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I am ready to do the final rise before baking my bread and I realized I didn’t get the hydration up to where I would like it. Can I just knead the extra water in now?

It’s a 1/2 whole wheat bread with seeds and pieces. Hydration is currently 65% which is fine for a white bread but for whole wheat it should be around 75-85.

mroll
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1 Answers1

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Yes. It is certainly possible to rescue a too dry dough this way. The amount of water absorbed can shoot up very quickly. I suggest you copy Gérard Rubaud's technique and knead very gently, using stretch-and-fold, so that some of the air from the first rise stays in the bread. Then give it a final rise as usual.

Mark Wildon
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