Question from a Pizza Today Reader: How do I incorporate more alternative/whole grains and what’s its effect on gluten development?
Whole Wheat Wander
So, you want to make whole wheat dough? When I first started, whole wheat was terrible. It was dense and dry and was for the older generations or for those who were dieting. A lot has changed since then — and once you learn what whole wheat really is, making it doesn’t seem quite as daunting.
What is whole wheat to begin with?
It’s exactly as it sounds. This is flour that comprises the entire part of the grain.
Depending on the baker or pizza maker, some breads and doughs are labeled as “whole grain” but really the flour only consists of a small portion of whole wheat. The label is not strictly defined or regulated, so the amount of whole grain can vary widely from product to product.
The amount of whole grains can vary for a number of reasons, but the main one is that the higher percentage of whole grain the harder it is to make a light and airy loaf. Most 100-percent whole grain breads and flours tend to produce doughs that are denser than those made with refined flours because the gluten percentage decreases the more whole grain you use.
Flour is made by grinding kernels of wheat, sifting (also known as refining), and then packaging. There are many steps in between but the main goal is to breakdown the kernel from its three main parts. For whole wheat flour, you mainly hear a lot about the bran and the germ. One of the biggest selling points in the commercial bread industry, cereal industry and even in the larger health industry are the buzz words of wheat bran and wheat germ that tell consumers a product with these two things is healthier.
Wheat bran is the outer coating on a kernel of grain. It is this part that is more nutrient dense and contains fiber but is separated from the other two parts of the grain and then added back into the flour at varying amounts. Bran can have a large effect on the volume of your dough as it does not contain much gluten and can be physically jagged (which can damage gluten formation).
The germ is the reproductive part of the grain. Like bran, this portion is normally removed from the other parts and processed separately. This portion only makes up a small percentage, less than five percent, but contains a larger quantity of fat. Having a larger quantity of germ in flour can be tough as the higher percentage of fat/ oil means the flour will go rancid faster because of oxidation. The germ contains no gluten, so a high percentage of germ can have a large effect on the final rise of your dough. A tip when adding germ to your dough is to toast it separately, bring it to room temperature and then add it in to your dough. This will help keep oxidation at bay.
The endosperm is the largest part of the grain and is the main component in a bag of flour. For whole wheat flour, the germ, bran and endosperm are processed separately but then mixed back together. The five refinements of flour will help you determine how much bran and germ is still in your flour.
00 – The most refined. Contains as little bran and germ as possible.
0 – Contains some bran and germ, but is not super noticeable.
1 – Contains a decent amount of bran and germ and you can really see the flecks within the flour. The color is now a mix of white with flecks of brown.
2 – The color of this is on the browner side as this contains the most amount of bran and germ without being considered whole wheat.
Whole grain contains all of the grain. As little as possible has been removed. The components may have been
processed separately but have been added back together.
Incorporating Whole Grains in Pizza Dough
Learning to incorporate different refinements and increasing amounts of whole wheat can have dramatic changes on your dough. The colors deepen and it is easy to smell the sweetness as well as the nuttiness that is held within wheat. The hard part is learning how much is too much, as the more you use the more it will affect the gluten structure (which ultimately will affect the rise of your dough).
A great way to dabble with whole wheat is to start small. Whether you introduce a different refinement to learn your comfort zone or blend whole what flour into your main 00 flour, I would recommend staying under 20 percent at first. Nothing says you can’t go for it, but staying around the 20 percent will ensure you build a gluten structure giving you the rise you want while still incorporating the other benefits of adding whole wheat like flavor, aroma and texture.
A tip when adding in bran to your doughs is to grind the germ down to a smaller size. This will help with water absorption as well as add to better gluten formation (leading to a lighter less dense dough).
One of the great things about today’s industry is the blurring of lines between bread and pizza. Techniques that were once specific to bread baking are now being used regularly in pizza making. The incorporation of ancient grains like Khorasan, Spelt, Emmer, Einkorn and others, like Rye and Buckwheat, mean the options are endless. But finding the right balance is key. Some of these grains will not have the same gluten forming proteins as the wheat you find in your 00 bag of flour, and others are used for gluten-free baking because they’re predominantly starch. So, the amounts you will use to blend will vary.
Whole wheat is nothing to be afraid of. But understanding gluten formation and the need for certain proteins will help you understand the correlation between flavor and rise and how much to use.
Laura Meyer is the owner of Pizzeria da Laura in Berkeley, CA.
