I am a home baker but have typically purchased commercial bread flour for baking.
Recently I purchased a 20kg bag of Keynote strong bakers flour from Ardent Mills.
My last bag was also from Ardent Mills but an Organic strong bread flour. I wasn’t able to purchase the organic flour at this time. Sadly, as I had used this organic flour and had great success with it using my kitchen aid mixer. The dough came together well after a few minutes of low mixing and I made endless number of excellent sourdough loaves.
I now have this new Keynote bread flour but I have found that it breaks down in the mixer . (After a 1 hour fermentolyse). At first , I thought perhaps I had over mixed the dough but it happens very very quickly into the mixing process. 2-3 mins on low.
I thought it was hydration but have done a hand mixed loaf , (no fermentolyse though) using the same hydration and was able to build up gluten strength quickly and made for a great loaf.
I’m trying to narrow down what I am doing wrong as I am committed to this bag of flour and do like to use my kitchen aid for convenience etc.
Any thoughts or advice or suggestions on ways to test what works or doesn’t work when using a new flour?
thanks
Because of gluten breakdown or do you carry on to see if it regains its strength?
Yes I have and it did form up again. I mixed for 6 mins/rest for. 3 mix 6 rest 3 mix another 6-8 and it finally formed up again.
Yes I have and it did form up again. I mixed for 6 mins/rest for. 3 mix 6 rest 3 mix another 6-8 and it finally formed up again.
You're getting a strong dough out of it. This happens in slap and folds too.
New flour - that says it all. Different materials (flour in this case) react differently. All you can do is adjust for the ingredients - and in the end it'll work out - as is the case here. Enjoy!
I agree with Davey1 that the flour is the likely culprit. I wonder if the breakdown is caused by proteolysis. If the newer flour is malted and the old one was not, it may partially explain why it is accelerated.
-Brad
Thanks for the responses There is amylase in this flour so that is likely why it behaves differently than what I’m used to. I am wondering how I should alter the mixing method or hydration to stop the break down or is the break down something I just accept. If not, should I reduce hydration or simply keep mixing the dough a lot longer until in comes back together again.
The only thing that changes is time - and that's up to the flour. Enjoy!
Sourdough or commercial yeast? And what is the proportion of prefermented flour?
-Jon
It is sourdough
My starter is 100% hydration.
I mix 100 % of the flour with all water(82%) and starter (20%)until no dry bits left ( with dough whisk) and let it sit for an hour before adding the salt(2%). After the 1 hour I add salt , I use the KA mixer here. It’s at this time after a slow mix for a minute or 2 that the dough breaks down and falls apart almost disintegrating when picked up. I have mentioned that it does come together in time but it just doesn’t seem right that the dough does this
For me it was the starter, when I had similar issues. The way to check is to mix the flour and water without starter, and to process it the same way and see if it breaks down, or not.
-Jon