I’m wondering if anyone is mixing without salt, then resting, then mixing salt in to slow the yeast down? The idea that is speeds up the initial fermentation, but conversely could create a quite chewy dough? I could be missing a thread on here but just curious of others’ thoughts. Thanks!
That doesn’t make any sense at all. Leaving the salt out of the dough for 30-minutes to an hour then adding the salt and mixing it into the dough would only provide a very slight increase in total dough fermentation. If you left it out for the entire fermentation period you would get significantly more fermentation than if you would have fermented the dough for the same time with the salt added, however a dough made without salt will be sticky and the finished/baked dough will be severely lacking in flavor. The flavor of a bread type product (including pizza crust) made without salt is best described as being “starchy”, so much so that I’ve seen individuals begin adding vital wheat gluten to the dough in an attempt to off set the starchy taste…it doesn’t work that way. No it wouldn’t create a chewy dough. The main things that are responsible for a chewy/tough dough (actually crust) are lack of fermentation, flour protein content, thickness of the dough skin, speed of bake and lack of oil in the dough formula.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
We do something that is similar to an autolyse, though most autolyse methods I’ve read about (and I think the initial idea of the method) involve adding both yeast and salt after the rest
Our method (which is modified sourdough) is:
Mix H2O, sourdough starter (100% hydration), flour and a small amount of dry yeast-sp 1 3 mins.
Rest 20-30 mins
Add oil and salt while mixing sp 1. Mix 2-3 mins, finish speed 2 3 mins
The theory for us is that it allows our starter to “wake up” some after being held in the cooler over night, but primarily that it allows absorption to happen without the dough being actively mixed. This shortens overall mixing time and reduces oxidation.
My background is as a bread baker, particularly sour dough, so this was a natural choice for me when developing our formula.
Added bonus: no one ever forgets the salt, because it is mixed in w oil and is a very tactile and unforgettable part of the process