Wholemeal Bread - too dense

snips86x

snips86x

snips86x

Soldato
Joined
14 Nov 2012
Posts
17,971
Location
Chesterfield
I made wholemeal bread over the weekend and disappointed to find the density thicker than I wanted and would have liked.

I used all the correct ingredients and followed the method but I must have missed something.

Before the final prove, it was sat for 2-3 hours and I knocked the air out of it as instructed. Once this was done it was placed in a baking tray and proved for 1 hour and did double in size.

Did I kneed it too hard that all the air was out? Did I miss something else?
 
Hand Rolled

2vmdh0z.jpg
 
I'd try something closer to a 50/50 ratio. Maybe not quite as far as that, but certainly close. Someone else with more bread making experience can probably chime in with something more precise soon.
 
Leave it to rise overnight and use less yeast. Better to use a sourdough starter though you will get a much better structure.
 
snips86x said:
I made wholemeal bread over the weekend and disappointed to find the density thicker than I wanted and would have liked.

I used all the correct ingredients and followed the method but I must have missed something.

Before the final prove, it was sat for 2-3 hours and I knocked the air out of it as instructed. Once this was done it was placed in a baking tray and proved for 1 hour and did double in size.

Did I kneed it too hard that all the air was out? Did I miss something else?

The recipe stated 400g wholemeal and 100g white.
Click to expand...

That is the ratio I use for wholemeal bread, and it should be fine.
Where all of your ingredients fresh?
You may have knocked it back too much but the first thing I thought of was water. How much water did you use and was it filtered? Water, the quality and amount, is a hugely important ingredient. Too much or too little can really change the quality of the finished bread, even though it looks like the dough has behaved as it should during the proving and baking.
 
delta0 said:
I use 50/50. I also try to let it have a final prove on the tray it goes into the oven on.
Click to expand...

That's what I did and due to a crazy few days, I left it proving for about 4-5 hours - I'd fallen asleep :rolleyes: Would this make a difference?

robj20 said:
Leave it to rise overnight and use less yeast. Better to use a sourdough starter though you will get a much better structure.
Click to expand...

I was instructed to use 10g - I'm still new to baking but happy to trial it, was using the 'Learn how to bake' book written by Paul Hollywood.

molinari said:
That is the ratio I use for wholemeal bread, and it should be fine.
Where all of your ingredients fresh?
You may have knocked it back too much but the first thing I thought of was water. How much water did you use and was it filtered? Water, the quality and amount, is a hugely important ingredient. Too much or too little can really change the quality of the finished bread, even though it looks like the dough has behaved as it should during the proving and baking.
Click to expand...

Ahh - now there is an interesting question.

I was instructed to use 320ml of tepid water. 2 parts boiled, 1 part cold tap water. IIRC, I used the lot, maybe this had an effect. I did wonder if I'd knocked it back too much, after the 2nd prove I did kneed for 5-10 mins, got carried away - too much?
 
snips86x said:
I was instructed to use 10g - I'm still new to baking but happy to trial it, was using the 'Learn how to bake' book written by Paul Hollywood.

Ahh - now there is an interesting question.

I was instructed to use 320ml of tepid water. 2 parts boiled, 1 part cold tap water. IIRC, I used the lot, maybe this had an effect. I did wonder if I'd knocked it back too much, after the 2nd prove I did kneed for 5-10 mins, got carried away - too much?
Click to expand...

10g of yeast is perfect for that weight of flour. You could use less and leave it overnight, but that isn't necessary for what should be a straight forward bread. Whilst a sourdough starter is great and makes some superb bread, it can be a difficult beast to tame for some.
The ingredients and instructions in the Paul Hollywood book should result in a good end product. Some people may not like him because of the way he is on GBBO, but he does know what he is talking about.

I've never used boiled and tap water together, I always use tepid tap water. You say you used the lot but that isn't a problem, sometimes you need more water, sometimes less. It is absolutely to do with the consistency of the dough. You can be precise with the other ingredients, but the amount of water is something you'll have to judge. Did you weigh the water or measure using a line on a jug? I used to use the line on a jug, then I started weighing it and realised that the lines aren't that accurate at all. Of course, as mentioned previously, you'll still have to judge the correct amount that you need to add, but weighing it will give you an idea as to how much you have actually used.

Knocking back the dough should take no more than a minute or two really. As soon as you feel the air has been knocked out of it, stop. Multiple proves can help more flavour evolve in the bread, but knocking back between each prove shouldn't take long at all. 5 to 10 minutes is perhaps excessive.

For simple breads like this, I:
- Combine the ingredients
- Kneed for about 7-10 minutes
- Cover it and let it rise until it has doubled in size. Usually around an hour, perhaps up to 2 hours depending on the room temperature.
- Knock it back which takes about a minute.
- Shape it and put on a baking tray or in a bread tin. Put it in a plastic bag and let it prove for about an hour
- Bake
- Eat with plenty of butter!
 
Did you weigh the water or measure using a line on a jug?
Click to expand...

I had a pyrex jug which I used to measure the quantity and I think the flaw here was the amount of time I knocked it back. I did all the steps you've mentioned about, inc butter, but knocked back for too long, maybe this was the issue.

Glad to know I wasn't too far away though.

Would you prove in a warm room or under/by a low heat source or just leave in a warm ish room?
 
snips86x said:
I had a pyrex jug which I used to measure the quantity and I think the flaw here was the amount of time I knocked it back. I did all the steps you've mentioned about, inc butter, but knocked back for too long, maybe this was the issue.

Glad to know I wasn't too far away though.

Would you prove in a warm room or under/by a low heat source or just leave in a warm ish room?
Click to expand...
I always leave it to prove on the side in my kitchen, not specifically near a heat source. The time of year/temperature of the kitchen will determine how long it needs to be left, and the warmer summer months generally mean the temperature is more consistant. In the winter, our heating doesn't come on during the weekdays as we aren't in the house, so proving time in the evening can vary especially with different doughs. I just check it every now and then.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom