80% Whole Wheat with Levain

[charbo]

I’ve added sourdough (Carl’s) to my dough recipe and am finally where I want to be in terms of crust flavor and texture.  The flavor is complex and slightly sour.  Very few would add a sweetener to this dough.  Compared to a baker’s yeast crust, the exterior seems thinner and crisper, while the crumb seems moister without being underdone.  The crumb has an open grain.  The crust is moderately chewy and somewhat foldable.  As for dough handling, there is usually a good balance of elasticity and extensibility; and little bench flour is needed.

Most sourdough pizza recipes use a straight mix and extended refrigeration.  This recipe with a levain allows a parallel room-temperature soaker.

The recipe uses hard spring whole wheat (home-milled).  If using a winter wheat, adjust hydration down.  For the refined flour portion, I’ve been using Stone Buhr Bread Flour, which seems stronger than General Mills Better-for-Bread.

The Soaker:
   191 g whole wheat flour (or about 1.5 cup)
   165 g room-temp water (or about 5.5 fl oz)
   .5 tsp salt
The Levain:
   173 g whole wheat flour (or about 1.375 cup)
   120 g room-temp water (or about 4 fl oz)      
    33 g active WW starter at about 85% hydration
Final Dough Complement:
   96 g refined bread flour (or .75 cup)
   85 g room temp water (or about 3 fl oz)
   .25 tsp instant dry yeast (or more for a fast rise)
   1 tbs oil
   .625 tsp salt
   .25 tsp Ball Fruit-Fresh Produce Protector (part ascorbic acid)
Total Ingredients:
   382 g whole wheat flour   80%
   96 g refined bread flour    20%
   385 g water       80.5%
   1.125 tsp salt       1.3%
   .25 tsp yeast                  .2%
   .25 tsp Fruit-Fresh                    .2%
   1 tbs oil              2.9%

Procedure:

   Day 1:  Mix the soaker (not forgetting salt) and leave at room temp 12-24 hours.   Break the starter up in the water and incorporate the flour.  After 5 minutes, knead briefly.  Cover and leave at room temp until doubled (very roughly 6 hours) or longer for sourer flavor.  Then knead briefly and refrigerate overnight.

   Day 2:  Allow a 2-hr warm-up for levain.  Squeeze soaker and levain together with wet hands, then tear into approx 1-oz pieces.  Add remaining water and mix until pieces start to disintegrate.  Add baker’s yeast for a consistent rise and mix.  Sequentially add the remaining salt, Fruit-Fresh, and oil, mixing well.    Incorporate the refined flour by mixing and kneading.  Cover on counter for a half hour, and then execute a stretch-and-fold.  Refrigerate for several hours.  Divide if desired.  After warming for 1.5-2.0 hours, execute second stretch-and-fold.  After another 1.5 hours, de-gas and form a round.  Let rise another 2 hours, then shape, top, and bake.

[charbo]

Finally some photos.  The dough was 80% hard red spring whole wheat and 20% all-purpose flour.  The dough was 100% sourdough; there was no baker’s yeast.  30% of the flour was prefermented.  The levain fermented about 5 hours at room temp, refrigerated overnight, and then warmed on counter 3 hours.  The final dough fermented at cool room temp for 8 hours.  No soaker was used, as I think it’s redundant with long fermentations.  I ran low on pepperoni.  In spite of my regimen of stretch-and-folds, the proofed dough was quite extensible.

[charbo]

For this pie, I allowed the stretched and shaped skin to rise under a damp cloth for an hour, before topping.  Unfortunately, the proofing caused loss of the cornicione.

My latest efforts have used overnight, room-temperature soakers and levains.  Smaller than before, each is about a quarter of the flour.  I’ve dropped the Fruit Fresh and baker’s yeast.  Refrigeration is normally not necessary.  Warm water sometimes is.

The Soaker:
   127 g whole wheat flour (1 cup)
     89 g room-temp water (3 fl oz)
   3/8 tsp salt
The Levain:
   127 g whole wheat flour (1 cup)
     89 g room-temp water (3 fl oz)      
     30 g active AP starter at 100% hydration
Final Dough Complement:
              127 g whole wheat flour (1 cup)
                81 g all-purpose flour (5/8 cup)
              193 g room temp water (6.5 fl oz)
       1 tbs oil
   3/4 tsp salt
Total Ingredients:
             381 g whole wheat flour   80%
    96 g all-purpose flour    20%
             386 g water      80.7%
      1 and 1/8 tsp salt     1.3%
      1 tbs oil           2.8%

I apply stretch-and-folds at increasing intervals, over several hours, the last to round.  I now preheat at the baking temp of 450°F and cook a little less, to avoid a dry crust and burned cheese.

