Blending Flours for Sourdough Bread
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I often get asked: "What's the perfect flour blend for an open sourdough crumb using wholemeal(wholegrain) and strong white flours?"
But, it need not stop there. As well as wholegrain/wholemeal, there's also Spelt, Khorosan, Rye and Malted flours with which to experiment.
So, I thought I'd run through flour blending and proportions to still maintain a nice, open crumb, where possible.
What is the aim? To achieve an open crumb while still getting the flavour and attributes of the flour.
A. Wholegrain / Wholemeal
Let's consider a flour base of 500 gms, but of course, you could adjust proportionally by scaling up or down.
For a very open crumb with a mild wholegrain addition:
425 gms strong white (85%)
75 gms wholegrain (15%)
- This keeps the bran level low so it doesn't affect the gluten network, but it still adds flavour, texture and colour
For a balanced flavour combined with an open crumb, i.e. a good everyday loaf:
375 gms strong white (75%)
125 gms wholegrain (25%)
20% - 25% wholegrain is a good figure to work to as, at abut 20%, the crumb starts to tighten,
For a stronger wholegrain while still retaining the open crumb:
325 gms strong white (65%)
175 gms wholegrain (35%)
The key here is to increase the hydration, swap some of the stretch and folding for coil folding and give the flour a good long autolyse before adding the starter.
Key points:
1. Use strong white bread flour at 12% minimum protein to help higher hydration and large alveoli.
2. When using 15% - 25% wholegrain, increase the hydration to 75% = 80% as wholegrain absorbs more water, and this weakens the gluten slightly.
3. When using 30% - 50% wholegrain, increase the hydration to 80% - 90%, but increase the autolyse time to soften the bran and coil fold after the first set of stretch and folds.
4. Wholegrain flour benefits from a longer autolyse (60 minutes or longer) to hydrate the bran and improve extensibility.
5. Keep your starter to 15% - 20% and ensure bulk fermentation is not overdone. Increasing the % of starter runs the risk of over-fermentation, which weakens the gluten network
6. Gentle folding (coil and stretch and fold) is beneficial and preferred to vigorous kneading once the gluten is formed. Vigorous kneading can destroy the weakened gluten structure.
B. Spelt and Khorosan
If you're trying to produce open-crumb loaves, spelt and Khorosan require similar percentages to wholewheat, but it's important to adjust hydration and handling.
Spelt and Strong White
Spelt produces weak gluten and absorbs less water than bread flour.
For an open crumb loaf and an easy-to-manage loaf:
70% - 80% strong white
20% - 30% white or wholegrain spelt
72% - 78% hydration
e.g 350 gms strong white (70%) + 150 gms spelt (30%) at 78% hydration.
For a loaf with a higher percentage of spelt:
60% - 70% strong white
30% - 40% spelt
75% - 80% hydration
at 40% spelt and 80% hydration, it's possible to develop a very open crumb, but it will need a long autolyse and careful timing at the bulk fermentation stage.
Key points:
1. Again, use a good quality, high-protein, strong white bread flour to help maintain the structure
2. Spelt flour is naturally extensible, so don't worry about pushing the hydration too high. You can actually reduce the hydration and still develop a good open crumb.
Khorosan and Strong White
Khorosan flour is soft and has a buttery flavur but the ability to develop good gluten structures is poor. It requires blending with strong bread flour if you want a pale, airy and open crumb.
For an easy, gentle start:
80% strong white
20% Khorosan
72% - 78% hydration
20% Khorosan blended with strong white enables the baker to produce a noticeably open crumb and handles easily.
For a stronger Khorosan flavour:
60% - 70% strong white
30% - 40% Khorosan
75% - 80% hydration
40% Khorosan should give you a fluffy open crumb, which is easy to manage.
Key Points:
1. Khorosan benefits from a long autolyse before adding the starter.
2. 15% - 25% starter is a good balance, but watch the bulk fermentation, too long, the gluten structure will weaken.
3. Khorosan doughs can often feel soft, and it's easy to add too much water.
C. Rye and Malted Flours
Rye flour does not develop a strong gluten structure
For mild rye tang and maximum open crumb:
85% - 90% strong white
10% - 15% whole or dark rye
72% - 78% hydration
For good rye flavour but a tighter crumb:
75% - 80% strong white
15% - 25% rye
75% - 80% hydration
This works better if your active starter has been fed rye flour in advance.
Key Points:
1. Shorten the bulk fermentation time as the rye enzymes speed breakdown. However, keep the autolyse to a maximum of one hour.
2. Add too much rye (e.g. 30%+), and you'll find the loaf stays dense even if you increase the hydration to 90%. It gives good flavour but a very tight crumb.
Malted Flour and Strong White
Malted wheat barley flakes or flour add crunch, sweetness and diastatic malt enzymes. However, unless it's used sparingly, it'll often produce a gummy texture.
For open crumb priority, light malt taste and colour
90% - 95% strong white
5% - 10% malted wheat flakes or barley malt flour
75% - 80% hydration
The malt absorbs a lot of water. However, the flakes add texture wihtout jeopardising the open crumb. The added diastatic malt helps the rise.
For stronger malt character:
80% - 90% strong white
10% -20% malted blend (flakes and malt flour)
70% - 78% hydration
This is the closest I've got to Cotsworld Crunch flour, which is 15% flakes, 5% barley and a small amount of rye flour. blended with strong white flour. This gives a nutty taste and a fairly open crumb.
Key Points:
1. Use non-diastatic malt for flavour and colour, and diastatic malt only if the fermentation lags.
2. It's an advantage if you can soak your flakes overnight.
Let's put all that into a table for reference:
Where to start?
How about:
15% - 25% starter, bulk to 50% - 80% at 22⁰C - 26⁰C
Be ready to adjust your water down 1% - 2% if the dough feels too slack.
Hope this helps. Happy baking
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