30/06/2025
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Have you ever seen a video clip of an industrial bread-making process where they add blocks of ice into the mixer?
Do you know why?
If you don't, it's good you are reading; we'll discuss it in this post.
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Dough temperature is one aspect of bread-making I haven't dedicated an entire post to, and it's an important aspect of bread-making we often neglect.
Why should I be concerned about the temperature of my dough, you might ask?
Because temperature decides how fast or slow your dough ferments. And fermentation speed affects everything: flavor, structure, strength, and even how well the dough handles.
If your dough gets too warm, the yeast races ahead, gluten weakens, and you end up with flat, underdeveloped bread that had no time to build character.
If it’s too cold, everything slows to a crawl, and your dough might be sitting there for hours refusing to rise.
There’s a sweet spot.
Most bakers aim for a final dough temperature (FDT) of around 24–26°C (75–78°F) for yeasted doughs and a bit cooler for sourdough, about 22–24°C (71–75°F).
That’s where yeast activity is balanced, gluten stays strong, and flavors develop at just the right pace.
•••
Okay, back to the ice block thing.
So, why do industrial bakers sometimes toss literal bricks of ice into their mixers?
It’s not to be dramatic. It’s to keep dough cool.
When you’re mixing at scale, like 50 kilos of dough spinning in a high-speed spiral mixer, friction creates heat. A lot of it. Dough can go from 20°C to 30°C in a matter of minutes.
If they just used water at room temperature, the dough would overheat and ferment too fast before it even left the mixer.
So they cool things down.
Some use ice water. Some use ice cubes. Some, especially in hotter climates or with long mixing times, go all in with blocks of ice to compensate and keep the final dough temperature within target.
It’s not just a weird trick; it’s precision. And it works.
•••
Now, if you’re baking at home, your dough isn’t generating that much heat from mixing. But temperature still matters.
Here’s how to control it:
- Use a thermometer to check your ingredients and dough.
- If your kitchen’s hot, use cooler water.
- If your flour is warm from sitting near the oven, it’ll bump up your dough temp too.
- And if you’re mixing by machine, even at home, friction will raise dough temperature a little, anywhere from 1 to 3°C depending on speed and time.
There’s even a formula bakers use to adjust water temperature depending on the room, flour, and desired final dough temperature. (We’ll break that down in another post.)
•••
Bottom line?
Temperature is your quiet ingredient. It doesn’t show up on the recipe card, but it shapes everything behind the scenes.
So if your dough always seems overproofed, or you’re getting sourness in your sourdough too quickly, it may not be the yeast’s fault.
It might just be... too warm.
Next time you mix dough, stick a thermometer in it. See where you’re starting. Then, if you need to adjust, even small changes, like cooling your water or flour, can make a big difference.
End of post.
As always, I hope this helps someone.
