Bread Fail

I have written before about loaves of bread that did not turn out well.  I had another one recently with a 100% whole wheat loaf.  I knew immediately when I added the water that I had over-hydrated the sponge.  I could've added more flour, but I decided to let it go and see how it turned out.

It was an epic mess.  First, when I put it on the counter to fold it and put it in the proofing basket it was very sticky, fell apart, and was like trying to form oatmeal (cooked oatmeal, that is).  It left a mess in the proofing basket.  It went into the casserole dish and spread out like liquid sludge.  And when it came out of the oven, it was flat.

Shown in the first picture is the flat loaf next to a cut-open normal loaf that's 50/50 white/whole wheat.

Shown next is the reverse:  the cut-open flatbread loaf next to an uncut 50/50 loaf that rose normally.  As you can see, the one that was over-hydrated is pretty flat but not impossible to work with.

I have been using it for sandwiches, albeit fairly small oval ones, and  the bread's flavor is okay.  It's a very dense loaf, so even though the slices are small, they're filling.

Usually with whole wheat, more water is needed than for an equivalent amount of white flour.  The heirloom wheat seems to not absorb as much water, even when ground fairly fine, so it doesn't require as much as King Arthur or Gold Medal whole wheat flour.  It's a constant learning curve, but I know what consistency I'm shooting for with the initial sponge that will yield good results in the finished product.