I have been recently adding a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of Olive oil to my sourdough bread. My starter is made up of bread flour, rye flour, and whole wheat flour. My bread has been fermenting faster and rising better in the oven since I started adding the honey and oil. I also add a teaspoon of diastatic barley malt. My total flour is 975 grams, including what is in the starter for two loaves of bread. But it is lately getting a little gummy in the middle. The flavor has improved and the fermentation has improved as well with the additions but I sometimes think I am adding a little too much honey and oil lately, since I really don't measure it. Is there a point where you can add too much honey? I love what these additions do for the bread, but can I take it too far with them. Should I leave out the malt?
I add 1/4 cup of honey and 1/4 cup of oil to my 4 pound recipe for two loaves of sourdough sandwich bread. No issues at all, and I think the oil gives a more tender crumb.
That’s a lot to be adding and it’s biggest problem is gummy crumb.
I started adding equal amounts of EVOO , buttermilk or yogurt and honey to almost all my breads quite a while ago. I got the idea from Danni . She’s not posting anymore but she always added a splash of yogurt to her breads.
I call it “ The Trinity” . A number of other TFLers started doing it also. I use 20 g of each in a 1000 g total dough weight. I subtract 60g of liquid from whatever formula I am using to allow for the fluid I’m adding. It works amazingly well and I have never had a fail.
Good luck and give it a try. Either eliminate the malt completely or decrease substantially. The honey provides plenty of browning potential. c