This pizza was made with home-milled, hard, red, spring wheat.  The cheese is Trader Joe’s whole milk mozz.

[Pete-zza]

charbo,

Both of the pizzas in this thread look terrific. We can all use an occasional reminder how pizzas like yours carry a lot of nutritional value and are really healthy for you. Milling your own flour is also impressive.

Peter

[norma427]

charbo,

I also think your pizza looks very tasty.  I really don’t understand how to use a soaker, but find your formula interesting.  What do you use to grind your own flour?

Great job!

Norma

[The Dough Doctor]

Norma;
With a whole-wheat flour, or multi-grain blend, it is all but impossible to achieve full hydration unless some form of a soaker is employed. In this case the soaker is water, whole-wheat flour and salt. It is set aside and allowed to hydrate for roughly 12-hours. I normally allow 1 to 2-hours or overnight in the cooler, to hydrate the whole-wheat flour. Failure to use a soaker can, and usually does result in a dry, stiff dough that doesn't expand well during baking (lacks ovenspring) and has a dense, heavy crumb structure.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

[charbo]

Pete,
Thanks for the comments.  In the interest of health, I decided not to put both whole-milk cheese and sausage on the same pizza.

Norma,
Whole wheat is loaded with enzymes.  A room-temperature, salted soaker allows extra time for the amylase enzymes to convert damaged starch to sugar, while controlling the protease.  I think it’s more worthwhile with spring wheat, which has more damaged starch than winter wheat.  Bran is also softened.  In the case of a long sourdough fermentation, the soaker doesn’t add much, but it’s hardly any extra effort.

I use a Retsel Mil-Rite for milling.

cb

[barryvabeach]

Charbro,  have you had any success with 100% whole wheat?  I mill my own wheat as well ( Using the Whisper  / Wonder Mill ) though I didn't realize you adjust the hydration ratio whether winter or spring wheat is used.  The last several weeks I have been making  3 pies at a time, 1 red spring, 1 50% red 50% winter white, and 1 100 % winter white with slight changes in the recipe and cooking methods. The 100% winter white has been the hardest to get right, now I realize I must have been overhydrating it.  It also seems to get over fermented even though the mixing time and fermentation times are the same as the 100% winter red.

[RobynB]

Those look really good!!  I'm impressed!

[norma427]

Norma;
With a whole-wheat flour, or multi-grain blend, it is all but impossible to achieve full hydration unless some form of a soaker is employed. In this case the soaker is water, whole-wheat flour and salt. It is set aside and allowed to hydrate for roughly 12-hours. I normally allow 1 to 2-hours or overnight in the cooler, to hydrate the whole-wheat flour. Failure to use a soaker can, and usually does result in a dry, stiff dough that doesn't expand well during baking (lacks ovenspring) and has a dense, heavy crumb structure.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

Norma,
Whole wheat is loaded with enzymes.  A room-temperature, salted soaker allows extra time for the amylase enzymes to convert damaged starch to sugar, while controlling the protease.  I think it’s more worthwhile with spring wheat, which has more damaged starch than winter wheat.  Bran is also softened.  In the case of a long sourdough fermentation, the soaker doesn’t add much, but it’s hardly any extra effort.

I use a Retsel Mil-Rite for milling.

cb

Tom and charbo,

Thanks so much for explaining how to use a soaker and why it is almost impossible to achieve full hydration, unless some kind of soaker is used for whole-wheat flour. 

I didn’t even know whole wheat is loaded with enzymes.  Thanks for explaining a room-temperature, salted soaker and how it allows extra time for the amylase enzymes to convert the damaged starch to sugar, while controlling the protease.  I did find out yesterday I have soft winter wheat grains the farmer gave to me right out of the field.  I might try your method in the near future.  It it always interesting to learn something new. 

Norma

[charbo]

Barry,

I suspect my efforts with whole wheat would be improved, or more consistent, if I was willing to use more salt.  A proofer would also be a big improvement.

I am under the impression that a lot of the hard white winter wheat on the market is a little lower in protein than the hard red winter wheat.

cb