published: June 4th, 2008
…continue Flour and Water Absorption
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Cold water should be used for bread soughs to counteract friction-temperature buildup during during mixing. Modern mixing equipment automatically sets the temperature of the water and the cooling jackets of the mixes maintain the desired dough temperature. Smaller plants and retail bakers use ice or chilled water for the dough temperature. This is especially important in warm or hot climates. Dough temperature of 78°-80°F is desirable. Where shop conditions are affected by extreme cold, bakers will often increase water temperature for the doughs to maintain the production schedule. Increased yeast is used in those circumstances. It has been proven that cold water temperature allows for an increase in water absorption. A high dough temperature out of the mixer often results in a softening of the gluten structure and a release of some of the water from the starch particles. From experience, bakers who use a weaker flour and mix with slow speed mixers usually make stiffer doughs knowing that a softening of dough will take place in the final dough development. Bakers who use a dough brake for final dough conditioning use more dusting flour to eliminate the problem of sticking.
How the dough is mixed is important to its retention of the water. Overmixing the dough will result in the release of moisture. Undermixing will result in under-hydration of the starch particles and insufficient gluten development to retain the structure that contains the water absorbed by the starch particles. Overmixing usually takes place in high speed mixers. Mixing time should be adjusted to the quality of the flour. The same mixing time for a weaker flour will result in overmixing and a sticky dough due to moisture release.
Bakers usually use a gluten stretch test for the first dough made from a new delivery of flour. Stretching a piece of the developed dough in the mixer should show the gluten structure to be smooth and extensible and with light passing through the stretched dough. Weaker flours will develop in a shorter mixing period. It is important to note that doughs made with a good quality flour will have better mixing and conditioning tolerance. Bakers who blend flours for the prodution of soft and sweet type yeast-raised products would do well to check the flour specifications from the flour mill for a desirable blend. For example, a good quality short patent flour of 12 percent protein may be used for soft rolls and sweet rolls in place of a blend of high gluten and softer flour. Major problems arise for bakers who have only one type of flour to work with and the quality of that flour varies with each shipment. In developing countries, flour is often weaker and bakers cope with production problems by using stiffer doughs and a no-time dough conditioning method.
