December 21, 2023 - 5:02pm
Does scalding bran denature the enzymes too much?
For my next 100% Whole Wheat sourdough loaf, in the never-ending quest for a more open crumb (and a journey away from bricks), I am going to attempt to sift the bran out of my home-ground flour . . . and then scald that bran with boiling water, and add the bran-porridge back into the during the build.
But, my compatriot in bread-making (Jared) claims that I will be damaging/denaturing the enzymes in the bran too much (with the boiling water) . . . so, where is the edge between "good damage" (ie grinding flour) and "bad damage"?
thanks--ted
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I have been getting very good results from doing that. You will for sure be deactivating enzymes, but considering how few grams of bran there will be - and so how few molecules of the enzymes - I don't see how one could notice the lack. Those enzymes play a role when a starter or levain is built.
If you want to play it safe, you could use the bran for a soaker with room temperature or lightly warmed water. Let it soak for some hours or overnight, then include it when you mix up the dough. It will still improve the loaf. One way this happens, is that however much bran flakes truly cut gluten strands, they won't do so after the soaking.
Once you see what the effect is of using a soaker make from the bran, you can move on to making a scald and see if you see and like a difference. I predict you will find the scaled bran the best. In any event, it's not going to be a lot of bran by weight.
TomP
Depending on how you do it you may be killing off the enzymes completely. In fact, you most likely do. I just don't understand how it matters.
I bake with bran frequently, and have compared an identical recipe with the bran scalded vs soaked (part of the autolyse). I didn't see any added benefit from the scald and stopped doing it.
Hi,
Getting a fine grind (sift and then girnd 35 sec in a spice blender) on the bran made a significant difference for me.
(It does heat up the bran.)
It's an extra step but worth it for me.
I got pretty nice open crumb (enough for a noticeably lighter texture but not so much that spreads fall through the holes)
Workday 100% WW @ 85% hydration, with bassinage - photos
with Hamelman's formula extended to 85% hydration: Workday 100% WW - "Bread" 3rd ed formula
I got pretty nice open crumb (enough for a noticeably lighter texture but not so much that spreads fall through the holes)
Workday 100% WW @ 85% hydration, with bassinage - photos
with Hamelman's formula extended to 85% hydration: Workday 100% WW - "Bread" 3rd ed formula
I sift and scald when I am baking a 100% wholegrain hearth style loaf. The reason I do this is to fully develop the gluten in the dough in the absence of the bran. Also the bran is fully hydrated and softened so again is easy to incorporate into the well developed dough. I have found this gives me a better more open crumb when baking these types of breads.
I am sure that the enzymes in the bran are denatured by the heat of the scald, the boiling water is well over the temperature needed to denature proteins. However, I have seen only benefits and no downside from doing the scald, other than the time needed to sift the bran out of the flour in the first place.
Benny
I got a very nice 100% WW loaf by sifting out the bran and scalding it. Here's a pic of the crumb:
ww_scald_crumb.jpg
Of course, it didn't have the additions ...
That's a beautiful crumb, a bit more open than mine. What's the hydration?
I'm happy with my crumb as open as it is at 85% hydration; I'm too lazy to sift out the bran and add it back.
With the water in the scald, it's hard to be sure. Neglecting that water, the hydration was 70%. Including it, the hydration was 91.5%. I liked the height of the loaf as well as the openness.
Yea, hard to see how it could be improved on.
After the holiday season I'll skip the nuts and berries and go to 15% onions or scallions, with the 85% hydration.
Should be yummy. Happy New Year!