I’ve lately had a number of nice bakes that had glutinous rice flour in them and it appeared that it assisted with a robust oven spring, particularly if cooked first as a roux (tangzhong/yudane).

To grasp it additional, let us take a look at an experimental bake of 4 small breads (every with 500g of dough and every the place 5% of the flour was a rice flour, and 20% entire spelt):

1. Management bread utilizing common white rice flour as flour addition.
2. Sticky rice as flour addition, not as roux
3. Sticky rice roux (200% hydration)
4. As per 3 however larger hydration, that is the factor with a roux it makes the hydration behave otherwise

The roux for bread 3 on the left at 200% hydration; on the best the roux for bread 4 at 600% hydration.

Total hydration was 67.5% for samples 1-3; for pattern 4 the hydration was 85% just because I made an error with the maths and the tangzhong had a 600% hydration as an alternative of the meant 300% and so it was over hydrated!

The bottom recipe for every loaf was 208g Caputo Manitoba Oro, 52g spelt wholemeal, 4.7g salt, 150g water, 52g levain, and a roux of 13g glutinous rice flour with 26g of water. This was adjusted as follows: for pattern 1 glutinous rice flour was swapped with common white rice flour; for samples 1 and a couple of no roux made and the 26g of extra water added to the bottom water (176g of water); for pattern 4 the roux was 13g glutinous rice flour with 78g water and it had a better hydration than the opposite 3 breads.

From left to proper breads 1 to 4.

As you possibly can see from the photographs, the anticipated robust oven spring did not occur. Nevertheless breads 3 and 4 with the roux did open correctly on the straight rating whereas the opposite two breads didn’t.

Crumb of breads 1 to 4 from left to proper. Bread 4 was over-hydrated. No robust distinction in oven spring, altough you possibly can see that the 2 roux containing breads on the best opened up on the rating properly.

Style testing notes, delicate variations in flavour: bread 1 was distinctly extra bitter and the style of breads 2-4 (containing glutinous rice flour) had been most well-liked. Additionally, it was noticeable that the feel of breads 3 and 4 was higher.

In conclusion – some advantages had been there, however had been delicate and there was no noticeable enchancment in oven spring (not like what was anticipated!)

-Jon