the color of a dough from a long rise in the fridge

[hungry one]

I have been throwing out the doughs that have turned a darker color than a 2 or 3 day rise out of  fear they might be bad. Is a change in color a bad thing, I took 2 and made 4 doughs by adding half the ingredients,re mixing and then putting it back in the cooler for 2 days.There was a difference in texture but I kept trying to taste for spoiled,has anybody tried it

[Pete-zza]

hungry one,

I couldn't quite follow your description of what you did but it sounds like you threw away doughs that were kept in the cooler for 2-3 days because they changed color. Unless I missed something, the dough should have still been OK. I recently described a dough (at the Lehmann thread) that I made using a new method with my KitchenAid mixer that was kept in the refrigerator for about six days before using. It had a grayish tinge to it yet baked out very well. Tonight I used a seven-day old cold fermented dough to make a pizza and, it too, had a grayish tinge, and it also baked out very well and had exceptional crust flavor (and color). It was one of the best pizzas I have made in a while.

Peter

[hungry one]

So there isnt a hazard form a long fermentation or is there some thing to watch out for once turns grey .I just dont want to make anyone sick,another thing I noticed with a long fermentation like that is the pizza will go rockhard if not eaten asap

[Pete-zza]

hungry one,

I am no expert on dough hazards stemming from long fermentation times. My dough, even though it was 7 days old, was kept in a tightly-lidded container in the refrigerator at all times until I removed it to let it warm up to work with it. I had several slices of the pizza last night, had a good night's sleep, and am here this morning to compose this reply .

Peter

[November]

Peter has the right idea.  Just keep your dough in a tightly sealed container and all will be fine.  Remember, pizza is a cooked (baked) food product, so even if there were a few germs getting it on in your dough, they would more than likely be dead once the pizza hits 140 F.  Imagine the absolute rancidness of spoiled milk, yet you still drink milk (before spoilage) after a week of being in the refrigerator.  I think it's the knowledge that yeast is a fungus that throws people.  According to North Dakota State University's nutrition specialists, you can keep yeast dough in your refrigerator for up to a month.

- red.november

[varasano]

Some of my best dough's have been 6 days. But a months seems like it's pushing it.

My experience with long rises is that the flavor improves each day, but the dough begins to break down, get grey, get a bit of crust, even if sealed, and eventually looses elasticity, so when the heat hits it, it can't hold the expanded gases and it becomes dense. Probably the best single pie I ever made was 6 days. But after another day or two, it's probably

Three and four days is pretty standard for me and is my standing recommendation on my website. But I've been having more and more success with 1 day doughs lately too.

Jeff

[November]

Nobody said month-old dough would be good.  I wouldn't recommend it.  I just know that there's nothing wrong with it from a health perspective.

[David]

Just be sure to throw on some ripe Gorgonzola when you remove it from the oven to add to the alchemy .
                         David

(slowly ageing at room temperature with  a grayish tinge and slightly offended )

[November]

One could always turn the really old dough into a batter to dredge fish in for frying.  Just add water until you can work it into a batter consistency.  I bet most people would like the flavor of fish fried with old pizza dough.  It's like a beer batter fish, but with a more complex flavor (no need to add malt vinegar).

- red.november

[varasano]

Marco (I think) remarked once about how it was bad to reused old dough when making new dough. I've had some great pies this way. They are chewier, but have excellent flavor and don't need to be aged. Just mix in new flour, water, salt, do a short rise and go. 

Jeff

[mivler]

I'm not sure if this is related or not but it seems like a good place to ask. While experimenting when I was making a bread a long time ago I mixed some dough for way too long (probably around 25 minutes.) It turned greyish. If I remember correctly it didn't rise or taste right. Anyone have any thoughts?

[ernestrome]

You destroyed the gluten 'strands' by overkneading. Overkneaded dough is only good for the bin.

[hungry one]

Thanks good to know,I just hate to throw food out.I tried deep frying it like donuts,tasted OK and then went hard like a pretzel after a day no sugar or oil in the dough.Still hoping to find another use for dough

[November]

Once it's no longer useful as pizza dough, I don't think reusing it as a dough for something else would work out too well.  You would need to add a lot of moisture back into it just to make it useful as a batter for coating other foods to deep fry.  If you're going to deep fry it by itself, you need to add enough water to restore hydration to at least 66%, and add some kind of fat to keep it tender after frying.  Yeast donuts for instance contain about 10% fat before frying.