Helpful suggestions wanted!
I have a new grain mill and I have wheat berries - the white stuff,
not the hard red stuff. The freshly ground flour looks and feels
great but I have had two failures using it in a bread recipe that I
have successfully used with commercial flour. The recipe is for 100%
whole wheat flour. (Link to recipe available if interested.)
After 10 minutes of kneading in the mixer with the dough hook, the
dough is craggy looking. I can pull it apart easily. It is not
elastic at all. So I added vital wheat gluten and some whole wheat
bread enhancer that has (among other things) more gluten and ascorbic
acid. For two large loaves I added 2 tablespoons of the enhancer and
between 1/4 and 1/3 cup of the VWG. After another 10 minutes the
dough was much more elastic but not enough apparently.The crumb looks
more like a biscuit than a nice bread.
My aim for this bread is a soft, tender loaf for sandwiches for
people who are transitioning from commercial breads to whole wheat
breads. I do make Cooks Illustrated's recipe for mostly no-knead
bread for our daily bread so I am familar with the different crumbs.
Any advice for me?
Julie in Jackson, MI