"FMW" > wrote in message >...

>
> OK, let's take an example from today's bread making. I've been working on a
> formula for Tunisian bread. I started with a formula from a french bread
> making text. The ingredients are flour, semolina, oil, salt, water and
> yeast. When I made the French formula the bread was flat and overhydrated.
> No surprise. I'm using different flour and different yeast than the French
> bakers who developed the formula. So I adjusted it for my high gluten flour
> and my yeast. The result was a bread of good texture but it developed a gas
> ball that separated the top crust from the crumb. I've spent the past two
> weeks trying to get rid of that gas ball. I've adjusted the ratio of
> semolina to bread flour, I've adjusted hydration from a near batter to a
> dough that causes my mixer to labor, I've adjusted the fermentation and
> proofing. I've adjusted baking temps. Today's bread had two adjustments -
> one was a longer mixing time and the other was an increase of flour over
> semolina in the ratio. The gas ball was bigger than ever. Tomorrow I'll
> increase the semolina and reduce the fermentation time and slash it to
> provide a place for gas to escape. The original formula is quite clear that
> the bread shouldn't be slashed. In other words, I started with an
> established formula that needs to be made in France with French ingredients
> to work right. Adapting it to the U.S. has been very difficult. You can't
> blindly follow a formula until it has been tested in your kitchen with your
> ingredients. Since I don't have a formula for it designed for an American
> kitchen I have to redesign it myself. Experimentation is absolutely
> necessary. I don't see any other way. The alternative is to limit oneself
> only to formulas that have been tested locally.
>
> Fred
> Foodie Forums
> http://www.foodieforums.com
I agree with that point that every formula if adapted to a different
location should be modifed in order to fit the existing ingredients
conditions ,No big deal as you are not dealing with technically
exacting formula as used in industrial bakeries.
And any sensible baker would do the same thing as you do, extensively
test the recipe to fit the existing condtions.
Going to your problem....
I think it has nothing to do with yeast, as that ingredient is fairly
uniform,
I am aware that most yeast in the north african region are imported
from europe and turkey. Others are using their locally made compressed
yeast.
If that tunisian bread was made with a weaker flour then the use of
high gluten will provide stronger gluten that is different from the
wheats being used in tunisia...It is an overkill, may even promote
defect due to the different naure of the gluten quality that will
result in a slightly differnt ingredient interaction for thta
particular recipe., besides a stronger flour tends to make a bigger
gas bubbles that is not an asset in most arabic breads. How about
using the medium gluten wheats but reduce your hydration.
I am familiar with some arabic wheat milled and grown in the desert
condtions where the protein level is lower and the milling quality is
not the same as in the United states. Most african flour had higher
ash content but medium protein..It can have the similar protein
content of the T-55 french flour but the gluten quality is a g bit
tighter.due to the dry condtions of wheat growing in the desert.
I am also aware that in algerria an tunisia they mix the local flour
with french flour ;
Your choice of flour is too strong for such bread, and you are not
processing the way how this arabic bakers do to their dough; and as
far as I know tunisian bakers use the fork type of mixers that is
known for its gentler development of the dough than the standard
planetary and spiral mixer. Hence knowing that they mix the dough
longer but not continously but intermittently.
I had also remembered when I was in the middle east in particular
saudi arabia, I met a tunisian expatriate baker who followed the
french system of baking. What I noticed in their baking habit is the
habitual use of autolysis. The mix the dough partly and then allow
it to rest, then remix again and the cycle is repeated many times
depending upon the strength of the flour. before its finally allowed
longer fermentation.
In that process the gluten is allowed to be at the same time developed
and relaxed preventing unsightly gas formation to develop.in the
resulting dough. hence they are using the mutli step mixing and
resting to develope and mature the dough properly..
They are also known to use old dough that they add to their new
batch.
IIRC The guy was doing it to enable the bread to be even grained,..
He was always watchful about the hydration that he either reduce the
water or add more flour to attain the consistency that he feels
allright.
That tuniisan baker just do things by feel, no problem with that, he
has mastered his bread making.,
And he never follow the cookbook hydration, he knows very well that
flour quality are variable
Ii am not sure if its related to your problem.
Roy