When using a VCM we never found it necessary to mix more than about 75-seconds. Remember, when making pizza dough you are not trying to develop the gluten at the mixer as you would when making a bread dough, instead as pizza dough is best under developed, you just need to mix the dough long enough to get decent handling properties at the bench, this is the reason why we recommend mixing pizza dough JUST until it develops a smooth satiny appearance. Mixing the dough beyond this point will contribute to achieving a more bread like crumb structure in the finished crust and it will also go a long ways towards putting you on a first name basis with your local mixer repair man
With a VCM you need to suspend whatever yeast you are using, even IDY, in a small portion of the water to achieve good dispersion during the short mixing period. Mix for about 15-seconds, add the oil and continue mixing to the 75-second mark (this time might be different for different flour or dough formulas).
When using a planetary mixer add the water first then add the salt and sugar (if used) into the water, no need to stir unless you’re bored and have nothing else to do. Then add the flour and the yeast on top of the flour (compressed yeast (CY) is just crumbled and added as it is, ADY must be pre-hydrated in a small portion of water at 100F and IDY is added dry) and the dough mixed at low speed just until you don’t see any dry flour in the bowl (DO NOT MIX MORE THAN THIS) now add the oil and mix for one additional minute in low speed, then mix in medium speed for 8 to 10-minutes and you should be done. Mixing at low speed is actually hard on a mixer (think of your mixer as a light bulb, it has a running life). If your mixer can’t easily mix your dough at anything faster than the slowest speed your dough is too large for your mixer. If your mixer is a 60-quart Hobart which is very common, the only ones that will mix 50-pounds of flour are the new Legacy or the P-660, if you have any one of the H-600 series of mixers you are better off keeping your doughs sized to not more than 40-pounds of flour weight. If you go back into my archived articles (In Lehmann’s Terms) you should be able to find an article that I wrote addressing this very issue a few years ago.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
