Very strong bread flour (16gr protein)
Hey!
A few days ago I went to buy myself some bread flour and I saw that the store only had very strong bread flour (16 grams, W 330-370 of protein compared to the 13 grams I buy every time).
I didn't think much of it but had a small voice in my head telling me to ask beforehand if there's going to be any major differences in the usage... I didn't ask, I was just too lazy (a mistake...)
I decided to bake myself a Tutmanik (a traditional bread filled with white-brined cheese and eggs from my country).
The dough was honestly perfect (I'm still quite inexperienced in breadmaking but I haven't made such an elastic, stretchy dough before. I used my KitchenAid for the kneading, and I kneaded for 10 minutes on second speed)
The yeast in the recipe is a packet (5 or 7 grams, depending on the brand). I usually half it because I proof the dough overnight in the fridge, never had a problem before.
Here is where it gets interesting.
On the next day, usually, the dough should have filled the bowl nicely, this time, the dough was proofed, but was only filling the bowl halfway.
Working with it was a breeze, and shaping the bread was a breeze as well (it held itself much more compared to making the bread with flour that has 13 grams of protein).
For the second proof, the bread didn't rise much, it certainly didn't double in volume as it should ( it usually fills the pan nicely, and rises even more during baking. That's what makes the bread, it should fill the pan and rise very much in height). I baked it, and during baking it rose a bit but again, not much.
The taste is very good but the bread feels rubbery and dense.
I'm not sure why's that, never happened to me before.
It's not cold here, and my yeast is fresh and good.
But I'm eager to learn!
I would appreciate all input and pieces of advice! Thank you.
A chewy/rubbery crumb can happen with very high gluten flours. Did you adjust the water at all? High gluten flours generally require more water, and if it didn't have enough that could form a dough that was too stiff for the gas to expand like it normally would.
The dough wasn't stiff at all honestly
The recipe that I use is
550 grams of flour (it's usually nowhere near enough, so I have to add at least 50 grams more)
2eggs
2 tbsp oil
2tbsp yogurt
100 ml water + 100 ml fresh milk
a packet of yeast
1 tsp salt
This time, the 550 were nearly enough, compared to other times, had to add no more than 30-40 grams additionally and that made a very nice, soft dough.
In my experience higher gluten flours need a longer bulk time. Let it sit out a bit before putting it in the fridge. Especially where you are decreasing the yeast by half (I'd maybe change that and use 75%), it needs more bulk time at room temperature.
I see, thank you for your input.
I might try to make the bread again, this time without any tampering with the recipe. Make the dough, leave it to rest for half an hour, shape and leave it to double in size, and then bake. No change in the amount of yeast, and no overnight proof. I'm still quite new to baking in general and maybe flours with such a higher gluten require more care in general?
There's a recipe on the pack for brioche rolls. It's a pretty standard recipe. It requires one proof as well, you make the dough, leave it for 15 minutes to rest, shape the rolls, fill them with whatever, and leave them to double and bake.
I checked out the Facebook page of the manufacturer, a lady had posted her Easter brioches which look fabulous, all big and fluffy using exactly this flour, so I am a bit confused haha :)