caputo flour report Artisan Ingredients Discuss caputo flour report in the Pizza Quest with Peter Reinhart forums; One more thing. I find that baking in grams really helps. Everything is based on percentage of 100, which is ...

[james]

One more thing. I find that baking in grams really helps. Everything is based on percentage of 100, which is so easy to follow. When you are making a lot of bread, speed counts.
James

[anthony2173]

I'm a newbie to this forum and just wanted to thank everyone for the information I was able to pick up regarding the use of this flour.

I have a 25kg bag on the way and am certain this information will lend to great results.

[Burntroof ofmouth]

Could my tap water in new york or my, humidity in air have anything to do with my caputo flour not coming out well. was very sticky couldnt really work with it needed to add flour to nead

[KEmerson]

With all else being equal, what's the harm in going higher in hydration? Suppose going to 70% as opposed to 65%, and that the flour holds ok. Provided one is happy with the handling, stretch, dryness (or lack of) etc,, then what difference will merely higher hydration make on the baked pizza? What's the breakdown point in % difference? In other words, is a difference of 5% more or less a lot? If not, when does it make a difference? At 6%? 7%? How delicate is a % difference?
Does a higher hydration at first only affect one's ability to handle a wet dough? I understand that a finer flour has a higher absorption rate over heavier flours, but that aside, just what harm - if any - comes from over hydration?
I have been using KA AP @ 68% and it handles great. The baked results aren't so bad either, without being a 00. I have wondered if I could go higher and what difference it would make in the oven and on the plate. Mind you, I am not going to stay with KA AP, but it's what I have been able to get for a while. I have yet to try Caputo Rosso (just got a 2.2# today from the local fish shop. They also carry the blue.) I have used Delverde and Bel Aria but I cannot remember what my hydration % was.

This is one brilliant site! My thanks to all the enthusiasm, to James' travels and apparent intense devotion.

[j6ppc]

Originally Posted by Richard

I currently retard my dough in refrigerator for a day. Is they're a maximum number od adys you can keep it in the fridge? Would like to able to store for 3 days (or more) rather than freezing.

I typically make a 65% dough using 1 kg flour once a week. Some ends up as pizza, the rest becomes baguette, boule or whatever. Holds fine for up to a week. It would probably keep longer but ours is always used up within a week.

Originally Posted by Burntroof ofmouth

Could my tap water in new york or my, humidity in air have anything to do with my caputo flour not coming out well. was very sticky couldn't really work with it needed to add flour to knead

Ambient humidity, temperature and the moisture content of a given batch of flour all play a role. Generally better to undershoot your water adding more as needed to obtain your desired texture.

[dmun]

I'm comfortable with 65 percent. Much more and I have to use a mess of bench flour to get the dough from sticking to everything. If you have the skill to handle wetter doughs, I think you will get good results, particularly good oven spring.

[KEmerson]

Originally Posted by dmun

If you have the skill to handle wetter doughs, I think you will get good results, particularly good oven spring.

I used t work at a small artisanal bakery where we made foccacia that was so wet it took me about two weeks to learn how to handle. We used food handling gloves coated in olive oil and had to keep the hands moving & forming constantly. So handling very wet dough is not so much a challenge to me. I also have no need or desire to toss dough as I figure the ability to toss must come about with a relatively dryer dough, and if wet is the aim, then dry must be the antithesis, thereby meaning that tossing (in the American sense) means something is not meeting goals.

[wlively]

I agree on the wetter dough. I have tried recipes from the foodtv chefs to Forno Bravo to an old Italian (1965) book. I have found that brick ovens like the wetter doughs.

[james]

Originally Posted by kimemerson

I used t work at a small artisanal bakery where we made foccacia that was so wet it took me about two weeks to learn how to handle. We used food handling gloves coated in olive oil and had to keep the hands moving & forming constantly.

I've been making my focaccia with 90% hydration recently roughly following a Cook's Illustrated article. At that point it's barely dough; more like batter. But the focaccia comes out great. Olive oil keeps everything from sticking.

James

[KEmerson]

Originally Posted by james

I've been making my focaccia with 90% hydration recently roughly following a Cook's Illustrated article. At that point it's barely dough; more like batter. But the focaccia comes out great. Olive oil keeps everything from sticking.

James

Yeah, with focaccia the hydration is off the charts compared with pizza. I also used quite a bit of olive oil in it. Handling it was like handling that kid's stuff, what's it called, Slime? Slippery, unmanageable, a mind of its own. I laughed almost every time I was learning just because of the dough's seeming independence. But I wasn't always laughing.

I'm gathering from what I'm reading here that to a certain extent we could say "wetter is better". I have half a mind to go ballistic once and up the % by leaps - just for kicks and experimentation. Rather than play with 63%. 63%, 65%, I'm going to head straight for... Oh I don't know yet. I just thought of this as I was typing it. 75%, why not? Has anyone tried such an experiment? There's no way this is original.