Mostly Whole Wheat

[charbo]

This recipe was designed partly using ideas from Reinhart’s and King Arthur’s Whole Grain Baking books.   It uses Wheat Montana’s Prairie Gold spring white whole wheat, which is quite high in protein and absorbance.  If using winter wheat, I would recommend adding vital wheat gluten or reducing water.  The recipe minimizes salt and maximizes hydration, to the extent possible, consistent with being able to pick up and hand-stretch a large dough ball.  The recipe readily adapts to sourdough.

The Soaker:
   191 g whole wheat flour
   150 g room-temp water
   .5 tsp salt
The Preferment:
   191 g whole wheat flour
   150 g room-temp water      
   .25 tsp instant dry yeast
Final Dough Complement:
   96 g refined bread flour
   70 g warm water
   .75 tsp active dry yeast (ADY)
   1 tbs oil
   .625 tsp low-sodium salt
Total Ingredients:
   382 g whole wheat flour   80%
   96 g refined bread flour    20%
   370 g water      77.4%
   1.125 tsp salt        1.3%
   1 tsp yeast                     .8%
   1 tbs oil              2.9%

   Day 1:  Mix the soaker.  Don’t refrigerate the soaker, unless it will sit more than 24 hours.  The salt is essential to keep the enzymes, especially protease, in check.
   Mix the preferment.  After 5 minutes, knead slightly.  Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours.
   Day 2:  Allow a 2-hr warm-up for preferment.  Cut soaker and starter into 12 pieces.  Squeeze them together with wet hands.  Combine them with hydrated ADY and the rest of the water and mix until well-integrated.  (If baking on Day 2, double the yeast.)  Add the remaining salt and mix well.  Add the oil and mix well.  Incorporate the refined flour by mixing and kneading.  Divide if desired.  I refrigerate overnight for logistical reasons. 
   Day 3:  Remove dough from cooler about 3-4 hours before baking, depending on room temp.  Execute a stretch-and-fold two hours before baking and another at one hour before baking.  Immediately after the last fold, tuck the edges under, forming a ball.  Preheat oven to 500°F.  Shape the skin, placing the entire dough on a 16″ perforated pan.   Dress and place in oven.  After a half minute, reduce heat to 450°F.   Bake for a total of 12.5 minutes, turning off heat at 10 minutes.

The bottom of the pizza is slightly crisp.  The grain is irregular and includes some large cells.  The crumb is fairly soft and moderately chewy.  Crust flavor is mild.

[charbo]

I’ve made a few adjustments and clarifications in the above recipe:

I mill the Prairie Gold at a Whole Foods Market.  I value it for its freshness and gluten, but the flour is not very finely milled.  Consequently, I’m now using the more finely-milled KA White Whole Wheat for half of the whole wheat portion, which I think helps the rise.  The dough is also more extensible.
 
Cutting the predoughs into 12 pieces is from Reinhart.  It might be useful for those who use a mixer, but it doesn’t seem to make any difference in my process.  Squeezing the predoughs together with moist fingers is from another amateur, and I find it speeds mix time.  When squeezing, I punch holes in the dough and try to avoid folding.

The above preferment wasn’t giving me the flavor I wanted, so I now make it in two stages.  The first stage is a poolish, with 127 g (1 cup) flour, 135 g (.5 cup + 1 tbs) room-temp water, and .125 tsp IDY.  After about 4 hours at room temp, I add the remaining flour, but no more water, and refrigerate.  The dough complement water increases from 70 to 85 g.  The poolish gives good flavor, while the stiffer final preferment generates sufficient acidity to strengthen the final dough.

The first stretch-and-fold is a typical four-sided packet.  The second fold is a hexagon, which helps in shaping a circular pie.

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