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Braun mixer and high hydration bread


bobmac

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I've tried a couple of times to make a high hydration bread using a Braun mixer with a dough hook. I get something that resembles pancake batter. Since in both cases the recipe refered to the speed on a Kitchenaid, could it be that the Braun is faster or slower? Anybody else using one?

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I've tried a couple of times to make a high hydration bread using a Braun mixer with a dough hook. I get something that resembles pancake batter. Since in both cases the recipe refered to the speed on a Kitchenaid, could it be that the Braun is faster or slower? Anybody else using one?

Hi bobmac,

Are you using bread flour? What's the hydration (65, 70, 80%)?

I doubt it has anything to do with your mixer, more likely with what's in the bowl.

Much above 75% hydration and you can just about pour the dough out of the bowl, but is not pancake batter. That sounds like 100% hydration or more.

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While agreeing with what Fooey said ... my guess is that the recipe probably uses volume measurement of the flour ("cups") and therefore the actual (in the bowl) hydration percentage is unknown (because it refers to weights).

You can get a distinctly variable quantity of flour into a cup.

And that difference/inaccuracy shows up MUCH more clearly as you approach the extremes of hydration.

Weigh the flour.

Weigh the water. Its more accurate than a measuring jug.

And a digital scale need only cost £7 (well under $15 hopefully), which is a fraction of the cost of your mixer.

And even if you don't have a clue what they are about, if you weigh everything in grams, it makes the maths (for hydration, recipe scaling up or down, etc) so very much easier.

Honestly!

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch ... you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan

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The water percentage is 113.5. I measured by both weight and volume, although I know my scale is off a bit. The yeast -- 3/8 of a teaspoon -- was supposed to weigh 1.2 grams and my scaled did not detect it. Also, my scale doesn't do fractions of grams.

"Last week Uncle Vinnie came over from Sicily and we took him to the Olive Garden. The next day the family car exploded."

--Nick DePaolo

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113% is a higher level of hydration than i have ever read about.

i try 65%-82% hydration (by weight), depending on the protein content of your flour (I use 75% hydration, King Arthur allpurpose) different flours will react very differently, even though thet are all labeled "all purpose".

you should be able to mix the dough with a large spoon (easier to clean than a mixer).

refer to my visual pictoral on high hydration/no-knead bread making, about half way down the page

pictorial

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