I added more water to my ciabatta dough by accident
I just realized that I added about 4 cups of water to 4 cups of flour for my ciabatta dough. It only calls for 2 cups, but I added 4 for some reason. It’s been rising for a bit over 4 hours and there are a lot of bubbles, which I’m happy about, but it’s very runny. It was a bit sticky when I mixed it but it can pour like a thick soup. How do I fix it? Will it ruin the air bubbles if I add more flour?
Best Answer
Your recipe should call for the dough to be folded a few times during proving. Do this on a thick bed of flour, and sprinkle more flour on top as you fold, and you'll find it will come together more and more with each fold. Remember, when it comes to bread, the wetter the better!
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What happens if I put too much water in my bread recipe?
Too much water interferes with gluten. It will weaken the dough structure by preventing it from being able to support the weight of the water. The common feature of dough with too much water is an uneven crust making you think your shaping skills aren't up to scratch.What happens when you add water to dough?
Water is directly responsible for the consistency of bread dough. Once the water comes into contact with flour, it causes it to soften and swell up. Having a softer dough is preferred over more firm doughs since the process of yeast fermentation happens faster in a soft dough.How wet should ciabatta dough be?
This just refers to how wet the dough is \u2013 and it needs to be very wet. Bath-based baker and writer Richard Bertinet agrees: \u201cDon't be scared to add water. For 500g of flour, you want 350-380ml of water.\u201d It's this higher hydration that will let those bubbles expand and (hopefully) hold your dough together.Can I add more water to my bread dough?
If your dough has been rising for less than an hour, it's possible to add some flour or water, thoroughly mix again and allow it to continue rising. Any longer than that and you risk compromising the quality of the bread. It's best to start small and add a tablespoon at a time so you can be controlled.12 Errors in Pizza Dough Making You Should Avoid - Top 12 Errors!
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Answer 2
Perhaps some baker's math is in order to understand what's happening here and what direction your fix should be aiming at:
Original recipe:
4c flour -> 500g
2c water -> 480g
This means your recipe has a hydration1 of 96%, which is really high, even for ciabatta. It's doable, though, as for example this post cofirms. (Typical values for ciabatta are somewhere in the 75% range.)
Your current dough has:
4c flour -> 500g
4c water -> 960g
Resulting in a hydration of 192%. Or, as you noticed, yeasty soup.
Having checked this math, you have to get the flour level up to at least the original value, that means somehow incorporating another two cups of flour. But then your other ingredients will be off, too, especially salt, so add again the amount of the original recipe, basically doubling it (as demanded by the flour as base for the calculation). Same goes for all other ingredients except yeast.
Yeast on the other hand is a totally different subject. In the last four hours, the yeast has been active and growing. Adding again the original amount would likely be an overkill. Depending on your general bread baking philosophy and recipe, add either a fraction of the original amount or simply wait until the existing yeast has done it's job. (That's what I'd do...)
With the relatively large amount of flour plus the salt I'm not sure whether incorporating it during the stretch and fold would be possible. (For smaller amounts, heed ElendilTheTall's advice). I'd consider sacrifying some bubbles and stir or mix gently.
1 also called Baker's percentage, i.e. the ratio of water or other ingredients in relation to flour weight.
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