I tend to just eyeball how much to add 😂 but recently have settled on more or less 150g inclusions to 400 g flour , and what I usually do is to mix 50% wet inclusions like olives with dry stuff like nuts, and I can keep hydration the same. But definitely appreciate the post on how to go about it more scientifically
Interesting and helpful article, thank you. I have not added inclusions as often as I would like due to these challenges, so your perspective is quite welcome.
I love how measured and analytical this approach is, and how different from my mad scientist approach to inclusions! I am, admittedly, more cautious with soakers, but for drier inclusions, I generally just throw in whatever sounds good, trying to not add more than 20% of the total weight of the loaf. I adjust for salt when adding in saltier inclusions, like olives, but again, that's more by estimation than calculation. In a nod to the scientific process, I keep a diary that lets me know what worked and what didn't in the past, and that helps guide future experimentation. I will definitely reference this when working with soakers in the future!
I also wonder if inclusions affect the thermodynamic properties of a loaf. Perhaps they change the total amount of heat energy that must be absorbed by a loaf for it to be fully baked...and how heat disperses through the loaf from the surface to the middle. If true, this *might* require adjustments of time and temperature of the bake.
Are you kidding we love this stuff. One difference between soakers and inclusions is when they are added to the dough - soakers usually earlier so they may have more of an effect on the final dough. A thing I've noticed when making a two loaf formula and adding inclusions to one half is that the dough WITH inclusions gets worked more - more folds and/or laminating techniques for the additions. I've never thought about adjusting the salt, but will now. (Can we talk about salt? Searching for the perfect sea salt that doesn't have additives.) When adding dried fruit, always plumped, I typically season the fruit only with my choice of anise seed, fennel, pepper, etc.
I actually have a five pound bag of Celtic. For some odd reason, hubbo didn't like it for cooking. So I appropriated it and it's now drying out so I can grind it. Thanks :)
I add onion bits to my dough. At first I was sautéeing and chopping them and now I rehydrate dried onion bits. I have had issues with the dough being too sticky (I do let it drain) so this is quite interesting.
About halfway through writing this, I realized that I’d have to do the same for porridges. They are easier to use in many ways, but not without similar pitfalls. It’s on the to-do list
Looking forward to it. My struggle with porridges is the variability in how much water gets cooked off, especially as you scale up batch size and then how to express that in a formula so others are cooking to the desired consistency/texture. I find millet is especially tricky, I've ended up with everything from a fluffy, quinoa-like texture to something more mushy and oatmeal-like.
I’ll ditto what Martin says- this is 'content we rely on Andrew for'. I'd love to share a variation on soakers I came up with; 'a loaf in a loaf'. It's a chance to enjoy sprouted einkorn, rye, lentils, teff, quinoa, etc. within the open crumb of a wheat sandwich loaf. The sprouts are toothsome and completely hydrated, but now, as little plants, their water doesn't leak back out into the dough.
To achieve the open crumb I glue the sprouts together with some of the wheat dough: roughly 200g sprouts mixed with 100g dough taken from a 800g batch for a total 1000g loaf. (Proportions depend on the sprout I use, and how much whole wheat I put in the base dough. )
I spread the sprout/dough layer inside a 8"x 13 rectangle of the remaining dough and roll the two layers up jelly roll style. With some care in positioning the inner layer, it makes a pretty contrasting swirl inside the loaf and slices like a charm. The sprout/dough layer doesn't cut in to the majority dough's gluten structure, and that little bit of dough kneaded with the sprouts keeps them from popping out on the surface to harden or burn. I've tried it with porridges too but the swirl is less distinct. I'd love to see what you would do with this jellyroll method.
Thanks for writing this much need book and including us in your discoveries and process.
Yep, I read every word. If I ever want to add inclusions that are not already in the recipe, I'll start with your method.
In my baking app, the user can enter the soaker with or without liquid. In the latter case, in the process notes for that stage, you could just say what to do. "Cover raisins with boiling water and rest for 8 minutes, then drain".
I wonder if there is something I could do that would tell the user how to get the same size loaf with inclusions. Tricky.
That brings up the question, how do you measure the volume of a baked loaf?
Thank you for the fine content, Andrew! I have only dabbled the tiniest bit with inclusions, and never with soakers. I have literally never thought to adjust the salt level accordingly. It’s quite fascinating, really - the way you laid your thoughts out so clearly!
This is the bread-geeky content I rely on Andrew for.
I tend to just eyeball how much to add 😂 but recently have settled on more or less 150g inclusions to 400 g flour , and what I usually do is to mix 50% wet inclusions like olives with dry stuff like nuts, and I can keep hydration the same. But definitely appreciate the post on how to go about it more scientifically
Interesting and helpful article, thank you. I have not added inclusions as often as I would like due to these challenges, so your perspective is quite welcome.
