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Making sourdough with a Wondermix

KenW's picture
KenW

Making sourdough with a Wondermix

Hi everyone, 

Does anyone mix their sourdough with a Wondermix?  If so, are you mixing till gluten development or are you still doing stretch and folds?

Thanks

Ken

Ming's picture
Ming

No knead no machine mixing bread making recipes are very popular so I expect any other additional steps added to the process would be optional. 

idaveindy's picture
idaveindy

Do you have a WonderMix? Or are you thinking of getting one?

I have a friend who has one and loves it. But overall, it does not seem to get great reviews.

I used to think it was a private OEM label made by Bosch, but it's more of a Bosch knock-off.

KenW's picture
KenW

I just got one the other day.  Haven't made any bread dough with it yet.  Very interested in trying to make sourdough with it. Wondering if I can use the machine to knead the dough or do I still stretch and fold.

mariana's picture
mariana

I do not own that specific mixer, but I always knead my sourdough in a mixer or bread machine. I am simply too lazy to knead for 30-40min by hand. 

Stretch and folds are optional, not all recipes and breads require them, especially those with high proportion of rye in them or those with even crumb without large irregular pores. Kneading and s&fs are not mutually exclusive and one does not replace the other either.

Congrats with your new Wondermix, Ken! I only heard good things about it from great homebakers that use it.

KenW's picture
KenW

Hi Mariana,

I am making a sourdough rye that is 48% rye flour and 65% hydration.  I want to do it in my mixer. What do you recommend for kneading in the mixer and any stretch-folding.

Ken

mariana's picture
mariana

Hi Ken,

there are two ways to prepare that bread dough with 50% rye in it. Which one to choose depends on how strong your wheat flour is. If it is strong, then you may want to develop gluten by doing this: 

1) mix wheat flour with water from the recipe, let it rest for 2 hours for the gluten to form,

2) then knead to develop gluten,

3) then add rye ( or rye starter or rye levain, etc.) and the rest and mix it to homogeneity. 

Yippee illustrates how she does it here:

https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/68092/20210429-bread-machine-rye-loaf-stans-chleb-mieszany-clas

The second method is simpler. Just blend everything together and mix to homogeneity. Adding 50 rye to the mix will dilute wheat gluten of the moderately strong wheat flour so much that it will not develop properly and all you will want is to thoroughly knead it on low speed for about 15-20 min to have a homogeneous dough which will also result in a beautiful crumb, just different. 

This is how simple blending of 50:50 rye/wheat looks like in crumb

Source

If you already have a recipe for your 50% rye bread, then just follow the recipe, whatever it says. I would not do any stretch and folds in a 50% rye if the wheat portion is from European wheat, and would do them if the wheat portion is from strong Manitoba wheat.

This is how 50% rye with 50% Canadian whole wheat bread flour in it looks at the end of kneading: 

 

S+F

The crumb

Source

KenW's picture
KenW

Thanks very much Mariana. My white flour is strong Manitoba. I will try what you posted. 

Cheers,

Ken

KenW's picture
KenW

Mariana,

My flour is P&H Milling "Strong Baker's Flour.  I'm a fellow Canadian out here in Nova Scotia.  My rye is a locally milled whole rye flour.

mariana's picture
mariana

Good luck, now, Ken. These are good flours and a good mixer, make good bread with them! Nova Scotia has good water, suitable for bread making, so your bread will certainly be good.

Best wishes,

M.