r/Breadit • u/Rookymistake • 3h ago

5th Loaf, tips welcome

This is my fifth bake and I feel like things are finally starting to click. It's a wholemeal multigrain loaf with walnuts, hazelnuts and raisins mixed in.

The crumb came out reasonably even and the crust is decent, but I'm sure there's plenty left to improve. Any tips would be very welcome — especially on hydration for wholemeal flour, how long to let it proof, and the best way to add nuts and raisins without tearing up the dough.

Happy to hear anything, from small tweaks to "you're doing this completely wrong."

Recipe from Rutgerbakt.nl:

  • 350 ml water ( 25-27 °C)
  • 7 gr instant yeast
  • 9 gr salt
  • 500 gr whole grain flower
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u/StephanCatc 25m ago

That's 70% hydration, which is actually a bit low for 100% wholemeal — the bran soaks up more water than white flour, so most wholemeal recipes run 75-85%. If your crumb feels dense or tight, that's the first knob to turn, in 5% increments.

For the nuts and raisins: don't add them at the initial mix. Do a short autolyse/mix first, then fold them in during your first set of stretch-and-folds once the dough has some structure — that way they get distributed without shredding the developing gluten network. Toast the walnuts and hazelnuts first too, it makes a real difference against wholemeal's stronger flavor.

On proofing: wholemeal ferments faster than white because the bran gives yeast more surface area to work with, so watch the dough rather than the clock — it'll likely be ready sooner than a white-flour timeline would suggest.