Heard a pro baker say flour temperature is more important than water temp in dough mixing

I was watching a live stream from a bakery in Portland and the owner said he chills his flour to 55F before mixing, then uses room temp water. He claimed it gives way more consistent fermentation timing than adjusting water temps. I've always been team water temp control, but he showed batch logs from 2 weeks straight that were crazy tight on rise times. Made me wonder if I've been overcomplicating things by heating or cooling gallons of water when I could just manage my flour bin. Has anyone actually tried cold flour with warm water vs the regular way and seen a real difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

tylermurray15d ago

Have you actually tried it yourself or just read about it? Honestly I think the guy is onto something and here's why. Managing flour temp is way easier than messing with water because flour holds temp better and doesn't cool down as fast when you dump it in the bowl. Plus I've noticed my dough comes together smoother when the flour is cold and water is warm, like the gluten develops nicer without that initial cold shock. Tbh I used to boil water to speed up bulk fermentation but my results were all over the place. Now I just keep my flour bag in the garage during winter and my timing has been way more predictable. Ngl it feels dumb that something so simple works better than all that water heating nonsense.

the_oscar15d ago

Good call on the garage flour thing, @tylermurray, but I gotta nudge you on one detail. Flour doesn't really hold temp better than water (it's got less specific heat, you know, it warms up and cools down faster). So your garage bag gets cold quick but also warms up fast if you bring it inside. The real trick is just that cold flour slows down the enzymatic activity at the start, which gives you a smoother mix before fermentation kicks in. Your point about avoiding that cold shock from cold water is solid though, that's the main thing people miss when they fuss with water temps.

ellis.susan12d ago

The temp swings from bringing flour in and out of the garage can mess with your dough's consistency more than you'd expect. A cheap thermometer in the bag helps you catch those changes before you start mixing, so you're not guessing if it's too cold or warm. Have you tried checking the temp right at the bowl to see how long it takes to even out?