Question from a Pizza Today Reader: Summer Heat Dough Temps

I have 2 years of dough making now under my belt but I’m running into temperature consistently issues. I share a workspace with a wine shop and the A/C has to be set at 74 during these summer months due to it being an older building; additionally, I am right by the front door. How should I be changing the temperature of the water, while taking into account room temperature and humidity? I’ve been winging it for the most part and unfortunately sometimes that doesn’t work in my favor.

Answer from Denise Greer, Editor In Chief:

This is common issue with dough management in the grips of the summer heat, especially if you are in a high humidity climate. Most operators do not have a controlled dough making environment, such as a dough room. You must adjust factors that are within your control to reach your optimal finished dough temperature. You get there through meticulously controlling your ingredients and they how and at what temperature they go into your mixer, as well as how much the friction from the mixing heats up your dough.

The late, great Dough Doctor Tom Lehmann was the foremost dough expert who provided Pizza Today’s Dough Doctor column for decades. He dove deep into finished dough temperature and water temperature.

He said there are two methods. The first is the straight dough mixing method with an equation to find your desired water temperature. “This equation is expressed as 3 x the desired finished dough temperature minus the sum of the flour temperature, room temperature and friction factor,” Lehmann wrote.

The friction factor is an often overlooked heat source. Lehmann advised, “To find the friction factor, we will need to use the equation for friction factor, which is 3 x the actual dough temperature minus the sum of the flour temperature, room temperature and water temperature.”

It’s that friction factor that leads to the optimal water temperature, Lehmann noted. “The equation is 3 x the desired finished dough temperature (80 F) minus (room temperature (70 F) + flour temperature (68 F) + friction factor (57). 3 x 80 = 240 minus (70 F + 68 F + 57 = 45 F). The water temperature that is needed in this case to achieve a finished mixed dough temperature of 80 F is 45 F.”

This could mean using cold or even ice water to get to the desired water temperature.

For more explanation on the straight dough mixing method and the second method Lehmann mentions, check out Dough Doctor: Get Wet | Getting to Optimal Dough Temperature for Pizza Making

Study Pizza Dough Temperature Controls

Dough making is a science and sometimes these calculations can seem complex. The more you learn about the mathematics of dough, the easier it will be to adjust your dough when your environment changes.

Tom Lehmann was amazing at breaking down these complex dough temperature considerations so any pizzeria operator could understand. This article specifically addresses what to do in warmer room temperatures. Read Temperature Control.

Remember: Make Incremental Changes to Your Procedures for a More Consistent Dough

Laura Meyer, dough expert, Knead to Know contributor and owner of Pizzeria da Laura, offers some insights on how to make subtle changes to increase consistency in your dough, especially when it comes to dough temperature.

Read Knead to Know: Small Tweaks in the Pizza Dough Process

Looking to be a sponge of all things pizza dough, explore the Dough topic here at Pizza Today.

Do you have Pizza Dough Questions?

Whether it’s dough ingredients, process or recipes, we want to know what issues you are having with pizza dough. Are you interested in a new style or technique? Send your questions to Denise Greer at [email protected]. Put “Question for Knead to Know” in the subject line.