Hydration and yeast amounts

[caltheide]

I've been experimenting with hydrations levels and have a question regarding how and if hydration amounts affect yeast action.  I've made 3 different dough each with varying levels of hydration but the same percentage of yeast - .5 IDY.  This time with a hydration level of 65% my dough developed large bubble(s) which at lower level they did not.  From what I understand on the site, those large bubbles are undesirable.  I've made the dough like you recommend, mixing, portioning then right into the refrigerator in plastic containers for 2 - 3 days.  Each time before they rose but never developed the large bubble(s) so my question is does larger hydration amounts affect yeast action?  Should yeast percentages be lowered as hydration amounts increase?  Thank you, Cindy

[mkevenson]

Cindy, good question! I just did a search "hydration and yeast" but did not find your answer. I too would like to know.

Mark

[Chicago Bob]

The more "liquid" the environment...the more interaction you will have with the ingredients...

[norma427]

I've been experimenting with hydrations levels and have a question regarding how and if hydration amounts affect yeast action.  I've made 3 different dough each with varying levels of hydration but the same percentage of yeast - .5 IDY.  This time with a hydration level of 65% my dough developed large bubble(s) which at lower level they did not.  From what I understand on the site, those large bubbles are undesirable.  I've made the dough like you recommend, mixing, portioning then right into the refrigerator in plastic containers for 2 - 3 days.  Each time before they rose but never developed the large bubble(s) so my question is does larger hydration amounts affect yeast action?  Should yeast percentages be lowered as hydration amounts increase?  Thank you, Cindy

Cindy,

It would take a lot of explaining to really be able to explain about what more hydration in combination with the same amount of yeast does to pizza dough.  Some of things will be the dough will ferment faster, because of the mobility of the ingredients in the dough.  That also could give you more byproducts of fermentation.  Even if your final dough temperatures of your three doughs weren’t the same your different hydration doughs could ferment differently.

Some bubbles on a dough ball really aren’t a bad thing, but if there are two many big bubbles on top of a dough ball, then it might be a bad thing.  When I have one or two bubbles on a dough ball I just slit them with a knife, or pinch them with my finger, then proceed as I normally do.  The dough is usually still good.  There are many things that can be tired if your dough ball gets more bubbles than you want.  A reball of the dough ball can be tried, but then you have to let the dough ball ferment some more to relax the gluten again. 

There is also a thing called “effective” hydration, with takes in account if you used oil in your pizza dough and how much oil you used in your dough.

To answer your question if yeast should be decreased if you used a higher hydration, that could all depend on a lot of things.  You could just get a lower final dough temperature, or do other things.

Norma

[2stone]

Cindy,

I have experienced the same thing.
I use .35 % IDY and can go as long as 4 days
My typical hydration rate runs at 72-78 %
Check this out..... it might add some light on the subject http://abrfaq.info/treatise/190

scroll to: III Amount of water To be used

Willard

[mkevenson]

Just to oversimplify, it seems what has been said is that more hydration = faster fermentation. Is that correct?

Mark

[Pete-zza]

Just to oversimplify, it seems what has been said is that more hydration = faster fermentation. Is that correct?

Mark,

All else being equal, I would say yes.

Peter

[The Dough Doctor]

From what we have seen, the answer to this question is yes and no. Yes, the hydration level can impact yeast performance, but once you reach a plateau on absorption, generally speaking about 56 to 58% the effect of additional water in minimal, but what you see is a softer, more fluid dough that responds to the byproducts of fermentation (alcohol, carbon dioxide, and acids) to a much greater magnitude than it would at a lower absorption. IE, the softer dough expands more readily, gets bigger faster and appears to show the effects of greater fermentation, but it's just the softer dough that you're seeing, not more or faster fermentation. It is really pretty complex and would take a small book to do it justice, so this is just a very general summation of what is happening.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

[caltheide]

Thank you all for your answers, I love this site.  Bubbles or no bubbles the pizza's tasted pretty good. Just for fun I'm going to try and upload the pictures, I hope it works.  All in all I think they turned out pretty nice for a beginner.

[mkevenson]

Thank you all for your answers, I love this site.  Bubbles or no bubbles the pizza's tasted pretty good. Just for fun I'm going to try and upload the pictures, I hope it works.  All in all I think they turned out pretty nice for a beginner.

Thumbs up!!!!!!!!!

[norma427]

Cindy,

You did great as a beginner.   

My pies in the beginning sure didn't look that good.

Norma

[TomN]

That's a good looking pie. CONGRATS on your cooking.