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Re: Silky, Stretchable Dough - How??????
Hi Rossco!
The flour dictates the hydration but there is no magic "Caputo 00 should be mixed at 67%" for there is too much variation. You have to learn to adjust the hydration to the flour you have - and to some extent the results you want. No one starts by saying I want to make 70% hydration bread and uses that to choose the flour. And...while adding 67 grams of water to 100 grams of dough results in a dough that calculates as 67 % hydration the amount of water IN the flour can totally make the calculation meaningless and the dough may really be 70 or 72%. You have to adjust the hydration to give the dough you want, not simply mechanically add a fixed amount of water to a fixed amount of flour.
Kneading affects the dough and while time is what you hear people talk about - especially in mixers, kneading time is not a very good measure of gluten development or what the dough will be like. It should be noted that both flour choice and hydration will affect the amount of kneading necessary in a commercial mixer. But autolyzing has an effect on needed time. Note: Higher hydration doughs tend to require more mixing but again, it is SO variable depending on how you actually work with the dough. Mixer type is also a big factor with spiral mixers making much nicer dough than the Kithenaid style C hook.
To my knowledge yeast has no effect other than the amount added affects the rising time with very minor texture impact. Fresh vs. instant has no impact on texture but does affect taste slightly.
The answer to finding the combo you want lies finding the balance of flour, hydration, and handling that give the results you want. The hydration is almost certainly too high for the flour you are using (unless your kneading is way off). It sounds like you want dough that requires a higher protein content.
But I am forced to ask why you feel you have to hand shape the pie off the bench. What do you think you gain by that? (other than thin spots)
A lot of us like soft doughs and the crust it gives. Those doughs demand careful handling and that takes experience. And, as I have said before...it is a lot easier to learn to handle dough that is lower hydration. And lower hydration should give you qualities closer to what you say you want. (Autolyzing and a couple of stretch and folds will help too).
Good Luck!
Jay
Hi Rossco!
The flour dictates the hydration but there is no magic "Caputo 00 should be mixed at 67%" for there is too much variation. You have to learn to adjust the hydration to the flour you have - and to some extent the results you want. No one starts by saying I want to make 70% hydration bread and uses that to choose the flour. And...while adding 67 grams of water to 100 grams of dough results in a dough that calculates as 67 % hydration the amount of water IN the flour can totally make the calculation meaningless and the dough may really be 70 or 72%. You have to adjust the hydration to give the dough you want, not simply mechanically add a fixed amount of water to a fixed amount of flour.
Kneading affects the dough and while time is what you hear people talk about - especially in mixers, kneading time is not a very good measure of gluten development or what the dough will be like. It should be noted that both flour choice and hydration will affect the amount of kneading necessary in a commercial mixer. But autolyzing has an effect on needed time. Note: Higher hydration doughs tend to require more mixing but again, it is SO variable depending on how you actually work with the dough. Mixer type is also a big factor with spiral mixers making much nicer dough than the Kithenaid style C hook.
To my knowledge yeast has no effect other than the amount added affects the rising time with very minor texture impact. Fresh vs. instant has no impact on texture but does affect taste slightly.
The answer to finding the combo you want lies finding the balance of flour, hydration, and handling that give the results you want. The hydration is almost certainly too high for the flour you are using (unless your kneading is way off). It sounds like you want dough that requires a higher protein content.
But I am forced to ask why you feel you have to hand shape the pie off the bench. What do you think you gain by that? (other than thin spots)
A lot of us like soft doughs and the crust it gives. Those doughs demand careful handling and that takes experience. And, as I have said before...it is a lot easier to learn to handle dough that is lower hydration. And lower hydration should give you qualities closer to what you say you want. (Autolyzing and a couple of stretch and folds will help too).
Good Luck!
Jay
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