I know the dough doctor likes a finished temp of 80-85. We use instant yeast (bread machine yeast) and the directions ask for 110-120 degree water to use it. When I use 110 degree water I get good results with the dough but the finish temp is around 95 degrees. If I use cooler water to get the 85 degree temp dough it doesn’t seem to do as well (dough balls that don’t rise much). I think the instant yeast takes a higher temperature to activate.
We do 25 pound batches at a time and usually can get the dough balls in the walk in in less than 30 minutes. Because of this I do not cross stack I just roll the dough trays in and let them proof overnight. Is there any problem with this?
I’m using one ounce of instant yeast to 25 pounds of dough. Does this number seem ok?
And finally, I saw in a previous dough doctor post where he said to raise the fat content of a dough to make it crispier/softer. Was he talking about more oil or was he talking about actually putting shortening into the dough (we do not use shortening only oil).
Thanks for the help!
-Freddy
Freddy;
Is it the yeast directions that call for 110 to 120F water or is it the bread machine directions or the dough formulation directions? I’m not aware of any yeast manufacturers that call for hydrating their yeast in water that hot, much less an instant dry yeast. Your IDY level of 1-ounce to 25-pounds of flour is a little on the low side at 0.25%. Putting 95F dough into a covered box in the cooler will result in the dough sweating during the cold ferment period which almost always results in a sticky handling dough at best. Since the dough continues to raise in temperature (about 1F per hour) until the yeast activity is slowed through refrigeration you dough is most likely rising above 95F while in the cooler. Under normal conditions this would cause the dough to blow, but I’m guessing that the yeast level was lowered at some time to compensate for this, however, with the lower yeast level there is not sufficient leavening to carry the weight of the toppings after the dough skin has been dressed and placed into the oven, as a result the stage is set for the development of the “dreaded” gum line which in this case results from the dough not rising sufficiently in the center portion of the pizza to create a thermal break. As a result of this the heat applied to the bottom of the pizza passes through the crust and is dissipated as steam from the moisture present in the sauce and toppings, the resulting under bake condition is what is responsible for the gum line. I might also add that in many cases this is also accompanied by difficulty in getting a good bottom crust color, or where we have sufficient heat/temperature to achieve bottom color the finished pizza goes limp after only a few seconds or a minute, at most, out of the oven. I covered this in somewhat greater detail in my article on “The Dreaded Gum Line”.
As for making a more tender eating crust the addition of fat either in the form of oil or shortening will result in a less chewy finished crust. Going back to what was said above, if you are experiencing excessive chewiness in your finished crust keep in mind that it might also be due to the poor bake resulting from insufficient leavening for good oven spring during those critical first few seconds in the oven.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
http://www.breadworld.com/education/Yeast-Basics
Yes the instructions call for 120-130 degrees. See the link above for Rapid Rise Yeast.
Freddy;
I see that the dough formula calls for adding 110 to 120F water to the dough ingredients which actually tempers the water substantially, but I’ll put money on the table that this is for home baking since they are also referencing bread machines which are intended to go from dough to baked bread in less than 3-hours which is OK if you really don’t like bread, but for your application, pizzeria? I think you would be better served by a dough management procedure that has been designed for, and has a track record in, commercial dough making. That’s just my humble opinion.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
I made a batch today with 1.5 ounces of yeast and 100 degree water. I will let you know the results. Thank you for your help.
What was your finished dough temperature when you used 100F water?
87 degrees
When I make my dough I put the 25 pounds of flour in along with the 1.5 ounces of Instant Yeast and the sugar. Than I add the 14.5 pounds of 100 degree water. After 3 minutes I add 3 cups of oil and the salt. I mix for 7 minutes at the lowest setting.
Actually, you’re only 2F over the recommended temperature range. The finished dough temperature, not the water temperature is what drives your dough management process. I’d increase the IDY to 0.375% and cross stack the dough boxes for 3-hours then down stack and kiss the dough good night.
To clean up your dough making process try adding the water to the bowl first, then add the flour and the salt, sugar, and IDY right on top of the flour. Mix just until the flour is hydrated (about 2-minutes) and add the oil, then mix in your normal manner. When you’re finished mixing pour a very small amount of oil down the inside of the bowl as the dough is being mixed at the lowest speed, mix for 3 to 5-revolutions and stop the mixer. This will make the dough much easier to remove from the bowl if you don’t already do it.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor