deflated dough?

[theGreenSurfer]

Hello everyone,
I have this deflating issue that i can't figure out.
ideally the dough should end up a tight, round ball. but mine looks like a pair of elderly breasts.
if anyone has any ideas please share....

I use 2 tsp of red star active dry yeast to every 8 oz of water w/ a bit of sugar, (i have tried lukewarm and cold). i  use about 3-4 cups king arthur bread flour, i dont actually measure this because i have the feel for the consistency it should be at this point.
i mix with a counter-top kitchen aid on speed 2 for about 7-8 mins then on speed 3 for the last 2-3 mins.

the next step i think is where i go wrong. i have tried 2 different procedures after mixing:
1. letting the whole thing rise for an hour or two then punching down and balling up
2. immediately balling the dough up

after i make the balls they go in a glass pyrex casserole dish with a lid on. i have also tried this 2 different ways:
1. putting in the refrigerator right after making balls
2. letting them rise in the pyrex for and hour or two then refrigerating

here are some pictures of dough that are just under 48 hrs.

thanks for looking!
rocco

[David Deas]

It's overfermented.  Simple as that.  Lower your yeast if you're going to do 48 hours.

[Jackie Tran]

It's overfermented.  Simple as that.  Lower your yeast if you're going to do 48 hours.

This is reason why I prefer young doughs over mature doughs.   

[theGreenSurfer]

should i cut the yeast in half or what?
is it better to refrigerate after making balls or let them rise a bit before doing so?

[AimlessRyan]

should i cut the yeast in half or what?
is it better to refrigerate after making balls or let them rise a bit before doing so?

Cutting the yeast in half is a good start, and it might even lead to exactly what you want. My opinion is that it's best to refrigerate the dough balls as soon as you round them. If you leave them at room temperature for a while after you've rounded them, you'll likely end up with inconsistent and unpredictable results from one batch to the next, as well as other problems.

[AimlessRyan]

Also, if money is not an issue, get a decent scale and take a few minutes to acquaint yourself with bakers' percents. Measuring ingredients by volume and/or feel is very imprecise, plus it's an alien language that can't really be translated.

[Giggliato]

I would suggest simply pitching your yeast directly into your dough mixture. The practice of "activating" yeast in a warm sugary bath is helpful to produce a quick dough.

This is a bit offtopic but you can also buy your yeast in bulk and store it in a dark jar in the freezer. My jar has been in the freezer for about two years now and is still quite capable of fermenting a one day dough.

[AimlessRyan]

I would suggest simply pitching your yeast directly into your dough mixture. The practice of "activating" yeast in a warm sugary bath is helpful to produce a quick dough.

That's not true. Adding yeast to water instead of directly into the flour mixture does two things: 1) It gives you a way to be sure your yeast is alive and well (which is why it's called proving), and 2) It hydrates the yeast, which is necessary if you want the yeast to do its job.

If you don't hydrate ADY at the proper temperature, it's very likely that some of the yeast will never activate. And if you don't know how much of your yeast is even working, you really don't know how much yeast you're using, which is a very imprecise way of doing things. Hydrating ADY is one of many steps that ensure precision.

[The Dough Doctor]

All of the above, plus, remember that allowing the dough to rise for even an hour before putting it in the cooler dramatically reduces the ability of the fridge to cool the dough (dough is less dense, making it a better insulator and more difficult to effectively cool), plus if you put the dough in a covered bowl in the fridge, you were again insulating the dough from the cold of the fridge and again reducing the ability of the fridge to cool the dough. Try leaving the lid off of the bowl for about 90-minutes after you put the dough into the fridge, then cover it and kiss it good night. To use the dough on the following day, remove the dough from the fridge, leaving it in the covered bowl, allow to temper AT room temperature for about 2-hours, then turn out onto a floured surface and begin opening the dough into a pizza skin.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

[theGreenSurfer]

Thanks to everyone for the replies!
This weekend I am going to try a combination of all of the above advice, I am confident it will address my issue.
I'll post my results soon...

[Giggliato]

That's not true. Adding yeast to water instead of directly into the flour mixture does two things: 1) It gives you a way to be sure your yeast is alive and well (which is why it's called proving), and 2) It hydrates the yeast, which is necessary if you want the yeast to do its job.

If you don't hydrate ADY at the proper temperature, it's very likely that some of the yeast will never activate. And if you don't know how much of your yeast is even working, you really don't know how much yeast you're using, which is a very imprecise way of doing things. Hydrating ADY is one of many steps that ensure precision.

I was referring to IDY, but forgot to mention that. I've never really used ADY.

[theGreenSurfer]

update,
dough looks a lot better!
me thinks its still slightly over fermented.
if i refrigerate a bit longer uncovered and go with 3/4tsp yeast per 8 oz cup water i will be right where i want to be.

[atom]

You should be using your flour as a reference to how much yeast you use not your water! The yeast isnt consuming the water. With 3-4 cups of flour you would be fine with 1tsp of ADY yeast. I used to use the exact same methods before i finally broke down and bought a scale so I am pretty confident this is a good reccomendation. While everyone is saying your dough is overfermenting I have to ask, did it ever rise in the first place? It just looks like a dead dough to me. Plz clarify.

[TXCraig1]

Nice looking pie Rocco.

[TXCraig1]

You should be using your flour as a reference to how much yeast you use not your water! The yeast isnt consuming the water. With 3-4 cups of flour you would be fine with 1tsp of ADY yeast. I used to use the exact same methods before i finally broke down and bought a scale so I am pretty confident this is a good reccomendation. While everyone is saying your dough is overfermenting I have to ask, did it ever rise in the first place? It just looks like a dead dough to me. Plz clarify.

In Naples, they use water as the basis of formulas. Notwithstanding, most folks here use flour.

I don't get the dead dough comment. It looks like it raised 3x.

CL