"Fred" > wrote in message
...
snip
>
> Let's go through some of these. If I get the dough moist enough that it's
> almost a batter my hearth loaves will look like pancakes. I suppose I
could
> live with panned loaves but that isn't what I had in mind. Someone talked
> about "pouring" a dough. My doughs don't pour. I have tried over
mixing.
> I've even gone to the point of breaking the protein strands with a 25
minute
> mix. I haven't tried using a lower gluten flour but I've certainly tried
> mixing rye, spelt and whole wheat flours which certainly decreased the
> "average" gluten in the dough. I've tried making up the dough right after
> mixing and then baking it directly without deflating and proofing. I'll
go
> back to the well on the high hydration idea because I've never gone to
80%.
> So how do you get a normal looking loaf from a dough that is so wet it
will
> spread like batter? I want to conquer this without resorting to a panned
> loaf. Thanks to all of you for the input.
>
> Fred
> Foodie Forums
> http://www.foodieforums.com
>
When I said pour the dough, I meant that instead of 'punching the dough
down,' you simply tip the bowl of dough over the floured board and allow the
risen dough to ooze out. You don't have to have a particularly high
hydration dough to do this, normal hydration will work. But you do have to
be careful that you are not making an overly dry dough--you know, one of
those 'knead until no longer sticky' things. Too often we add too much
additional flour during the kneading stage and the dough is really too dry.
You're looking for a dough that doesn't goop up your hands or stick to them
if you quickly stab or pat at it. When you make your dough into pieces for
individual loaves, cut directly downward instead of dragging a knife through
it. Lightly flour your cut line if that helps. Gently pat the dough into
the shape that you want and then gently pull the sides down and pinch
underneath to form a tight gluten skin to help the dough resist outward sag.
You can even use the traditional method of rolling the dough ball under the
palm to shape as long as you do it gently and quickly.
Janet