Fascinating, love the analysis!
I love how measured and analytical this approach is, and how different from my mad scientist approach to inclusions! I am, admittedly, more cautious with soakers, but for drier inclusions, I generally just throw in whatever sounds good, trying to not add more than 20% of the total weight of the loaf. I adjust for salt when adding in saltier inclusions, like olives, but again, that's more by estimation than calculation. In a nod to the scientific process, I keep a diary that lets me know what worked and what didn't in the past, and that helps guide future experimentation. I will definitely reference this when working with soakers in the future!
I also wonder if inclusions affect the thermodynamic properties of a loaf. Perhaps they change the total amount of heat energy that must be absorbed by a loaf for it to be fully baked...and how heat disperses through the loaf from the surface to the middle. If true, this *might* require adjustments of time and temperature of the bake.
Are you kidding we love this stuff. One difference between soakers and inclusions is when they are added to the dough - soakers usually earlier so they may have more of an effect on the final dough. A thing I've noticed when making a two loaf formula and adding inclusions to one half is that the dough WITH inclusions gets worked more - more folds and/or laminating techniques for the additions. I've never thought about adjusting the salt, but will now. (Can we talk about salt? Searching for the perfect sea salt that doesn't have additives.) When adding dried fruit, always plumped, I typically season the fruit only with my choice of anise seed, fennel, pepper, etc.
I use Celtic Fine Sea Salt for all baking and cooking. No additives and it has never let me down!
I actually have a five pound bag of Celtic. For some odd reason, hubbo didn't like it for cooking. So I appropriated it and it's now drying out so I can grind it. Thanks :)
I add onion bits to my dough. At first I was sautéeing and chopping them and now I rehydrate dried onion bits. I have had issues with the dough being too sticky (I do let it drain) so this is quite interesting.
Very helpful and much appreciated!
Thanks Andrew, this is fantastic. So when do you want to tackle the fun of porridge-type inclusions? :)
About halfway through writing this, I realized that I’d have to do the same for porridges. They are easier to use in many ways, but not without similar pitfalls. It’s on the to-do list
Looking forward to it. My struggle with porridges is the variability in how much water gets cooked off, especially as you scale up batch size and then how to express that in a formula so others are cooking to the desired consistency/texture. I find millet is especially tricky, I've ended up with everything from a fluffy, quinoa-like texture to something more mushy and oatmeal-like.
Hey Andrew,
I’ll ditto what Martin says- this is 'content we rely on Andrew for'. I'd love to share a variation on soakers I came up with; 'a loaf in a loaf'. It's a chance to enjoy sprouted einkorn, rye, lentils, teff, quinoa, etc. within the open crumb of a wheat sandwich loaf. The sprouts are toothsome and completely hydrated, but now, as little plants, their water doesn't leak back out into the dough.
To achieve the open crumb I glue the sprouts together with some of the wheat dough: roughly 200g sprouts mixed with 100g dough taken from a 800g batch for a total 1000g loaf. (Proportions depend on the sprout I use, and how much whole wheat I put in the base dough. )
I spread the sprout/dough layer inside a 8"x 13 rectangle of the remaining dough and roll the two layers up jelly roll style. With some care in positioning the inner layer, it makes a pretty contrasting swirl inside the loaf and slices like a charm. The sprout/dough layer doesn't cut in to the majority dough's gluten structure, and that little bit of dough kneaded with the sprouts keeps them from popping out on the surface to harden or burn. I've tried it with porridges too but the swirl is less distinct. I'd love to see what you would do with this jellyroll method.
Thanks for writing this much need book and including us in your discoveries and process.
Yep, I read every word. If I ever want to add inclusions that are not already in the recipe, I'll start with your method.
In my baking app, the user can enter the soaker with or without liquid. In the latter case, in the process notes for that stage, you could just say what to do. "Cover raisins with boiling water and rest for 8 minutes, then drain".
I wonder if there is something I could do that would tell the user how to get the same size loaf with inclusions. Tricky.
That brings up the question, how do you measure the volume of a baked loaf?
Thank you for the fine content, Andrew! I have only dabbled the tiniest bit with inclusions, and never with soakers. I have literally never thought to adjust the salt level accordingly. It’s quite fascinating, really - the way you laid your thoughts out so clearly!
Your careful, analytical approach stands in stark contrast to my "Fuck, this is looking super wet—loaf pan to the rescue!" method.
I have used that approach many times as well, I just don’t talk about it in public