Delayed Oil Method:

The delayed oil method is a practice suggested for bakeries and pizzerias to increase consistency. When oil touches dry flour, it prevents the flour from being hydrated because oil and water do not mix. The exact amount of dry flour that would be compromised by oil could change from batch to batch, further decreasing consistency. The simple correction for this is the delayed oil method.

Best Practices for the Delayed OIl Method

1. Add water to Mixing Bowl
2. Add flour and then all other ingredients OTHER THAN OIL
3. Mix for 2 minutes at low speed and then add oil (if called for)
4. Continue mixing only until dough is smooth
5. Add small amount of oil down the inside of the bowl, and run mixer for 10 seconds after adding oil. This will aid in removing the dough from the bowl.
6. Check the finished (mixed) dough temperature immediately after mixing, in most cases a desired temperature will be 75-80°F.

Tips

Always control for the finished dough temperature. Having a consistent finished dough temperature is critical to achieving consistent dough.

The finished dough temperature is adjusted by increasing or decreasing the temperature of the water used to make the dough. A good starting water temperature is 60°F. Be careful to not overmix the dough. Here are some tips to make the perfect dough:

Mixing the Dough

• Mix the dough just until it takes on a smooth appearance.
• If in doubt when mixing dough, always error on under mixing.
• If the dough is still sticky or tacky during scaling and balling/rolling, increase the dough mixing time by another minute, or until the condition improves.
• If possible, always use medium speed for the bulk of the mixing procedure. You will get better/more consistent gluten development and incorporation of ingredients.