Been testing dough recipes out for my new shop and yesterday I made a 1 - 4# batch…
Weighted each ball at 1# (making 4 balls), and in the same dough bin I put 2 balls at one end, the other 2 I put at the opposite end but coated then in veggi oil.
Today I take a look at them and the oil covered balls are about 25% larger than the non-oiled.
Did the coating of the oil help activate the IDY yeast MORE than the non-oiled?
Why is this?
The oil coating reduces the heat loss, so it rises faster. Same idea with making bread or desserts using a dough; you can cover the bowl after kneading to reduce the time for the dough to rise.
I;
Probably what you are seeing is due to a drying or slight crusting of the dough skin. The oil prevents the dough skin from developing this skin, or crust if you did not cover the boxes. The heavy skin or crust will effectively impede expansion of the dough balls, where as, the oiled surface results in a soft, pliable dough skin which expands easily as the dough continues to ferment during the night. It has nothing to do with activation or performance of the yeast.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
So were able to coat the balls in oil and place them uncovered on a cookie sheet in the cooler on a bread rack, instead of putting them in dough bins… and they will essentially come out the same?
I;
Not really…With time you will still get some dessication of the dough balls as the oil soaks into the dough, but you will not get the usual, hard, crusty, or leathery textured skin that you would if it were not coated with oil. In short, we still recommend cross stacking the dough in the cooler for up to 2.5-hours (depending upon dough ball weight) and then down stacking it and covering as a measure to prevent unwanted drying of the dough ball(S).
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor