Peter,
Fridays I mix how much poolish I think I will need for Monday, to incorporate into the final preferment Lehmann dough. Then the dough balls are left to cold ferment for one day. I used the formula you set-forth for multipule 15lb. or 10 lb. batches. I watch the weather to think about how many dough balls I might need for Tuesdays and also think about if I have any frozen dough balls. The equipment I have to mix my dough or poolish is a Hobart mixer that is a 20 qt. mixer. I have the Hatco Unit that can help the poolish to bubble. That can be used with humidity or not. That could hold plenty of dough to bulk ferment or I also could use my heated, humidified holding cabinet that revolves that holds my whole pies, when they are finished baking. It is easy to take out the 3 tier revolving stainless steel supports that holds the pies. That also can hold an even temperature. I also have enough refrigeration in my deli case to hold enough cold fermenting dough or poolish. I do have a hot plate to heat water in the winter. My pizza oven is a double deck Baker’s Pride (GP-61) , which is heated with propane gas. The oven can go to higher bake temperatures than I normally use for the preferment Lehmann dough. It can reach temperature of around 725 degrees F. I haven’t taken the temperature of the deck oven up many times, but it can get up there in temperatures on the stones. I have plenty of big Cambro containers with tight fitting lids. I also have digital scale to weigh out the ingredients for any doughs I make. If there or other things you need to know about what equipment I have at market, let me know and I will answer if I have that equipment.
The temperatures at market vary greatly. The market is not air-conditioned and in the winter they turn the propane heaters that are mounted on the ceiling at market, down just enough that pipes don’t freeze on non market days. In the summer the temperatures can and do get up to around 96 degrees F. In the winter the temperatures of my market stand can be around 44 degrees, when I am working in the stand on non market days. I do have a ceramic disc heater that I sometimes use in the winter months, to help bring up the temperatures while I am working at the market stand. The humidity at the market stand can also vary greatly. In the winter, later fall, and early spring is can be very dry at market. I have a gauge at market that does measure humidity. In the summer it can get very humid at market.
As for the owner of Rocco’s pizza, he was very friendly and helpful in giving me information, but I don’t like anyone messing with my experiments. When he told me my preferment Lehmann dough was too green, I really wonder if he knew what he was talking about. I still do like that dough very much. He also told me that the starter dough ball was not ready and it felt to me that the top was pillowly. I had at least washed my hands before touching the dough. Who knows where he had his hands last. I had told him that the dough in the container was made with a starter from Italy and how I fed the starter and made the dough. He seemed interested in hearing about that. I think his nose about touched the dough ball, for as fast as he went to smell it, after he had the opened container in his hands.
I didn’t know it before, but he was thinking about opening a pizza stand at Root’s market before I decided to open my stand. I wonder what would make him want to travel that far for one day a week to operate a one day market stand. I don’t see how he could prepare his dough the way he was telling me he does, when he lives so far away, unless he would bring dough balls from his pizzeria.
Norma
