I like fresh stone ground flour. One issue is that the dough is not as extensible as commercial bread flours that contain citric acid. Good extensibility is important for good oven spring. Certainly, small amount (2%) of rye will improve extensibility, and long ferments generate acids that improve extensibility.
However, small amounts (parts/ 10,000) of citric acid are better. With my scale and small volume of production, dealing with pure citric acid is inconvenient. I have taken to adding the juice from a wedge of lemon for every 500 grams of stone ground flour in the dough. I always have a bowl of lemons on the counter so this is very convenient.
- agres's Blog
- Log in or register to post comments
Hi Agres! I've used orange juice with higher whole wheat formulas with good success, but more to counter any bitterness from the whole grains...I didn't realize the citric acid was also helping with extensibility. I find using some spelt in higher WW formulas also helps since that flour is known for its high extensibility, but can be tricky to work with at higher percentages. It works great at around 12-15% in my pizza dough recipe.
I also love using freshly ground flour but tend to keep the amount to approximately 25%, but I plan on doing some baking experiments soon with higher amounts very soon. I like the idea of the incorporation of a completely natural form of citric acid over any commercial additives too! Thanks for the tip!