Bread dough hydration refer to the ratio of water to flour in a dough recipe. The hydration levels determines teh texture of the baked bread. Using too little water will result in breads that is dense and hard to bite into.
Using too much water will make the dough too sticky or cause the bread to fail to hold it’s structure when slicing. Therefore, understanding hydration levels is essential for anyone wanting to bake bread regular. To control hydration levels in bread doughs, bakers use baker’s percentages.
What Is Dough Hydration
With baker’s percentages, bakers set the weight of the flour at 100%, and the hydration of the water is calculated as a percentage of the weight of the flour. For instance, if 1,000 grams of flour are used, 70% hydration would require 700 gram of water. A digital scale should be used to weigh out the water and flour for bread recipes.
Digital scales offer the precision needed to weigh ingredients as opposed to use measuring cups. Measuring cups are not accurate because the density of flour can differ when measured in measuring cup. Additionally, digital scales allow bakers to measure ingredient in grams.
Using digital scales to measure flour and water ensures that hydration levels of bread dough remain the same every time a batch of bread is baked. Bread doughs can be categorized according to the amount of water they contain. Stiff doughs contains between 50% and 60% hydration and are used for making bagels and bread with braids.
Doughs that contain higher hydration levels then stiff doughs are used for sandwich loaves and rolls. High-hydration doughs contain enough water to make baguettes, sourdough, and ciabatta bread. The higher the hydration levels, the stickier the dough and the larger air pocket within the bread.
These doughs require different technique when preparing them than doughs with lower hydration levels. The amount of water in bread dough directly affect the crumb structure of the bread. Low-hydration doughs contain a tight crumb structure with smaller air pockets, perfect for breads used as toast or sandwiches so that the filling dont leak out of the bread.
High-hydration doughs create an open crumb structure with larger air pockets, which is needed to make breads like ciabatta or sourdough. Due to the thin wall between air pockets in high-hydration bread, flour with high protein content should be used. High protein content in the flour creates more gluten in the dough that can hold the air pockets within the dough.
Depending on the hydration levels of the dough, different techniques need to be used to prepare the dough. For instance, if the dough has low hydration levels, aggressive kneading the dough will develop the gluten within the flour. For high-hydration doughs, aggressive kneading the dough can tear the gluten strands.
Instead, the baker can gently stretch and fold the dough every thirty minutes to prepare the gluten without difficulty in handling the dough. Additionally, use wet hands when touching high-hydration dough as this will prevent the dough from stick to the skin. Many error can occur when an individual does not manage the hydration levels of the dough.
One of the most common error is adding too much flour to a sticky dough to make it easier to handle. Adding too much flour to a sticky dough lowers the hydration levels of the bread and creates a dense loaf of bread. Another of the common error is using all-purpose flour for breads that contain high levels of hydration.
All-purpose flour do not have high protein content like bread flour. Finally, one of the most common errors is ignoring the fermentation time of the dough. The fermentation time is critical because the temperature of the kitchen affects the rising of the dough.
To prepare all bread doughs consistently in a baker kitchen, follow the five-step process. The first step is to mix the flour and water together and allow the mixture of flour and water to rest. This initial rest of flour and water is called autolyse.
Next, develop the gluten within the flour by kneading or using the stretch-and-fold technique. Next, allow the dough to bulk ferment until the dough has doubled in size. The fourth step is to shape the dough to develop surface tension.
The fifth step is to proof the dough gentle before baking it in a hot oven. Using a Dutch oven to bake the dough will trap the steam from the dough that will help it rise during the initial stage of baking.