In Lehmann's Terms: Dough Management
By Tom Lehmann

QUESTION:
How should I manage my dough overnight, or for up to several days in the cooler?

ANSWER:
Lately, I've received a number of questions on dough management, so I'll review the basics. Keep in mind that these are only guidelines; they may need to be modified to some extent, to fit the operation of your shop or to produce your specific type of pizza. In all cases, though, the basics will be the same. Effective dough management is fairly easy to accomplish once you understand and apply the basic principles—i.e., time and temperature controls with a dose of consistency thrown in. Time controls. Make sure you keep your timing consistent across the board—when mixing the dough; taking the dough directly to the bench for cutting (scaling) right after mixing; placing the dough into the cooler quickly after getting it into the dough box; and getting the entire dough scaled, balled, boxed and into the cooler within 20 minutes of coming from the mixer. Keep track of how long you allow the dough to remain crossstacked in the cooler (remember, dough balls that weigh 12 ounces or less will require less cross-stacked time than larger/ heavier dough balls).

Temperature controls. Bring the dough from the mixer at the desired finished dough temperature (usually 80° to 85°F), using the correct water temperature to achieve the desired finished dough temperature. Also periodically check the cooler to ensure it's working properly.

Consistency. This one is a bit more ambiguous. Think about how you round the dough balls (keep them all about the same tightness), where you put the dough in the cooler, how you down-stack the dough boxes (top to bottom, so that the stack is reversed in order, is the correct way), and the amount of time you allow the different weights of dough balls to remain crossstacked.

Try to maintain your shop at a consistent temperature throughout the year. After pulling dough from the cooler, you will want to allow it to temper at room temperature for a period of time before trying to shape or bake it (keep in mind, again, that smaller dough balls will require less time to properly temper than larger/heavier dough balls). This means that you might want to pull the large dough balls from the cooler first, followed by the smaller dough balls a little later, if you want to have all of the dough ready for use at the same time.

OK, now that we've tackled time, temperature and consistency, let's look at how we actually manage our dough for an overnight ferment.

1. Determine the room and flour temperatures, and determine what the water temperature needs to be to give you a finished dough temperature within the range of 80° to 85°F. Hint: The correct water temperature will probably be close to 60°F for the conditions in most stores.

2. Put the water in the mixing bowl first, and then add the flour and the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix for about 2 minutes at low speed, or until all of the flour is just hydrated (when you don't see any white flour in the mixing bowl). Add the oil and mix for 1 more minute at low speed, and then finish mixing at medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes (pick a length of time and be consistent). This delayed oil addition during the mixing procedure provides more consistent dough performance than if the oil is added with the water.

3. Check and record the dough temperature immediately after mixing. Remember, you want it within the 80° to 85°F temperature range. Then take the dough immediately to the bench for cutting (scaling) and balling.

4. As soon as a box is filled with dough balls, wipe the tops of the dough with salad oil (this helps prevent any unwanted drying/crusting of the dough balls while they're crossstacked) and begin cross-stacking boxes. When you have three dough boxes filled, take them to the cooler and crossstack them. This allows the dough balls to cool down more effectively and prevents them from sweating in the box. (Remember to get all of the dough into the dough boxes and into the cooler within 20 minutes of mixing.)

5. As soon as a stack of boxes is completed, put a card on the stack that indicates the time. Then indicate the projected time that the stack is to be down-stacked and nested. Down-stacking is another step to help cool the dough balls uniformly, and the nesting of the boxes will provide a tight seal to prevent drying and crusting of the dough balls while they're in the cooler.

6. Allow the dough to condition (ferment) in the cooler for at least 12 hours or overnight. The dough can be kept in the cooler for up to three days, but it is at its best within the first 12 to 48 hours.

7. To use the dough, remove about a 2- to 3-hour supply of dough from the cooler. Place it in a dedicated spot in the shop (away from heat or drafts) and allow the dough to temper at room temperature for about 90 minutes, or until the dough can be easily shaped without excessive effort or snap-back. 8. Make a note of the time when you can begin using the dough (the dough will remain good to use for up to three hours). Be sure to keep the dough boxes covered at all times. As the dough inventory on the floor is depleted, replace with freshly removed dough from the cooler as necessary to maintain continued production throughout the day. Keep in mind that sometimes you will not need as much dough to be on hand (typically, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.), while at other times (such as during the "slam" periods of 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.) you'll need more. These times and durations will depend upon your store's concept and type of customer.

9. Any dough that has been pulled from the cooler and is ready to be made into dough skins but is expiring in useful life can be formed into dough skins and placed on lightly oiled aluminum screens, then put on a wire tree rack in the cooler, where they will cool and stabilize, allowing them to be successfully held for up to several hours before use at the next opportunity. These preformed dough skins will cool in about 20 minutes; the rack should be covered with a plastic bag to prevent the dough skins from drying. To use these dough skins, remove what will be needed and allow them to set at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes to temper; then remove from the screen and transfer to a peel or a pan/ disk for dressing and baking. If the dough skins are going to be baked on a mesh screen, you should still remove the dough skin from the screen and transfer onto another baking screen—otherwise, dough may stick to the screen on which the dough was cooled.

10. A neat trick that was shared by a past student of mine: Use a heated shelf (like the ones used to hold delivery and carryout pizzas prior to pickup), wiped with a little salad or olive oil, and place the preformed dough skins on the warm shelf surface right out of the cooler. Presto! In less than a minute, you'll sufficiently warm the dough so you can immediately begin treating it like a just-opened dough skin. This works great in a high-volume shop where you find it necessary to pre-open the dough skins in advance of the slam periods just to be able to keep up with the orders.

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