Author Topic: My first sourdough Nearlypolitan in my homemade WFO (Read 11716 times)

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #80 on:** August 22, 2012, 12:22:31 PM »

Quote from: pizza dr on August 22, 2012, 12:01:48 PM

Hey guys

I noticed something this last weekend that I have never seen before in the mixer. I have a spiral hook but the dough forms these lobes similar to what you are describing. I was at about 4 minutes into the mixing at lowest speed and everything was going along swimmingly. Then I turned my back for a second and the dough all of a sudden turned into an amorphous mass at the bottom of the bowl. I stopped the mixer and scraped it off the side of the bowl but it never would stiffen up. I ended up just taking it out and doing some stretch and folds but it never had much structure. It was a new batch of Caputo 00 at my usual 60 % hydration. Any ideas? The only thing I could come up was an error with the hydration ( would it do this with a higher % hydration?) or a bad batch of flour??

Scot

ps I don't want to hijack this thread but I thought it was appropriate at this point. Please feel free to move.

SD or baker's yeast?

Did you happen to weigh it to see if it was heavier than expected?

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #81 on:** August 22, 2012, 03:54:23 PM »

Quote from: TXCraig1 on August 22, 2012, 10:38:52 AM

I have to deal with the c-hook too. When it's working properly for me, the dough almost makes a heart shape with one lobe on each side of the shaft of the c-hook. As the dough works, the lobes get higher and higher until the fall into the middle and another lobe works up in its place. When it's not working, the whole mass rides on the c-hook. When this happens, I stop the mixer, pull it all off the c-hook, and then restart it at speed 2 or 3. Once I see it working right (takes 3-5 seconds) I throttle it back to 1. This almost always works for me. In my experience, if you let the dough rest in the mixer after the initial mixing, you will never be able to get the c-hook kneading action to be right. The relaxed gluten just wrapps itself around the c-hook. Keep it stiff.

CL

Here is what it generally looks like when it's working.

Michael130207 · « **Reply #82 on:** August 22, 2012, 05:00:53 PM »

Thanks Craig that's helpful as I usually give the dough a little rest in the mixer before mixing. I have noticed the size of the batch also makes a big difference in the mixing action. What is the weight of flour in the batch you have pictured?

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #83 on:** August 22, 2012, 05:18:51 PM »

Quote from: Michael130207 on August 22, 2012, 05:00:53 PM

I have noticed the size of the batch also makes a big difference in the mixing action. What is the weight of flour in the batch you have pictured?

Yes, for sure. I get my best results with between 1000g and 1350g of flour (about the max my mixer can handle). Much under 800 or so, it gets pretty hard. Of course, hydration level can make a big difference too. That batch is probably 1235g flour and 2060g dough which is (8) 250g pies with 3% to play with.

pizza dr · « **Reply #84 on:** August 23, 2012, 10:16:44 AM »

Craig

I didn't weigh the whole batch but I did end up getting the usual 6 balls from it ( I used a 1000 grams of flour)

The yeast was a ADY.

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #85 on:** August 23, 2012, 10:41:13 AM »

If you weighed your dough balls and there wasn't extra dough, I don't see how it could have been a measurement error. Maybe the flour was wet to start with. It would not be the first time we heard of that with Caputo.

Michael130207 · « **Reply #86 on:** August 29, 2012, 08:42:23 PM »

I got as comfortable as I could with the design and couldn't take looking at the ugly mess anymore. Also wanted better insulation and weatherproofing. Put up forms and encased the oven in perlcrete yesterday. Hope it holds together, every time I make perlcrete, a part of me has a hard time believing it is going to form a solid mass. Can't wait to take off the forms and start drying it but I think I will wait a week or so.

Chicago Bob · « **Reply #87 on:** August 29, 2012, 10:00:27 PM »

Oh man...now we won't be able to recognize it Michael

Looks like you did a good job(as usual), you've done her proud...as well you should. Good luck with the finishing touches.

Chicago Bob · « **Reply #88 on:** August 29, 2012, 10:44:40 PM »

btw...do you work at a lumber yard....

TXCraig1 · « **Reply #89 on:** August 29, 2012, 11:09:08 PM »

The ingenuity I see here regularly is semi-mind-blowing.

scott123 · « **Reply #90 on:** August 30, 2012, 12:04:01 AM »

Looking good, Michael. Is that copper flashing in the front? What are you using to weatherproof it?

Michael130207 · « **Reply #91 on:** August 30, 2012, 09:16:21 AM »

Thanks guys you're very generous with your comments.

I didn't like the look of the steel angle iron on the front of the "arch". I trimmed a half inch off of the bricks with a diamond saw to account for the thickness of the angle iron. I then got 10 copper samples that were 4inch by 4inch of various thicknesses and put two bends in each to fit under the brick up the angle iron and over the front. I then shingled them from the center out. It's a little rustic, but beats looking at rust. Not sure how the perlcrete will behave butted up against the flashing. Always wanted some copper details on my house, guess this will have to do.

I plan on covering the entire thing in bonding cement tinted light brown. I also plan on keeping it covered when not in use. Durability will be the thing to watch for the whole project. I worry mostly about movement in the wooden base and footings, followed by corrosion in the angle iron. However, because the acual oven has no mortar I figure I can always jack up and correct the foundation and can always patch the shell. I would be surprised if the angle iron doesn't last many years but I have no data to support that exept for the limited field testing I did on the 1/8th inch iron in the previous incarnation. All told I probably have about $1000 into it and 40-60 hours. At least I've gotten to bake about 50 pies in it. Can't wait to finish it up entirely and really focus on baking.

slybarman · « **Reply #92 on:** August 30, 2012, 09:54:27 AM »

Michael:

Greetings fellow Annipolitan. I'm not sure why I had not noticed this thread earlier. REALLY impressive oven and pies. Especially the pies. They really do look about perfect. Keep up the good work.

Michael130207 · « **Reply #93 on:** August 30, 2012, 02:39:06 PM »

Quote from: slybarman on August 30, 2012, 09:54:27 AM

Michael:

Greetings fellow Annipolitan.

Thanks, I really like that word but rarely hear it used. I think we should come up with a pizza style for it or at a minimum a topping combination!

slybarman · « **Reply #94 on:** August 30, 2012, 03:31:43 PM »

Crabcake pizza?

Michael130207 · « **Reply #95 on:** September 04, 2012, 07:08:28 PM »

Forms are off! Everything appears to have held together

. Mix was 5:1. My faith in the magic of cement is intact. Won't be winning any modern sculpture contests but I'm pretty pleased. A few touchups with some more perlcrete to smooth a few things out and then a good drying and onto stucco. Maybe a few pizzas in between.

scott123 · « **Reply #96 on:** September 05, 2012, 01:55:34 AM »

If it can make the pizzas that I'm expecting it to make, it's a work of art.

Chicago Bob · « **Reply #97 on:** September 05, 2012, 08:14:36 AM »

I like it....looks like a stone mountain.

pizzablogger · « **Reply #98 on:** September 05, 2012, 11:42:26 AM »

That 'friggen stand could double as a support on a wooden rollercoaster.

Good job on the build.....excited to see the pies pulled from it. --K

Chicago Bob · « **Reply #99 on:** September 05, 2012, 12:18:27 PM »

Quote from: pizzablogger on September 05, 2012, 11:42:26 AM

That 'friggen stand could double as a support on a wooden rollercoaster.

Good job on the build.....excited to see the pies pulled from it. --K

I once asked Michael if he worked at a lumber yard....