"HYDRATION OF BREAD AND PIZZA DOUGH." ANTHONY SPINELLI.

Over the many years of my making bread and pizza dough, i have tried many hydration levels of water to flour ratio"s. The best hydration level in my opinion is 60 percent water to flour, for a good dough texture..I am talking about hand mixing from start to finish of the dough that i make.. If you mix in an electric mixer you can achieve a greater water to flour ratio..It is my preference to mix by hand for a much greater feel for the dough...It is good for the soul.. I have made dough with a starter such as Biga or just with yeast, flour,water,salt,and a small amount of olive oil in the mix.. If you are baking bread,then i prefer a pre-ferment such as Biga. If you are just making pizza dough then i prefer not to use the pre-ferment..Everyone can make his or her choice in pre-ferment option for the dough...If you decide to make a pre-ferment alway"s use the same percentage in the pre-ferment that you also will use in the finished dough recipe...Example:Pre-Ferment-10 ounces of flour, 60 percent water content will equal 6 ounces..So,in our regular recipe you will add the pre-ferment plus the recipe flour plus 60 percent of the water called for in the recipe..If you make a pre-ferment let it sit covered for at least 6 hours before you use it..You can let it ferment for 24 hours if you prefer to wait until the next day for baking.. I love to start my pre-ferment in the early morning at 7am.. When i do this at this hour i can have fresh bread for the evening meal. God Bless fresh baked bread!Anthony Spinelli..