Gauging time and temperature
Time and temperature are directly related to each other in terms of bread making. To encourage fermentation at it’s most safe and fastest state, it is crucial to control the temperature of your dough. The first thing I do as a baker upon entering the bake shop is lay out a thermometer. After a minute or two it should read the exact temperature of the room. Along with the temperature of the room we need to obtain the temperatures of the flour we will be using, the starter that will be going into the dough, and our Friction Factor. Friction Factor is a number that represents the heat created from the mixing of the dough, in other words, the friction that is created from the dough riding along the side of the mixing bowl when being viciously turned by a dough hook. To Calculate Friction Factor of your mixer, first take the temperature of the air, your flour, and your water; Next mix the dough in your mixer and take the temperature of the dough, subtract the numbers you found for each component from that of the final dough and the number you are left with is your Friction Factor (The amount of heat added during the mixing process).
Now That we have temperatures for our AIR, FLOUR, STARTER and FRICTION FACTOR, we can determine what our desired dough temperature (DDT) will be. DDT represents the temperature you want your dough to be once it is completed the mixing process. The ideal temperature range for yeast to ferment proteins is between 75-80F. Therefore a typical DDT would be 78F, we will than take this number and multiply it by 4 (multiply your DDT by 3 if you are not using a starter.). We Multiply our DDT by 4 to represent the number of components in the dough. 78*4=312. So to achieve a DDT of 78 we need to subtract the temperatures of our FLOUR, AIR, STARTER, and FRICTION FACTOR from 312, the number you are left with will determine what the temperature of your water should be, as water is the only variable we can work with. If done correctly after mixing your dough should temp at 78F or whatever you chose as a DDT.
ex. DDT: 78
Air : 70
Flour: 71.5
F.F.: 20
Starter: 68
Water:?
78*4=312
312-70=242
242-71.5=170.5
170.5-20=150.5
150.5-68= 82.5
The final number 82.5 is the temperature you will need your water at to achieve a DDT of 78F after mixing.