Fundamentals
Dough temperature
Why does the temperature of the mixed dough matter, and how do I choose the water temperature?
Step 2 of Make better pizza
Short answer
The temperature of the dough when it comes off the mixer largely sets how fast it ferments, so a recipe's timings only hold if the dough starts near the intended temperature. The desired-dough-temperature (DDT) method works out the water temperature: multiply the target by the number of factors and subtract the flour, room and mixing-friction temperatures.
Why the final temperature matters
Yeast works faster in warmer dough and slower in cooler dough. A dough that comes off the mixer a few degrees warmer than the recipe assumed can be noticeably ahead of schedule hours later; one that comes off cold can lag. Controlling the starting temperature is the simplest way to make a fermentation schedule repeatable from one batch to the next and from summer to winter.
Water is the easiest ingredient to adjust, because you can warm or cool it quickly and it makes up a large share of the dough. Flour temperature is usually close to room temperature, so the water does the correcting.
The desired-dough-temperature method
For a straight dough, the three main heat sources are the flour, the room and the friction of mixing, and the water is the fourth. The method assumes each contributes roughly equally, so: water temperature = (DDT × 3) − (flour temperature + room temperature + friction factor). If the dough includes a preferment such as a poolish or biga, it becomes a fourth factor: water temperature = (DDT × 4) − (flour + room + preferment + friction).
The arithmetic works in Celsius or Fahrenheit, as long as everything is in the same unit. The one trap is the friction factor: it is a temperature difference rather than a temperature, so a figure quoted in Fahrenheit converts to Celsius by multiplying by 5/9, without subtracting 32.
The target itself depends on the dough and schedule. King Arthur gives about 24–26 °C (75–78 °F) as a usual range for yeasted wheat doughs; many pizza doughs meant for a long cold ferment are mixed somewhat cooler. Follow the recipe's target if it gives one.
The friction factor is an estimate
Mixing warms dough, and how much depends on the mixer, the speed, the time and the batch size. King Arthur measured roughly 6–8 °F (about 3–4.5 °C) for mixing and kneading by hand, and roughly 22–24 °F (about 12–13 °C) for a domestic stand mixer on its test recipe. Other machines and recipes will differ, and spiral mixers used in pizzerias have their own figures.
The reliable way to find your own friction factor is to make a batch, measure the dough temperature straight after mixing, and work backwards: friction = (actual dough temperature × 3) − (flour + room + water). After two or three batches you will have a working figure for your mixer and method.
Limits and practical adjustments
The formula is a convenient approximation, not physics: flour, water and the room do not really contribute equally, because they have different masses and heat capacities. It is accurate enough to get within a degree or two, which is what matters for scheduling.
On a hot day, or with a mixer that adds a lot of heat, the result can come out very low — sometimes near or below freezing. Water cannot usefully be colder than 0 °C, so bakers use iced water, chill the flour beforehand, or mix for less time. If the result is very high, be cautious: very hot water can damage yeast, so rather than using water well above body temperature, warm the flour or the room instead, or accept a slightly cooler dough and a longer ferment.
Worked example: Target 24 °C, flour at 20 °C, kitchen at 21 °C
- Total temperature factor for a straight dough: 24 °C × 3 = 72.
- Hand mixing, friction factor about 4 °C: water = 72 − (20 + 21 + 4) = 72 − 45 = 27 °C.
- Stand mixer, friction factor about 13 °C: water = 72 − (20 + 21 + 13) = 72 − 54 = 18 °C.
- Mix, then check the dough with a probe thermometer. If it reads 25.5 °C with the stand mixer, your real friction factor is (25.5 × 3) − (20 + 21 + 18) = 76.5 − 59 = 17.5 °C; use that next time.
The friction factors here are illustrative values converted from King Arthur's measurements; your own will differ.
Common misconceptions
- “Use lukewarm water and the dough will be fine.”
- The right water temperature depends on the flour, the room and how you mix. Lukewarm water in a warm kitchen with a stand mixer can produce a dough several degrees warmer than intended.
- “Friction factors are fixed numbers you can look up.”
- Published figures are examples from particular mixers and recipes. Measuring your own batch is the only reliable way to get one.
What this page cannot tell you
The method predicts the dough temperature at the end of mixing only. It cannot account for how quickly the dough then warms or cools in your kitchen or fridge, and the equal-weighting assumption makes it approximate. A probe thermometer is needed to use it properly.
Related
Explainers
Evidence
Generally accepted- Dough Temperature — King Arthur Baking Company
- Desired dough temperature — King Arthur Baking Company