Some questions

[Saul]

The recipe I use works for an overnight rise in the chiller.

100% OO Flour
55% Water
2.75% Salt
0.4% Fresh Yeast
2.75% Olive Oil

Am I right in thinking that using less salt (say 2%) will produce a faster rise, say to use in 12 hours rather than 24? Does increasing the yeast give the same result? I understand temperatures will have an effect also, but assuming they do not change...
Conversely if I wanted a longer rise should I increase the salt or decrease the yeast??

Another thing I'm curious about is what the effects of under- or over-kneading the dough are?

[Pete-zza]

Saul,

Salt is considered to be a regulator of the fermentation process but I don't know if reducing it from 2.75% to 2% would be enough to cut the time from 24 hours to 12 hours. I am talking here of a room temperature fermentation, which is typical of the methodology used in Naples. I would think that increasing the amount of yeast would be more effective than reducing the salt levels.

The above notwithstanding, I think it would be useful for you to try to find the "W" number for your particular 00 flour since that is a pretty good indicator of its intended fermentation time. That won't be the entire answer since you have to balance that with the amount of yeast and salt and the fact that you are using a cold fermentation.

I believe the answer to your overkneading versus underkneading question will turn on the particular brand and type of 00 flour you are using and also the equipment you will be using to knead the dough. 00 flours can vary quite widely in terms of protein/gluten levels and their quality and some will require longer knead times than others to develop their small amounts of gluten. The type of mixer (diving arm, fork, spiral, planetary, etc.) will also be a factor.

Peter

[chiguy]

 Hi Saul,
 If you are happy with the over all flavor of the pizza i would not recommend to lower the salt, it's a flavor enhancer more than it is for fermentation control. I would like to mention that at 2.5% you're salt is on the higher end.  The most important thing not to lose sight of with a retarded dough. The FINISHED DOUGH TEMPERATURE, this is critical. It can be the easiest to control by adjusting the water temperature. You may try to adjust the finished dough temperature to 84F which is at the higher end for a retarded dough. This should help decrease the cold fermentation time and 12 hours should not be a problem. I would like to mention that even though people use the term overnight and regularly use 24hours as the standard cold fermentation. The standard age that a dough is useable under cold fermentation is (12-72 hours).        Goodluck, Chiguy