A question about a recipe: Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Bread

Miranda is a contributor at Food52.

added about 1 year ago

I haven't made this recipe, so I can't be sure, but I would guess that it has something to do with not using the type of flour that the recipe calls for (whole wheat flour or unbleached) and there for the recipe behaving differently. Have you added the full 6 cups?

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I have added 7 cups to the sponge and it is still wet and sticky and not forming a ball.

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I think thy after giving the dough a good rest so the whole grain flour can get good and hydrated, I should pop it back on the stand mixer for 10-20 minutes. If anyone has different advice I am all ears!

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It is still wet and sticky and has gone back into the fridge for now.

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nzle added about 1 year ago

I would let it rest at room temperature for up to an hour -- depending on the humidity and temperature of your kitchen, full dough hydration can take a very long time.

Spelt flour may also be a cause of your troubles -- it develops gluten and absorbs moisture differently from all-purpose flour. If your dough is still sticky after resting, I would advise adding extra all-purpose flour instead of spelt flour.

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Cynthia is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.

added about 1 year ago

The rest period (called an autolyse) will help. But the root of the problem is that spelt flour is lower in protein than bread flour or WWF. Protein molecules are long and complicated, and part of what the kneading process does is extend them so that they take up the available water. The problem is that you have too much water for the amount of protein you have, even taking into consideration the WWF that you used. I'd suggest starting with an additional 1/2 cup of WWF, and add more if necessary. Persevere!

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thirschfeld added about 1 year ago

keep adding whole wheat flour, worst case scenario is you end up with an extra loaf. Boulangere is right on though about the proteins.

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I am out of whole wheat flour, so I added strong bread flour an hour ago and it has been resting and rising since. It is still tacky buy not wet.

Should I treat this as the first rise, or knock it back and knead it some more?

Thank you so much for the suggestions!

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Sorry for the typos - iPhone auto-correct...

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Cynthia is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.

added about 1 year ago

Good idea to go to BF. Just proceed as usual and let that be your 1st rise.

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ChefJune added about 1 year ago

I haven't made this recipe, but I have been making breads for more than 50 years. The amount of flour specified in bread recipes is never exact. If your bread is too sticky, add more flour, 1/2 cup at a time until you get a kneadable dough.

There are so many variables that can precipitate the need for more (or even sometimes less!) flour in any bread recipe: humidity of the house, age of the flour, how it's been stored, etc, etc.)

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