2 hours ago, Marcvl said:So, this is my first post on this forum and also the first time i tried a Modernist Pizza recipe. I dont know the name of the recipe but its the one that has very high hydration levels (75%) and adds diastatic malt.
i had a very hard time with this recipe. The dough was incredibly sticky. It didnt form a nice ball around the kneeding hook. Some dough stayed at the bottom of the bowl and didnt get picked up by the hook. I thought it was all wrong so i started adding flour, and adding more, and more, and more. I couldnt get the window test working at all. So i kept kneeding (at least my
machine did) for 30 min or so, while the recipe only called for 11 minutes. Still no progress after 30 min, so i gave up and went on to the next step.
at the end of the day, the pizza was great, but the dough was not behaving right. It would tear as soon as i started to stretch it. And it was still sticky.
Any tips on what i am doing wrong?
marc
Sounds like the high hydration Artisan dough. I’ve made it, it’s good, but high hydration doughs are not easy, especially starting out.
Starting with the paddle attachment is helpful. Then once it balls itself around the paddle, scrape it off and switch to the dough hook. May need medium high speed to make sure you catch the dough.
Holding back 5% of the water and gradually adding it after a few minutes of kneading with the dough hook (starting with the dough hook) is another technique you could use.
I used to do it as well, but try not to add more flour. Defeats the purpose. Allowing the dough to relax for 5-10 minutes can do wonders. The times they give for kneading aren’t bad, but you shouldn’t start the timer until it comes into s uniform mass, so sometimes that can take a few more minutes.
Get used to their master or direct dough recipes before messing with the high hydrations. Or don’t, but be prepared to waste a lot of flour.
Even once you form the gluten, handling and shaping them is another animal
altogether. It’s awesome, but tricky. Keep reporting back and post some pics too!
