How do I make sourdough with weak flour that can't handle high hydration?
You don't need very high hydration for great bread. With weaker flour, stay around 60 to 65%, use a stiff starter and end the bulk earlier, around 25% growth. Adding about 5 g of vital wheat gluten per 100 g of flour helps too.
Answered by Hendrik, The Bread Code
From the book
I then proceeded and bought a cheap low-gluten cake flour in my nearby supermarket. This flour before had caused me massive headaches in the past. I made a sourdough bread exactly how I would normally do,I had to reduce the hydration a bit as a low gluten flour does not soak up as much water. Then I replaced the starter with the stiff starter. The dough felt amazing and was suddenly able to withstand a much longer fermentation period. The bread had great oven spring and tasted very mild. I am still yet to find a proper scientific explanation why the yeast part of the dough is more active. Maybe it is not. It could also be that the bacteria is inhibited by the lack of water.
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5 TIPS TO CREATE INCREDIBLE DOUGH STRENGTH | FULL MASTERCLASSRelated questions
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