The water needs to be very cold. Melt ice cubes into the water before weighing it, or chill the flour in the fridge for 1–2 hours before mixing.
Measure your mixer's real friction factor
Mix one batch, take the dough temperature right after mixing, and enter what you used. The result is how much heat your mixing method adds.
Use this value in the water calculator for spot-on results with this mixer and batch size.
Dough temperature and bulk fermentation
Every 10°C (18°F) rise roughly doubles fermentation speed. Use the slider for a rough bulk fermentation window for a typical sourdough; yeasted doughs are usually faster.
What is DDT?
Desired Dough Temperature (DDT) is the temperature you want the dough to reach the moment mixing ends. It sets the pace of fermentation, so a consistent DDT means consistent bread.
Room and flour temperatures change with the seasons and mixing adds heat. Water is the one ingredient you can easily warm or chill, so it is how bakers steer dough temperature.
Water = (DDT × factors) − room − flour − [preferment] − friction
Use 3 factors for straight doughs and 4 when a preferment or starter is part of the mix.
- Sourdough: 23–25°C (73–77°F), balanced yeast and bacteria activity
- Yeasted breads: 24–26°C (75–79°F), quick and predictable rise
- Neapolitan pizza: 23–25°C (73–77°F), slow room fermentation
- Enriched doughs: 26–27°C (79–81°F)
Yeast is damaged by water above about 45°C (113°F). If the calculated water is that hot, warm the flour to room temperature instead.