Whole wheat poolish country loaf
I tried my hand at using a poolish for a country loaf and I don’t think it turned out properly. I tested only one loaf. I tested a whole wheat poolish in order to get more nuanced flavor into the final product.
I planned to let the poolish ferment for 8hrs, but it didn’t look active. No bubbles no rise. So I left it for a total of 16hrs and I saw a few bubbles and little rise and it wasn’t runny. Was this on account of the whole wheat?
I mixed the poolish and final dough. Bulk fermented on the counter and then shaped, final proofed and baked. The flavor was flat. Could this be due to under fermentation of the poolish?
I definitely want to increase the overall hydration. The crumb was tighter than I'd like. Also, a massive crater formed during the final rise and I tried to close it.
I don't have a photo of the poolish.
Formula as follows:
Poolish:
125g KA whole wheat flour
125g water
0.25g instant yeast
Dough:
375g KA bread flour
225g water
6.75g instant yeast
9g salt
Just last night I made a 100% hydrated whole wheat poolish with 0.25g Instant Dry Yeast. It fermented 15 hr @ 77F. It raised well and the resulting 60/40 (WW/BF) was supplemented with 5g yeast and blew up tremendously. Next time I’ll proba/ly redce the yeast kicker.
Are you sure your yeast is good?
Test it. Put a pinch of yeast in a small amount of warm water. Check to make sure it foams and has bubbles.
let us know what you find.
Danny
Thanks for your comment!
I believe the yeast is good, but it doesn't hurt to check. I used it for other loaves before and after and all has been well. Also, the bulk fermentation and final loaf rose really well, and I think I had some decent oven spring as evidenced by my scoring.
When you say reduce the yeast kicker, do you mean the yeast in the poolish or the yeast in the final dough?
The “yeast kicker” are words I use to describe the commercial yeast in the final dough mix.
What temperature would you estimate the ferment for the poolish?
Thanks for the explanation of "yeast kicker".
Honestly, I couldn't call the temperature. It's winter here and quite cool.. Maybe 68-70F? I live in a pre-war building where I can't control the temp.
My Thermapen came yesterday, so I set out some water and will let it come to room temp. I will test it and hopefully that will give me a better idea of my ambient temperature.
Aside from your poolish issue, you are using what most bakers would consider an excessive amount of yeast in your main dough. 6.75g IDY in 375g main dough flour is 1.8%. This equates to 4.5% fresh yeast, compared to a normal range of 1-1.5%.
Regarding the poolish problem, perhaps try using some of the bread flour in the poolish and the whole wheat in the main dough.
Lance
Thank you! That is good to know. I will follow those guidelines.
When using a pre-ferment, do I base my formula on the flour weight in the final dough or the total flour weight including what is in the pre-ferment?
6.75? That's waaaay too much yeast. You need 1 gram at most.
Just 1g yeast in the final dough?
DW, have you seen the latest Community Bake?
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/62486/community-bake-approachable-loaf-bread-lab
As the days go by and the bakes progresses there will be loads of relevant information posted. If you choose to try this bake, you are welcomed to join in.
The third spreadsheet from the top uses commercial yeast without any sourdough.
Danny