Why bakers control dough temperature
Fermentation speed depends on temperature. Most bread recipes are written for a dough that comes off the mixer at around 75 to 78 °F. At that temperature, a bulk fermentation that the recipe says will take two hours really does take two hours. A dough at 70 °F might need half as long again, and one at 82 °F can over-ferment. Professional bakers therefore set a desired dough temperature (DDT) and adjust the one ingredient they can easily control: the water.
The formula
The temperature of a mixed dough is roughly the average of its ingredients plus the heat added by mixing:
Water temperature = 3 × DDT − room temperature − flour temperature − friction factor
With a preferment such as sourdough levain, poolish or biga, add it as a fourth factor:
Water temperature = 4 × DDT − room − flour − preferment − friction
The number 3 × DDT − friction (or 4 × DDT − friction) is called the base temperature.
Worked example
You want a dough at 76 °F. The kitchen is at 72 °F, the flour at 70 °F, and your stand mixer adds about 24 °F of friction:
- Base temperature: 3 × 76 − 24 = 204.
- Water temperature: 204 − 72 − 70 = 62 °F.
- Your tap water is at 65 °F, so it is too warm. For 700 g of water, replace 11.9 g with ice and use 688.1 g of tap water.
The friction factor
Mixing works the dough, and that energy turns into heat. Typical values:
| Method | Friction factor |
|---|---|
| Hand mixing | 4 to 6 °F |
| Stand mixer, short mix | 15 to 25 °F |
| Spiral mixer | 20 to 30 °F |
| Food processor | 25 to 35 °F |
To measure yours, make a dough, record the room, flour and water temperatures, then take the dough’s temperature after mixing. Friction = 3 × final dough temperature − room − flour − water.
The ice calculation
When the water you need is colder than your tap, ice does the job. Melting one pound of ice absorbs 144 BTU, so the formula is: ice = total water × (tap − target) ÷ (tap + 112), in °F. The total weight of water stays the same; part of it is simply frozen.
Tips
- Measure flour temperature with a probe thermometer pushed into the bag; flour stored in a cold garage can be 20 °F cooler than the kitchen.
- In summer, chill the flour or use cold water and shorter mixing; in winter, warm water up to about 100 °F is fine, but avoid water above about 115 °F, which can damage yeast.
- Write your friction factor down for each recipe and mixer; it changes with dough size and mixing time.