The important factors in making bread.
Why is it necessary to control the temperature when mixing dough? What is the significance of controlling the temperature of the dough? The main purpose is to retain the flavor and taste to the greatest extent and to facilitate our operators.
Basically we can control the indoor temperature, the flour temperature, the friction temperature of the noodle tank machine when mixing, and the most important water temperature!
We can use this formula as a reference (for regular sweet dough)
(Ideal temperature of dough × 3) – (Indoor temperature + Flour temperature + Friction increase temperature) = Water temperature
1) Indoor temperature:
Regarding the indoor temperature, summer is basically every baker’s nightmare. It is extremely easy to overheat the dough when making dough in summer, and it can easily reach 30 degrees. So how should we deal with it. Of course, the most effective way is to turn on the air conditioner, which can effectively adjust the ideal room temperature.
In addition, every baker who bakes dough in the summer deserves to have an indoor thermometer to keep an eye on changes in room temperature and humidity. The humidity of room temperature is also very important. When we are making French bread, these breads will be kept at room temperature (25 degrees Celsius) most of the time. If the humidity of our environment is too low, it will cause the surface of the dough to condense. Shell, the fermentation speed is too slow, so you must pay attention.
2) Control material temperature:
Many bakers know that ice is needed when making dough in summer, because ice water is the most direct and effective way to control dough. It should be noted that some people like to pour a large amount of ice cubes into the flour, hoping to use the force of mixing to slowly melt the ice cubes.
This is a very dangerous operation, because a large amount of ice cubes cannot melt in a short time, and it is easy to frostbite the adhered yeast, and too many ice cubes affect the water absorption state of the dough and affect the mixing process.
When we use ice cubes, we basically convert it 1:1, 100g water = 100g ice, and try to use ice slag to soak in water, or put the ice cubes into water and wait for it to melt into ice water before use, or filter it Drop ice cubes; extreme heat or use smoothies that melt easily.
However, sometimes just adding ice is not enough to control the temperature of the dough. The temperature of the dough is still very high. At this time, the temperature of other materials can also be lowered, such as flour, butter, eggs and other liquids. We still throw them into the freezer or refrigerate. That’s it.
FAQ
How can bakers calculate the required water temperature to achieve an ideal dough temperature?
Bakers can use a specific calculation formula (primarily for regular sweet dough) that takes into account four key temperature factors: the ideal dough temperature, indoor temperature, flour temperature, and the friction increase from the mixing machine. The formula is:
Water Temperature = (Ideal Dough Temperature × 3) – (Indoor Temperature + Flour Temperature + Friction Increase Temperature)
What is the correct way to use ice for dough temperature control in hot weather, and what mistake should be avoided?
When managing high summer temperatures, ice should be used on a 1:1 weight-to-water conversion ratio (e.g., replacing 100g of water with 100g of ice). It should be introduced as easily meltable crushed ice/smoothies, or dissolved completely into the water before mixing.
The mistake to avoid is throwing a large amount of solid ice cubes directly into the flour. Solid ice cubes cannot melt quickly enough during mixing, which can easily frostbite the yeast they come into contact with and negatively disrupt the dough’s water absorption and overall mixing process.
