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Hydration at Altitude
I made the croissant dough but it was quite dry and crumbly so I added additional milk. I live at high altitude so would you recommendation and higher level of hydration for this dough or do you think maybe my protein level on my flour was too high and the liquid was absorbed too quickly?
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2 Replies
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If we are at sea level, the atmospheric pressure is greater and decreases as we are at higher altitudes. Atmospheric pressure directly affects baking and fermentation in the case of yeast.
Once this idea is assumed, the primary consequences are relatively easy to understand. And from them derive a series of tips to avoid the problems posed by baking at high altitude.1.It is advisable to reduce the amount of yeast or sourdough by 25% compared to a usual recipe used at low sea altitude.
2.If the dough contains sugar, it is advisable to reduce its amount by 10-15%, since the increase in evaporation implies an increase in the concentration of sugar in the dough, which makes it structurally weaker.
3.Increasing the hydration of the dough by 5% allows you to compensate for excess evaporation of the dough.
4. If it is a recipe that includes eggs (such as the sourdough cake), increase the recipe by 10% so that it helps create a more stable structure that better retains the fermentation gas.
5.Regarding fermentation It is advisable to use a slightly larger bowl, since the dough will expand more during fermentation.
6.As fermentation will be faster, the dough will develop less flavor. Therefore it is convenient:
-Reduce the amount of yeast as we have said before;
-Give it a second fermentation before forming (degassing the dough and letting it ferment again for a shorter time than the initial one)
Or, let the dough ferment in a cold environment for longer;
Or use a pre-ferment, old dough or some other procedure to enhance the flavor of the dough.Regarding baking:
-Increase the baking temperature by 10º-15ºC to allow the structure of the dough to set sooner, given that the dough grows more quickly in the oven and dries out more quickly.
-Reduce the baking time by about 5 minutes for every half hour of baking, since with the increase in temperatures the dough will cook faster.
We hope this information is helpful.
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