7qt Kitchenaid to mix Neapolitan dough

Hi everyone,

I’ve read through many threads on this forum about fermentation. Many people suggest keeping the dough temperature below 27C (80F) to avoid damaging the gluten structure and overactivating the yeast. Personally, I aim for around 23C (74F) when mixing with my KitchenAid. To achieve this, I use ice-cold water and refrigerate my flour overnight.

However, when I hit 23C (74F), my dough often doesn’t pass the windowpane test. I usually need to give it 2-3 additional stretch and folds before it’s ready for bulk fermentation. This makes me wonder if it would be better to just continue mixing until full gluten development, regardless of the dough temperature.

I find it particularly frustrating when working with small batch higher hydration doughs in my 7-quart KitchenAid. The spiral dough hook tends to only touch the center of the dough, which doesn’t seem very effective. By the time its properly kneading the dough tem…