Why is it important to use cold water in the dough making process?

In professional baking, sometimes it’s the little details that make all the difference. Many focus on the type of flour or the type of yeast, but one ingredient dramatically affects the final result and the quality of the dough throughout all stages of the work: water. Moreover, not only is the amount of water important, but also the temperature. Using cold water is an integral part of a professional, precise, and uniform process, especially in industrialized production environments or professional confectioneries.

Maintaining ideal dough temperature

The kneading process produces natural heat. When this heat rises too high, it can cause premature activation of the yeast and increased fermentation. The result: dough that loses stability, a texture that is too soft, and uneven fermentation. Using cold water regulates the temperature and allows you to fully control the development of the dough. This is where a water cooler comes into play. This is a dedicated system for cooling and maintaining a stable water temperature, so that any amount of water that is added to the dough will be precise and identical every time.

Effect on gluten and texture

Gluten is the protein that gives dough its elasticity and stability. At temperatures that are too high, it may develop too quickly and make the dough elastic and difficult to work with. Cold water provides better control over gluten development and produces a stable dough that is easy to work with and has a uniform texture. The goal is to achieve a balance: sufficient flexibility for kneading and shaping, along with stability that allows for precise rising and quality baking.

Accurate water dosage

Not only does the temperature affect the dough, but also the dosage. When using water at a uniform temperature, it is easier to control the degree of absorption of the flour. Changing environmental conditions, humidity, and heat affect the amount of water that the dough requires, so a combination of correct water dosage and the use of cold water allows for a more consistent result every workday.

Maintaining stability in the production process

In professional production conditions, consistent results are needed throughout the day. Dough that gets too warm at the beginning of the day may behave completely differently towards the end of the day. Cold water helps maintain uniformity in production even when environmental conditions change, such as high temperatures after many hours of work with ovens and operating machines.

Extending the working time on the dough

Cold water provides greater flexibility in managing work time. When the temperature is kept low, the dough does not “run away” and does not undergo premature fermentation. This operation allows for precise shaping, controlled relief, and control over initial swelling conditions. This means that the dough remains stable and provides a wider and more comfortable working space. This process is especially significant when working with large quantities, when it is necessary to process and prepare several products from the same dough over time. In professional production environments, this means being able to plan work according to staff and equipment, not according to the rate of dough fermentation.

Relevant at home too, not just in industry

You can also feel the difference in home baking. Cold water improves the comfort of work and the final result. For example, when preparing dough for homemade bread in the summer, cold water will prevent the dough from rising too quickly and allow for relaxed kneading and more precise shaping. The result will be an airy texture and proper structure of the pastry, without overly strong fermentation flavors or collapse during baking. So it is possible to incorporate a technique from the world of baking, and significantly improve the quality of baked goods from the home oven.

If you want to improve the stability of the dough and streamline the preparation process, now is the time to consult with us about a professional water cooler that is tailored exactly to your business. Contact us and we will be happy to offer you the ideal solution so that you can continue to produce high-quality pastries at the highest level.

For those looking for bottom lines because the oven is beeping:
Baking with controlled air technology saves energy, affects the excellent taste, optimizes the work and can be controlled remotely. You are invited to get to know the MIWE IN ROLL oven.

So what is air control and what is it used for?
A short lesson on energy:

The amount of air circulating in the cycle and passing over the baked product has an immediate effect on the baking results .
The physical background for this reason is also easy to understand – above all it is known that two parameters are responsible for transferring the energy from the air to the product:
The air temperature (and for a more focused definition – the difference in temperature between the air temperature and the product temperature) and the amount (or speed) of the swirling air over the product.

The two parameters determine each other. At a warmer air temperature, the amount of air can be reduced by transferring the same amount of energy to the product. On the other hand, if more air is swirling – you can settle for a lower air temperature, and still transfer the same amount of energy to the product.

In fact, in the baking process it is quite clear that there are limitations. Of course, you cannot increase the amount of air as much as you want (and of course you cannot lower the baking temperature without limit), without disrupting the baking processes.

So after we learned about temperature…

What are the advantages of controlling the air flow in the oven?

Various advantages will be available to the baker if he can control the amount of air separately from the control of the baking temperature. The physical process described does work well in baking many products.

– Reducing the baking time while increasing the amount of air in the oven, which enables energy savings

Each baked product has its own parameters regarding heat conductivity and volume/weight ratios. That is, if we study the product features in depth, it seems that each product requires its own amount of air and temperature level.

There is an ideal combination of the amount of air and the temperature in each baking oven (due to the different climate conditions), in each baking process, in different seasons and at different points in the world. It is clear to every baker that a lower temperature (or gentler baking) is required as the product is rich in fats and proteins.

On the other hand, the actual improvement that can be achieved as a result of this ideal combination, instead of the conventional method of controlling the temperature alone, is most impressive in different types of pastry, such as yeast cakes, cakes in chuss or cakes in a mold, where the quality of the final product is affected in a positive and visible way when varying amounts of air.

Controlling the amount of air in the oven can also compensate for changes in the baking result caused seasonally due to weather changes, humidity and more. For example: the relative humidity is completely different in summer and winter. In the summer, crispness problems can arise due to low humidity. If we bake in the summer with a greater amount of air in the third and last stage of baking, we can stabilize the crispiness.

The Air control method

The amount of air is controlled by an electric valve (sliding door) located between the combustion chamber and the baking chamber. This valve, which can work for years without problems, regulates the air flow and thus determines the amount of air flowing in the oven.

This valve also closes automatically and without delay in two additional cases to save energy: during steam activation and when opening a door. When steam is injected into the oven, the heating system is completely sealed and separated from the baking chamber into which the large amount of steam is injected. Only after the effect of the steam does the valve return to its place according to the baking program. As a result, the steam does not pass through the combustion chamber, which prevents the cooling of the oven due to the steam at least by 10º – as was the case in the past in ovens with speed controllers and in all conventional ovens, in which it was necessary to start the baking process at a higher temperature.

According to Miwa engineers’ calculations, it is possible to save up to 10% in energy costs as a result of this method, and in addition – the lifespan of the combustion cells has been especially extended.

And in case of a malfunction in the valve, you can easily open it manually and continue baking. Also, since the steam must fill only the baking chamber and not the combustion chamber (as in conventional ovens), a higher amount of steam is created than the same amount of water, and of course in less time and less maintenance costs in the future.

And the other advantage of the method is the possibility to flow up to 1/3 more air into the oven when needed beyond the amount that could be flowed with the speed controllers.