Mixing the final dough in a spiral mixer
How to turn a fermented biga into pizza dough in a spiral mixer, with the order of ingredients, speeds, timings and dough temperature.
This guide starts the day after you make the biga. The biga itself is mixed by hand, without kneading (see how to make biga); the spiral mixer comes in now, to turn the fermented biga into the final dough. That’s where most of the work happens. The goal is a smooth, strong dough that has taken up all the water, without overheating it.
Order of ingredients
- Biga, broken into walnut-sized pieces, so the mixer can work it evenly.
- Water, gradually. Start with some of it and add the rest a little at a time as the dough absorbs it. Adding it all at once leaves the dough sloshing around and slows everything down. Use it ice-cold (ice cubes count as water: weigh them).
- Yeast boost, if your recipe uses one. A small amount, around 0.1%, goes in early.
- Salt, once the dough has come together and looks smoother. Salt tightens the dough, so adding it later lets the gluten develop first.
- Oil, near the end, a little at a time. Fat coats the gluten, so it goes in last.
Speed and time
Professional spiral mixers have two speeds. Gabriel Reboul’s e-book gives:
- About 7 minutes on 1st speed while the first water goes in.
- About 5 minutes on 2nd speed, adding the remaining water, then the salt and oil.
- About 2 more minutes to finish and smooth the dough.
On a single-speed machine, he says mixing can take 25–40 minutes.
On a mixer with a speed dial
Note: the speed percentages below are for an Ooni Halo Pro. Other mixers with a speed dial use their own scales; use the RPM figures to translate.
The Halo Pro uses speed settings instead of gears. Its dough hook runs at roughly 60–345 RPM. A classic spiral mixer’s hook typically turns at around 100 RPM on 1st speed and 200 RPM on 2nd. If the dial is roughly linear, that’s about 15–20% for “1st speed” and about 50% for “2nd speed”.
What works with the reference recipe: start around 20% for a couple of minutes, then increase gradually as the water is absorbed, without going above 50–60%. Higher speeds heat the dough faster, which is the main thing to avoid.
Dough temperature: the real stop signal
Friction warms the dough as it mixes. Keep an eye on the temperature:
- Stop at around 23–24°C for a 70% dough.
- Never go above 26°C.
- For higher hydration, aim cooler: Gabriel’s 75% recipe keeps the dough between 19°C and 21°C while mixing.
Ice-cold water is how you control it. In summer, use more ice. A probe thermometer pushed into the dough reads more accurately than an infrared one, which only sees the surface.
Another stop signal: when the dough starts to break down and turn slack instead of holding a round, smooth shape, it’s done, or slightly past.
After mixing
Rest the dough for 10–20 minutes, do a set of coil folds, and repeat once or twice until it feels strong and smooth. Then ball it. The calculator’s method lists every step with your amounts.