Polish Whole Wheat Toast (40% Whole Wheat)

Soak whole wheat: Mix whole wheat flour and water thoroughly with a spatula; no kneading required. After mixing, place in the refrigerator at least 8 hours overnight before use. [The image shows the soaked whole wheat part after a night.]

Polish starter: Mix dry yeast and water until yeast particles are no longer visible, then add high-gluten flour. Use a spatula to incorporate the ingredients completely. Ferment at room temperature for 30 minutes before refrigerating overnight. Allow it to ferment until it has expanded to 4 times its original size, forming a honeycomb structure inside.

Tear it open to check ~ [The image shows the fermented Polish starter.]

The room temperature during preparation is 30℃. As is customary~ Bring out the ice packs! Thankfully, the ice pack was fully wrapped, which worked well for temperature control and was hassle-free to secure. For kneading, I used the Hauswirt M6 Chef Machine~ Still using the post-butter method for kneading (adding butter at the last step).

This toast uses the eat Chef Machine kneading method as a reference: [Applicable for QL7600 and KAM chefs as a reference.] Combine all ingredients except the butter in the bowl: Knead for 3 minutes at speed 3 until mixed thoroughly → Knead for 7 minutes at speed 5 until thick film state → Add softened butter at room temperature, knead for 3 minutes at speed 3 until the butter is well incorporated with the dough → Knead for 2 minutes at speed 5 to achieve 90% completion state. What does 90% completion mean: [A state slightly beyond extension but not yet fully developed.] The dough should be elastic and stretchable, able to form a relatively thin but resilient membrane.

[Before adding butter - thick film stage.]

[Kneaded to the desired 90% stage.]

[Slowly stretched - hole formation stage.]

You can see it stretches into an even, large thin membrane. The breaks in the membrane still show slight jagged edges. The finished dough should have good elasticity and stretchability. If you’ve noticed, for this whole wheat dough process, I only used speed 5, not the speed 7 I usually use for plain toast. I was cautious to avoid over-kneading.

Check the dough temperature after ensuring its condition—it reads 27.8℃. Not bad ~ The ideal temperature after kneading is about 26℃, not exceeding 28℃.

Place the dough into a container~ Seal it well, and ferment at room temperature for an hour.

Ferment the dough until it reaches 2.5 times its original volume~ An easy way to judge the state of the first rise is by dipping a finger lightly in flour and poking the dough. If the indentation holds its shape without immediately springing back or collapsing, fermentation is done.

Take out the fermented dough. No need to deflate~ Directly divide it into 6 portions, each about 155g.

Tighten the surface of the dough, shape it into balls, cover with cling film, and let it relax for 15~20 minutes at room temperature. If the room temperature is high (above 30℃), you can chill it in the refrigerator during this resting phase.

Once the dough is relaxed, use a rolling pin to roll it out into an oval shape from the center. Turn it over, shape it into a rectangle, press the bottom thin, and roll it up. Here, you don’t need to seal the bottom tightly. Roll it 1.5 to 2 rotations the first time, and let it relax again for about 15 minutes.

After the second relaxation phase, lightly flatten the dough, roll it out again from the center, flip it over using a scraper, thin out the bottom edge, and roll it lightly from top to bottom for 2.5 rotations~ Seal the bottom tightly.

Shape all portions of dough in the same way.

Place the shaped dough into toast pans~

Transfer the shaped dough into a fermentation box set at 35℃ with 85% humidity. Ferment for roughly 50 minutes until it fills 80~90% of the toast pan; do not over-prove.

The timing is for reference~ Keep an eye on the dough: well-proofed dough should still have a glossy, elastic surface. Overly-proofed whole wheat dough often loses elasticity, which can predict inferior results.

Hauswirt C76 oven~ Bottom rack, top heat 160℃ + bottom heat 205℃, low-sugar toast pan, 27 minutes.

Watching it rise nicely~ I’m relieved. [If I can make it without much trouble, I believe you can too~] Since this toast has a low sugar content, its color is lighter as well.

The finished product still demonstrates pull-apart layers rather than a dry, crumbly texture. 40% whole wheat is probably the most widely accepted ratio for the average person~ If you enjoy making whole wheat breads, you might find this tastier compared to the formulas you usually use.

This photo was taken after about a day and two nights. [It wasn’t purposely left out; I was busy and couldn’t get to it earlier~]