Bassinage (Acqua a Filo) for High-Hydration Pizza
How do you achieve 72 to 80 % hydration without ending up with a sticky dough soup? You start firmly with 58 % water and add the rest gradually (« a filo ») into the already formed gluten structure.
If you were to pour all the water at once for a 75 % hydrated Canotto pizza or an 80 % Pinsa, the flour particles would float around like in pancake batter – the kneading hook would grasp at nothing and there would be no mechanical friction for gluten development. With the Bassinage technique (Acqua a Filo), you start the main kneading phase with only 55–60 % of the water. In this firm dough, a strong, elastic gluten network forms quickly (« pumpkin shape »). Only then do you pour in the remaining ice-cold water in sips during the second phase – and wait after each sip until the dough has fully absorbed the water!