high hydration, salt levels and dop tomatoes

[artigiano]

thanks SAAD,

I have been busy lately but I will try your advice this weekend.  I have been quite busy lately so haven't had a chance lately.  I think I should use the dough sooner, as i think it may be over fermenting a touch and that could be partly responsible for a chewier dough.  I always mix by hand.. I would love to buy the santos.. but man is it expensive but i am sure worth the price.

Al

[s00da]

Welcome back Al, actually I haven't been doing much of baking either as my flour supplier is still waiting for more stock. I'm just stuck with local AP flour that I think is made from soft wheats which is actually nice for Neapolitan but I've been into NY style for the past months 

About mixing, I'm in the process of evaluating my options among the three mixers: Santos, DLX and Bosch.

Saad

[artigiano]

Hey Saad and others,

If i am using ap flour i even mix it with pastry flour to get it even softer which is closer to the italian flours.  I also like to mix white bread flour with pastry flour at around 60/40 mix.  I know I started this thread questioning high levels of hydration leading to a heavier dough that may be too chewy but after some experimenting I now believe differently.  People told me that it is hard to over knead by hand, howevor, I believe my pizzas turn out far lighter and softer with minimal kneading and around a 62 percent hydration.  I believe spending too much time kneading the dough will make it too tough.  For a while I complicated my pizza making style a lot with the room temp neapolitan style rise and camoldoli starter, but I have for the time being switched to cold fermentation.  I often find that the dough tastes more complex an interesting after the cold rise.  I still have Caputo in the house but i am enjoying my bread and pastry flour mix and i get a nice thin airey crust which I really enjoy.

Alessandro