September 9, 2008 - 4:29am
Dough is too wet
The last few bread recipes I have tried have been like a batter instead of dough, I have been using about a tablespoon of dough relaxer in them, same recipe, but I end up having to add another cup or so of flour and still batter like, what a mess, I have done this recipe before and it was okay, the bread doesn't taste so great either, more bird food. I need help here, I am doing this in my bread machine, my question is can it be the dough relaxer? I am measuring with a scale. I hope someone can help me here, thanks.
Karol
Share
Well, if you've done the recipe before, and it worked out, what are you doing different now? Is it the same ingredients, same type and brand of flour (make sure you're really using bread or AP flour, and not cake or pastry flour), etc? If the only difference is the dough relaxer, I think we know the culprit... :)
dough relaxer ? which one
some of the ones i have used are mesured in parts per million
I got the dough enhancer from the King Arthur site.
dough relaxer and dough enhancer are two very diferent things.
This was the enhancer, did I get the wrong one? I am still so new at this, should I have gotten the other one?
I am sorry, I got it from the pleasant hill farm site, also 2 1lb bags of yeast.
Karol. If I may, I'd like to ask you why on earth are you using a dough enhancer?
The second question is. If you are using a bread machine why does it matter how wet the dough is? Doesn't the machine do the kneading anyway?
Rudy
A standard dough enhancer is a mixture of many things depending on the manufacture puratos is one big company that produces many types of additives (sp)
There main product is called s500 it is an enhancer used for factories or small bakeries that to use whats called a "no time dough process"
This is a way to mix the dough to alow for a short resting of about 15 minutes where the enhancer will relax and make the gluten stronger and soften the dough so it can be made up. After the 15 minute rest the dough is shapped "quickly" paned proofed and baked. This is what factories like wonder bread do because of the volume they must produce on a continus (sp) line. There is no way to know what is in the one you bought because products like s500 only come in 100 pound bage and are only sold comericaly.
The place you bought it from more likely buys the big bags and then repackage it in small bags and sells it at very high prices to home bakers that (don't take this personaly) most of the time do not know how to handle dough sdd in's like s500.
The commen chemicals in a dough enhancer are
Vital wheat GLUTEN, to increase gluten
Sweet DAIRY Whey, for taste and yeast food
Diastatic malt, i think most of here knows what this does
Ascorbic Acid this breaks down the gluten and softens the dough
The result is a dough that you can shape in as little as 10 minutes after mixing some breads like wonder are called batter whipted because the finished rellaxed dough is so soft it is droped into pans be machines because the dough is so soft it could nopt be shaped any other way. It will rise fast and bake with large spring and a very soft crumb and crust.
s500 is very strong, only 4 oz of it is used in a white bread dough that has 25 pounds of bread flour
In french or itialian bread about 75 parts per million is used If a part is 1 ounce then 75 ounces would be used for every million ounces of flour. In more realistic terms that works out to about 4,5 pounds of the s500 to 625 pounds of flour.
I think that about covers it but i am sure someone will ask a question or two,
Thanks guys for all the info, I am new like I said and thought this stuff would make the bread stay fresher longer, I also have the vital wheat gluten, diastatic malt, regular malt, actually I did use all in the last loaf, the reason I cared was I use the dough cycle and bake in my oven, I like the softer crust. I suppose I got suckered into thinking I need all this stuff, I did get the enhancer in a 1 lb. can for $5.00. it does also say 1 tbs. in 4 cups of flour, I called the company I bought it from yesterday and asked them about the problem I am having, the lady said use only 1 tsp. if that, oops, it also says bread machines add 1 tsp. per loaf, I really need supervision in my kitchen.
" oops, it also says bread machines add 1 tsp. per loaf, I really need supervision in my kitchen."
Nah. If you had supervision, you wouldn't mess up occasionally. And if you didn't mess up, how would you learn? ;)
in factory production chemicals such as BHA and BHT are to maintain shelf life . also mold inbibitors are used thats why wonder bread stays fresh for a long time.
in the home try things like replacing some or all of the sugar with corn syurp which will absorb water from the air and help keep the product fresh. Honey can be used which works the same way but will impart some flavor to the product this can be a wanted flavor improver while corn syurp has little or no taste. and can be used ounce for ounce to replace sugar. if you use 4 oz of suger you can replace with 4 oz of corn syurp or use halve sugar and halve syrup.
that should keep your bread freash for an extra 2 days or so.