Hello
I have searched and searched and I can't find an easy answer to this question. I would like to know a general starting point to converting the water amount in recipes calling for white flour to whole grain flour in white flour recipes. For example I have a white flour recipe calling for 1000g of water, what multiplier should I use if I were to substitute white flour for 100%, 80%, 60% 50% wholegrain etc. I realise there is no exact answer but I am just after a rough estimate as a starting point. For sourdough of course.
Cheers
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Replies
Hello TomJam,
This is using hydration as a measure but you could think in terms of increasing the hydration by 1-1.5% for each 10% of wholemeal in the flour mix. Thus, if you have a white flour recipe at 70% hydration then, for 100% wholemeal, you would be looking at 80-85% hydration.
But, since it is very sensitive to the type, brand and age of flour, you really need to test it for yourself and work to something that you are comfortable with.
The other thing to keep in mind is the effect that wholemeal flour has on the development of the gluten in the dough as the bran and germ serve to affect the continuity of the gluten strands/sheets and thus the rise and oven spring if the loaf is not formed well. You might be best to progressively increase the proportion of wholemeal to get used to the changing character of the dough and maybe settle for less than 100% at a level that works well for you.
Good luck with your projects.
Farinam
Thank you for that. I will use this as a starting point and do some experimentation.
I have noticed that alot of wholemeal recipes include wheat gluten. I am asuming this is to assist the rise?
Cheers
Hello TomJam,
Because the precursors of gluten reside in the endosperm (which is the bit that is left to make up white flour) white flours produce more (and stronger - for the reasons mentioned previously) gluten than the same weight of wholemeal and so the thinking is that if you add extra gluten there will be some benefit in dough strength as a result. But, also, perforated gluten is perforated gluten so I would say that the benefit might not be all that great.
This article might give you a better idea of the sort of things involved. There are a lot of others out there as well.
http://www.katheats.com/the-husband/bread-experiment-1-whole-wheat
Good luck with your projects.
Farinam
I generally use 20 to 30 percent more water when using whole wheat flour. I have also begun soaking it for a few hours or overnight to soften whatever the molecular (or larger) hard edges of whole wheat. Experience with how you want a dough to look and feel at a particular stage will help.
Something else to experiment with is to adjust to whole grains in small increments, so as 10 percent of a dough as a first step, and onward from there. Remember that whole wheat will act differently from spelt, rye, etc. Other grains do not have gluten and will not contribute to rising at all. These should not be in the majority in a dough unless you are making a flat or relatively flat bread.
Have fun with the experimenting!