February 8, 2019 - 1:19am
Famag IM-8S
Hi all,
Just got the famag Im-8s and was wondering if anyone has suggestions regarding the use of a variable speed spiral mixer. I will be mainly making pizza dough and sourdough bread. I know most people will say it’s done when it’s done, but any pointers starting out would be great. Thank you.
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Have a look at this video. I think it is a great starting point for making good pizza dough. However be very careful with the timings. Chef Pasquale Sorrentino mixes for 20 mins, but I believe he has his mixer set on a very low speed - maybe 60rpm. If you are using normal low speed of 100rpm, I would try 6-7 mins.
There is a test for pizza dough development called the egg test (at 2:36 and 4:10). I haven't tried it myself, but I will give it a go when the weather is better and I'm making WFO pizza again!
Also I like a bit more yeast than the VPN %age he uses.
For bread I would start with Hamelman - he gives some spiral times. They are probably for a fully loaded commercial size mixer. For an IM8 I would knock them down a bit.
Lance
Thank you!
for what it's worth, I just created a FAMAG mixer user group on facebook so folks can share tips 'n' tricks and answer questions for prospective buyers.
I also just did a pretty detailed review of the mixer here in case anyone is interested in buying one, they are awesone: https://wheatbeat.com/equipment-review-famage-spiral-mixer/
Well done - very detailed and great photos.
I am already a convert with an IM5, but that tilt head and removable bowl are very tempting!
You say in your review that you have experience of commercial spiral mixers - what are your thoughts on mixing times vs bowl loading?
It seems to me that if you have a big spiral mixer with a full bowl, then there must be less contact time with the spiral per kg of dough than in a small spiral with only a small amount of dough in; and less contact time must mean a longer mixing time for gluten development.
Or to put it another way, any spiral mixing times quoted by Hamelman or any other commercial baker should perhaps be reduced for a lightly loaded domestic spiral mixer because the dough will have MORE contact with the spiral in a given time.
I have never seen this documented anywhere else, but it makes good sense to me.
Lance
Very nice review. One other thing you may want to address is cleaning the spiral and the breaker bar. My guess is that they must be cleaned while on the machine, or do they come off for cleaning?
Yes, both the breaker bar and spiral are fixed permanently on the machine, but they are very easy to wipe down and clean when the head is raised and the bowl is out.
Sorry for the delay Lance, I didn't get notification you responded. As for mixing time relative to mixer bowl size: I have taken several classes with master baker Didier Rosada and we discussed this very topic. He strongly believes that mixing times from a recipe book is not advisable. He believes a recipe should only suggest "dough consistency", not time in a mixer. That makes sense because of the reasons you point out above, but also because different strength flours (and for that matter different lots of the exact same flour), room temperature and other things cause variations in the dough.
Didier recommends holding back a little water (maybe 5%) when you first try a recipe and mixing on slow speed for 5 minutes to hydrate the ingredients. Then he recommends stopping and checking the dough consistency. For most breads, a medium consistency is desired - he recommends adding some of the water you held back if the dough is too stiff. Then he recommends running it on high speed until you achieve the desired final consistency - whether short, improved or intense. All of this has nothing at all to do with a set mixing time. When done this way, it doesn't matter how much you load the mixer or what mixer you use.
Didier would consider Hamelman's recommendations as simple guidelines, not at all something you should follow to a 'T'. I hope that answers your question.
Regarding notifications, you might want to check your account settings.
There is a setting "Receive comment follow-up notification e-mails". Ensure that this is set to "All comments".
For some unknown reason I don't think that this is the default setting.
Lance