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How to Make Better Whole Wheat Bread #1
People often ask us "How can I make a better loaf of 100% Whole wheat bread?" The answer is fairly easy. If you develop the gluten in your bread properly you will get a nice high loaf. The gluten or stretchiness of dough is vital as it is the structure that holds the bread up while baking. The yeast you are using is important to, as it is what blows the bread up by producing gas. You can liken a loaf of bread to blowing up a ballon. The developed gluten is the skin and the yeast is like the air you are blowing into the balloon.
Let us first discuss the ingredients. In this post we will discuss the liquids and the ratio of the flour to liquid in the bread.
Liquids : You can make bread from just flour and water. It won't rise a whole lot but the ratio of the flour to water is important. When making bread by hand we add enough flour to the liquid to become a dough, so that we can knead it. Other liquids can be used as well, like milk, soy beverage, or part of the liquid could be potato water ( water used when boiling potatoes is saved) and even adding an egg or two. These added liquids, other than water will add texture as well as moistness to baking. When using water you will have the best success if the water is purified or if tap water has been allowed to stand at room temperature for several hours. We have very good water here on the Westcoast so we just use a good warm to hot tap water in our breads.
You can feel when you have the right ratio, as the dough will be soft yet pliable and when using flour on the counter should not stick to the counter. In Kitchen Machines like the Bosch Universal Plus or Automatic Bread machines, we will use less flour than by hand as the machines can knead a softer dough, which actually results in a lighter loaf of bread providing the machine are giving it a proper knead. When we take the softer dough out of the machines we use oil on our hands and the counter in order to handle the softer dough without it sticking to us. If we used more flour it would make the bread drier, as the extra counter flour does not actually get kneaded into the bread to produce more gluten.
Often the amount of flour required in a recipe to produce a good yeast dough may very depending on:
1. The altitude (You would have to use less flour at a higher elevation)
2. The type of wheat or flour that you are using. Some flour will absorb the liquid more and will require less flour added to get the right texture.
3. The humidity. The higher the humidity the less flour your will add.
4. The atmospheric pressure. If you make bread on a rainy day you will require more flour than on a sunny day.
5. The protein content of the grain or flour you are using. The higher protein content the better the gluten development.
When using recipes for the first time we recommend that you add the last cup of flour gradually, adding only as much as needed for a soft or heavy dough depending on what type of bread you are making.
When using a dough making machine such as a Bosch Kitchen Centre, add the last cup gradually. As soon as the dough comes away from the side of the bowl and cleans it, you have enough flour in the bread.
To really know that you have the flour to water ratio right, take your dough and form a loaf and let it sit for a few seconds on the countertop. If the dough immediately starts to sink down and change shape, your flour ratio is too low. (Add more flour and knead longer) If the dough is hard and firm and holds the shape, you are going to get a fairly heavy loaf of bread, but maybe that is what you want as you used some rye or other heavier grain like kamut or spelt or oats in the bread. If you don't want it that heavy you need to work in more liquid into the dough.
Our next post will discuss the different types of flour in the breads and how it affects the taste, flavour and texture of the bread.
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