The KAF no-knead whole wheat recipe https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/no-knead-rustic-whole-wheat-bread-recipe calls for 80-90% hydration for a dough thatś about 75% whole wheat.
Is it possible to shape, proof, and bake batards with that kind of hydration? Or are you limited to dumping the dough into a round dutch oven?
I have managed to bake conventional batards with 2/3's whole wheat @ 75% hydration, proofed in a couche and baked in a rectangular cast iron pot (Emeril stove top smoker). They don't spread too much, but what about 85%+ hydration? Any shaping/proofing tips?
Thanks
how about an oval banneton?
Most of the bakers on TFL who I admire/follow bake batards in a steamed oven on a baking stone. Sometimes they cover the loaf with an inverted pot or large roasting pan, such as a Graniteware.
Sure, thatś what I have been doing with 75% hydration dough; I used to use an oval banneton, now I use a couche which is a little more convenient.
My concern is that 85%+ hydration dough can't be shaped into anything but a boule, of if it is, when it comes out of the banneton it will just spread on the stone or in the roasting pan.
Louis, all whole wheat is not the same. This is especially true when you are using store bought whole wheat flour. Home milled flour (100% extraction) is super thirsty.
With that said, here is an idea that may help. You stated that you are comfortable with 75% hydration for past bakes using similar flour combinations. Mix you final dough to 75% hydration. After all ingredients, including the salt have been incorporated, allow the dough to rest covered for 20-30 minutes. After the rest use your hands to evaluate the hydration. Your hands are very capable tools for accurate hydration evaluation. If too dry, add water very slowly until it feels right to you. You do want a whole grain dough to favor the wet side a little.
Try it, you’ll like it...
Dan
Thanks for the suggestion. I have been using KAF whole wheat + KAF High Gluten for the non-whole grain portion.
Virtually every bread baking book and class and video will tell you that you just have to know if the hydration is correct for that flour and the weather and adjust as needed. I don't actually know what itś supposed to be like so I typically follow the base recipe, I choose the middle of the hydration range is there is one, and hope for the best. I'll add some water if I can't get the flour incorporated without it.
I've had some luck lately with the KAF no-knead whole wheat formula, with the whole wheat % and hydration pushed up. I made half of it into a boule that came out pretty well baked inside a dutch oven. A couple of days later, I tried to make two baguettes from the remaining dough. Let's just say that the shaping wasn't ideal and the dough was so wet that it stuck to a pretty well floured couche (at least I thought it was pretty well floured).
I scraped them off the couche and put them on the baking stone with steam from hot water in preheated pans, one cup before loading the oven, one cup after. I got two of the ugliest loaves you would never want to see, but the oven spring wasn't bad, the crumb was open and the crust was crusty.