Why does rye flour dough require more water?
Most discussions I have seen on the internet recommend increasing water content when substituting wheat flour with rye flour.
I find this a bit puzzling since I always thought that hydration of the dough should be based on the protein content - more gluten means stronger dough, which means it stretches without tearing even at higher hydration.
Rye flour (at least the one I have) is very high in carbohydrates but low in protein content, so why is more water required?
Best Answer
You are correct that higher-protein flours are capable of absorbing more water. However, protein is not the only thing that affects water absorption. In addition, according to Bakerpedia, there are:
- starches & pentosans
- enzymes
- flour grind
Rye flour, while low in protein, is very high in water-absorbing pentosans. Hence the need and ability to add more water.
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Quick Answer about "Why does rye flour dough require more water?"
They compete with the proteins that make gluten for water, and water is the substance that leads the proteins to combine to form gluten. This means that rye doughs often require a higher proportion of water than doughs in which wheat predominates.Does rye flour absorb more water than white flour?
This is because rye flour is rich in water-absorbent carbohydrates called pentosans that allow it to hold ten or more times its weight in water. (Wheat flour is only able to absorb twice its weight.)What does adding more water to dough do?
Increasing the hydration of a dough allows the gluten to stretch out fully which make bread with large pockets in its gluten network. This alludes to an open crumb which is popular in sourdough and many other artisan loaves.Why is my homemade rye bread so dense?
Rye bread is so dense because rye contains very high levels of pentosans which prevents gluten to be formed in the dough. Since gluten cannot be formed in rye flour, the dough is unable to trap the gasses from fermentation, resulting in a dense dough and baked loaf.How does rye flour affect dough?
Rye is higher in the enzymes (amylases) that break down starch into sugars. Starch is needed to form the structure of the crumb, and if too much starch is split up, the texture of the bread suffers and becomes gummy. Traditionally, this is prevented by acidifying the rye dough, which slows down the action of amylases.The Science of Bread (Pt. 4) - Rye Flour and Rye Bread
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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