Peter, thanks for the response and the link to the PMQ discussion of balling dough after mixing versus as needed or per order.
Peter, as far as whether it is easier to ball dough when the dough temp is approximate to room temps versus cold, I would agree that generally it is easier to form doughs at room temps and not have seems in the dough. But again, it is entirely dependent on the dough formulation and mixing regimen as these factors also affect if dough can/should be balled cold at a later point.
If a moderate to high hydration dough is minimally kneaded and not allowed to rise in bulk volume too much (relative to the strength of the flour), it can be just as easy as balling a standard NY dough at room temps. Especially if the dough has had 12-24 hours to soften up in the fridge. Some of my previous CF doughs have come out of the fridge almost in a liquid state and I would consider to be much more difficult to handle because of their extensibility not elasticity. So again, it depends entirely on the dough recipe (more specifically it's condition) as to whether it will tolerate and benefit from a late balling.
Also, it may be that dough is process commercially in the way that it is (whatever that maybe) for efficiency purposes as well as consistency in order to maximize overall efficiency and profit. It may not be efficient or as profitable to reball cold dough, but if I had a pizzeria I would still take the time and effort to do so as I believe it makes a better product. But again, I don't believe this additional step would benefit all doughs, so it is only appropriate for doughs that can handle it, particularly under kneaded doughs and higher hydration doughs. To me, it is simply and plainly another strength building step, an extension of mixing/kneading/manipulating the dough. One can choose to build all the strength up front versus in parts separated by rest periods. I am sure there are folks on both sides that have experience and reason to believe either balling early or late is better for their dough.
As far as applying it to a large batch of dough and commercial setting, a possible work around to the bulk of the dough cooling too quickly is to divide the bulk into smaller portions all to be refrigerated until time of balling. Only a portion of dough that can be balled in a timely fashion will sit out at room temps. When said batch is done, another can be moved from the fridge to counter to be balled and so on.
As for the link, it is an interesting debate and I would have to say that for that specific scenario, it is unadvisable to ball dough on a as needed base if making NY style pizza As Tom said, not only are you having to deal with trying to open a dough ball that was just formed, but the resulting pizzas would be terribly inconsistent if you were making NY style pies. If you are making a low yeasted dough that was sheeted, then it could work.
But as far as balling dough early or later in the fermentation process, as long as it's not done really late in the overall process, I haven't had any issues with consistency in the final dough ball or in the resulting pizzas (in a home setting). An interesting and related topic on the side of bread making, bread dough must also have some sort of rest period to relax prior to baking. If the dough is put through the final shaping process really late in fermentation and then baked too hastily without a decent rest period, the bread has a tendency to separate during baking along the seam. It simply hasn't had enough time for the dough to relax and for the gluten strains to meld and realign themselves. Something similar would also happen to pizza dough if it were to be balled and then immediately open for baking. The dough would be too strong and one would risk tearing it. This is why even if a dough can tolerate and benefit from a late balling, it also usually needs a sufficient time to relax prior to opening.
On several occassions, I have made amazing pizzas with dough that came out of the fridge in almost a liquid state. I reballed the dough about 10 minutes prior to baking and the results were stellar. The dough opened up easily and felt fantastic. This was a unique dough and circumstance, but the point is that great bread and pizza is a balance of hydration, dough strength, and the perfect bake. As long as one can achieve the balance of these things, it matters less if the dough was balled out of the mixer or right before baking.
Chau
