Hydration with AP Flour vs KABF

[benji99]

Hi all,

I recently made one of my best doughs following a simple recipe using only All-purpose flour. Tonight I made the same recipe using 75% KABF and 25% AP flour and noticed that the dough was quite a bit more dry than with 100% APF. Is this normal? If not, what other factors could effect the hydration of the dough?

I had to add some additional water but was afraid to add too much and hopefully the dough will be ok. I plan on using it Saturday.

Thanks all!

[Pete-zza]

benji99,

Did you use the same amount of water for the blend as with the KAAP, and did you use a scale to weigh the flour and water? FYI, the blend you used has a protein content of 11.95%. For the KAAP alone, it is 11.7%; for the KABF alone, it is 12.6%.

There are several factors that can affect hydration. You can read about them in the thread at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,12211.msg115181.html#msg115181.

Peter

[benji99]

Thanks for the response.

Yes, I used the same amount of water for both doughs, however, neither was measured by weight, only volume (my scale broke and haven't had the chance to get a replacement).

I just finished (trying) to make dough balls with the blend dough and they are the worse I've ever had. Was not able to get them smooth at all. I still think this dough was too dry.

Would the blend weigh more than the KAAP therefore creating a lower hydration % when using the same 'volume' of water?

[Pete-zza]

Would the blend weigh more than the KAAP therefore creating a lower hydration % when using the same 'volume' of water?

benjii99,

What a given amount of flour, or a blend of flours, measured out volumetrically will weigh will depend on the method used to measure out the flour(s) by volume. For example, if you look at the Mass-Volume Conversion Calculator at http://tools.foodsim.com/, and look at the Measurement Method pull-down menu, you will see that there are several methods listed for measuring out items volumetrically. Now, if you use that tool to determine how much a cup of King Arthur all-purpose flour weighs that was measured out volumetrically using the Textbook method, you will see that it weighs 4.415 ounces. If you do the same for a cup of King Arthur bread flour, you will see that one cup of that flour measured out volumetrically using the Textbook method weighs 4.386 ounces. If you use a different flour measurement method, you will get other weight values for the flours using the different flour measurement methods. For example, a cup of King Arthur bread flour measured out using the Medium method weighs 4.946 ounces.

When water is measured out volumetrically, it, too, is prone to variations. For example, to measure out one cup of water to be technically correct, you should place your measuring cup on a flat surface, and while viewing the markings at eye level, fill it to the desired marking (e.g., a cup). You want to fill the cup until the the lower meniscus of the water is at the desired marking. If that cup of water is weighed on a scale, it should weigh 8.345 ounces. In my experience, when people measure out a cup of water casually without paying much attention to the markings, that "cup" is more likely to weigh from 8-8.2 ounces.

In your case, there were several volume weighings that could have been suspect and not precise, and any such suspect measurements could have been responsible for the results you got. When recipes are stated in volume measurements, it is inevitable that you will end up with imprecise results. To avoid these kinds of results, you have to make adjustments to the quantities of ingredients until you are satisfied. Or you look for recipes where the ingredients are given by weights and use a digital scale to measure out those weights.

Peter

[The Dough Doctor]

Benji;
All things being equal, in the U.S. it is the protein content of the flour that will have the greatest influence on the absorption properties of the flour. The higher the protein content, the higher the dough absorption (in most cases). When it comes to an International flour, of flour in other countries, damaged starch content is typically higher than it is here in the U.S., so in that case, the damaged starch content will have, by far, the greatest impact upon the flour/dough absorption properties.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

[benji99]

Thanks for the responses. Greatly appreciate it.

Will be sure to use a digital scale next time and use weight measurements rather than volume.

With that said, if the absorption rate varies based on the protein content of the flour, does this create variation in the amount of weighted water required for a given recipe?

I understand that 100% flour (assume 100g) and 64% water will require 64g of water, but if the absorption rate is different, it might require less or more water to achieve the same results?

 

[Pete-zza]

Will be sure to use a digital scale next time and use weight measurements rather than volume.

With that said, if the absorption rate varies based on the protein content of the flour, does this create variation in the amount of weighted water required for a given recipe?

I understand that 100% flour (assume 100g) and 64% water will require 64g of water, but if the absorption rate is different, it might require less or more water to achieve the same results?

benji99,

You are correct. As I noted earlier, your blend has an effective protein content of 11.95%. So, you would want to use a hydration somewhere between 60% and 62%. I think anything in that range should work if you are using equally fresh flours and a scale but you might start with 61% and see how that works.

Peter