads turning a bit denser with somewhat doughy texture is inter-related.
Some notes:
I normally knead by hand and do 3-4 folds as per the instructions, but on the last 2 times I used a stand mixer and kneaded the mixture for a few minutes (5-6 mins), and then gave some folds within the first couple of hours. So I suspect it is not kneading.
I also do the finger test to check if the bread has had enough time for final proof (i.e. doesn't spring back quickly and fully).
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From the photo, looks OK to me. Whole grain is going to be a denser bread with more body. Different than "fluffy white bread".
all by itself but at least you have pretty close to his room temperatures to work with. Knocking 5% of the water off is a good place to start but getting it as wet as possible will only help to replicate the pictures.
Thanks for the comments.. I think my main challenge is to find the right balance for the flour/water ratio. When used lower protein wholemeal flour (12% vs 13%), resulting bread was heartbreaking:) In fairness it did say on the package it was for biscuits/cakes etc. but I mainly went on the protein % and it must be the type of wheat - just was not good at all.
Do you see any signs of under kneading/proofing here? Or not making a good enough tight ball?
isn't with the baker. If it tastes good then it is a complete success for this flour and hydration.
Don't understand the reason to trouble shoot this one. Just put up a batch of orange marmalade from pruning a potted orange tree here in Austria. It would go nicely on top. :)
... that you got this kind of light, springy loaf from British flour, actually! I was in the UK recently for a six week trip and tried to bake while I was there. I was a bit frustrated, to say the least! :)
Keep tweaking a few things (mixing / development method, hydration, fermenting and proofing times and temperatures, etc.) and see what difference each tweak makes to the bread. Meanwhile, enjoy it!
OK - based on good comments of bread enthusiasts/professionals I think I will accept that it is good enough for now. But of course I will continue experimenting.
One other question - since my dutch oven is a little larger than what's recommended by KF, I started making one large loaf rather than two smaller ones. I have kept the temp. etc the same but increased the baking time by additional 5 mins or so with the lid on, and didn't change the duration for the second part (where I continue baking with no lid for 15-20 mins). Do you think additional 5-6 mins gives enough time or would I get any benefit from increasing a bit more? I think I cannot increase the 2nd part too much as it gets pretty dark in about 17-18 mins.
Many thanks for your comments.. Oh, maybe I can try 50:50 with Canadian White Flour and Allinson Wholemeal, that might work quite nice..
turn back the heat a little bit. I would add more than 5 minutes to the baking time.