If you’ve started your adventure in baking bread or pizza, you’ve likely come across the term autolysis. While it may sound a bit scientific, it’s quite straightforward. Consider it a secret weapon for your dough, a technique involving a cozy water bath for your flour.
What is autolysis?
Autolysis is a technique originally used for bread-making but has found a new home in the world of pizza. The principle behind autolysis is simple: allowing flour to soak in water before adding other ingredients. Initially used mainly by commercial bakeries, autolysis is now widely adopted by home bakers. You slowly mix flour and water to autolyse, and the dough rests before additional ingredients are incorporated. The objective is to expedite the dough process while preserving the color and nutrients of the flour.
During the autolysis phase, the dough begins to develop the gluten structure as the flour comes into contact with water. When you later add the remaining ingredients and start kneading, the gluten is already partially developed, requiring less kneading to achieve the desired structure. A shorter kneading process results in improved texture and crumb structure of the bread or pizza, while reducing the risk of over-kneading the dough. This contributes to the overall quality of the dough, including enhancements in taste and mouthfeel.
When mixing dough, especially with mechanical mixers, air gets into the dough. To some extent, this is beneficial, as oxygen strengthens gluten. However, excessive air in the dough causes oxidative damage, bleaching the dough from creamy yellow to milk-white. Performing autolysis before mixing helps you cut down the time needed to fully mix the dough. When kneading by hand, you won’t introduce as much air into the dough as with machine kneading. Still, autolysis isn’t solely intended for machine-kneaded dough because it brings additional benefits, such as making the dough more stretchy. Soaking the flour hydrates it and activates protease enzymes, which gently break down some of the gluten that forms during this hydration. This process slightly reduces the dough’s elasticity but increases its stretchiness.
Another advantage is that it releases more sugar from starch through the activity of amylase, promoting more fermentation, better browning during baking, and more residual sugar in the finished bread.
How long should I autolyse?
The short answer: at least 15 minutes, up to several hours. The long answer: it depends on how much effect you want the autolysis to have. 15 minutes is about the minimum to achieve a noticeable effect. Thirty minutes is better, and an hour is even better. The longer you autolyse, the greater its impact on the dough’s stretchability.
When it comes to baking pizza, timing and temperature play crucial roles. Preferable dough temperatures range between 20-25°C (68-77°F). However, when considering autolysis, the water temperature’s effect on the dough must be taken into account. Enzymatic activity is highly temperature-sensitive – the warmer the dough, the greater the enzymatic activity, and vice versa.
If you have enough time to autolyse (one hour or more), it’s preferable to use dough with a temperature between 20-25°C (68-77°F). This temperature encourages controlled enzymatic activity, beneficial for the gradual development of gluten structures and flavors. However, if time is a luxury, and the autolysis needs to be shorter, the ideal temperature range for the dough increases to 25-29°C (77-84°F). Using warmer water accelerates the enzymatic processes that make the dough more stretchable. Of course, you should consider the effect this warmer temperature will have on your final dough, but as a home baker, you don’t need to worry too much. Small batches of dough, undergoing autolysis with relatively warm water, will lose much of that warmth after the autolysis.
In conclusion, the choice of temperature and duration for autolysis is a practical consideration. It’s about finding the right balance between time and enzymatic activity. Each temperature choice and duration of autolysis contributes to the ultimate taste and texture of the baked bread. It’s a process where every degree matters, and discovering the right formula is an ongoing journey.
Whole wheat vs Spelt
When you’re using whole wheat flour, letting the dough rest for a longer autolysis period is helpful. Whole wheat flour has more fibers and minerals, so it needs extra time to soak up all the water. A longer autolysis improves gluten structure and makes the dough smoother. This happens because the natural enzymes in the flour get time to do their job, making the dough even better.
However, if you’re making dough primarily with spelt flour, it is recommended to keep the autolysis period short or even exclude it altogether. Spelt flour is already excessively extensible, and autolysis will only amplify that tendency. Maintaining a short or even skipped autolysis helps prevent the dough from becoming overly stretchy.
How to Autolyse
Step 1: Calculate Water-to-Flour Ratio
Weigh 75% of the water from your recipe. For example, if your recipe consists of 1 kg of flour and 650 grams of water, you would weigh 75% of the 650 grams of water; which amounts to 487.5 grams.
Step 2: Ensure correct water temperature
Ensure that the water is between 25-29°C (77-84°F) for short autolyses of 15 minutes to less than an hour.
Ensure that the water is between 20-25°C (68-77°F) for autolyses of 1 hour or longer.
Step 3: Mixing:
Combine the measured flour and water in a bowl. Stir with a spoon for one to two minutes until the flour is fully absorbed by the water. This marks the beginning of autolysis.
Step 4: Resting Time for Autolysis
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp cloth to prevent dehydration. Let the dough rest. The duration can vary, typically between 15 minutes to 2 hours.
Step 5: Continue with Your Recipe
After the autolysis period, proceed by adding other ingredients such as additional water, yeast, salt, and olive oil according to your recipe. Mix the dough thoroughly but for a shorter duration than usual; 5 minutes may be sufficient if using a machine, or about 10 minutes by hand. Let it undergo fermentation, shape it according to your preference, and complete the process with a bake.
Congratulations! You’ve just completed your first autolysis.
