Avoid doughballs

[Iulistoi]

Hi,
I find very cheap cornmeal here in Romania. I mashed many times with cornmeal but I didn't found an easy way to avoid doughballs. It happens when pouring the cornmeal in hot water and than I have to stirr alot with drill machine to break all balls. Another option is to dump the cornmeal in little water (10 kg in 10 liters), bring to boil the rest of the water (25 liters) and then mix together but I have to bring the mash up to 85-90 degrees to add alfa-amylase and needs a lot of stirring and is annoying. So, any other ideas?

[8Ball]

I use an overhead 1/2” drill with a paint mixer attachment fixed about 1 inch above the bottom of the pot. I turn it on while heating and slowly add my ground grains while it is power drill stirring. I help it with a big wooden spoon until the enzymes thin it out. I step mash, so only about 20 minutes of stirring at a time. No dough balls either.

On a side note, I hate it when something breaks my balls too.

[wpkluck]

Damn Pillsbury Dough Boy. Always dippin' his balls in someone's mash. It puts new perspective on Popcorn's meme:

"Red Bull might give you wings, but moonshine gives you balls!"

With big balls, comes great responsibility.

[Getsmokin]

Mashing in grains (hydrating) below their gel temp then heating past their gel temp, works well.

[rubberduck71]

+1 to 8Balls technique of stirring while adding the meal. I did this pouring 2 lb bags at a time in the fermenter on my last batch of SCD's CROW bourbon.

Not a single dough ball! However, I was cheating slightly in that I used Angel Yeast, so no "official" mashing...

[shadylane]

Mix the high temp alpha into the water.
Add the water to the cornmeal a little at a time, while stirring.

[Setsumi]

Mix the high temp alpha into the water.
Add the water to the cornmeal a little at a time, while stirring.

+1

[bilgriss]

I read an article a few years back in which Gordon Strong expressed strong opinions regarding the fantasy of doughballs when mashing beer. Granted, he's referring to barley mashes and not cornmeal - but his point was made with a question? Have you ever mashed a beer and sparged, and then found doughballs AFTER you are done? I realized that no, I had not, and stopped worrying. As he noted, during the mash the liquid penetrates the balls, converts the malt, and all is well.

Tried to test this against cornmeal and it does not translate. I've found doughballs post-mash, AND post ferment. It's worth the time to add slowly and stir continually while adding the cornmeal, even though it tests my patience.

[StillerBoy]

Another option is to dump the cornmeal in little water (10 kg in 10 liters), bring to boil the rest of the water (25 liters) and then mix together but I have to bring the mash up to 85-90 degrees to add alfa-amylase

Never had an issue with mashing corn (corn milled to a fine cornmeal).. my batches are 14 lbs for 7 gals.. 3.5 gal boiling water, add the grain bill, stir with a paint stirrer into a paste, add the other 3.5 of boiling water stir a few second, add high temp liquid enzymes.. stir for a minutes or so.. stir every 15 - 20 min there after for 2 hrs.. done..

Mars

[Iulistoi]

I bought a paint mixer and I mix the cornmeal with hot water very easy without forming any doughball.

I mash 20 kg cornmeal in a batch. First I put 60 liters water to boil. I mount the paint mixer to the drill and I begin to stirr in the hot water. I pour half of the amount of the cornmeal (10kg) in the middle of the whirl while stirring continously. After that I add one tablespoon of alfa-amylase, it liquify almost instantly and then go with the rest of the cornmeal. After all of the cornmeal was mixed with hot water I check the themperature to be between 85 and 90 degrees celsius and add another tablespoon of alfa. Shut the heat, put the lid, cover with blanket and leave for 1.5 hours stirring at every half hour. When it cools down to 55-60 C add gluco-amylase and left until it cools to 35 degrees. Then add 10 kg ice to drop temperature below 30° and then add 500g fresh beaker's yeast. Everytime the OG is 1.085 and the FG drops to 0.99 after 7 days.

For cooling the mash a use a big fan while keeping the pot open. Some of the liquid evaporates and concentrates the sugars. I know it's not the most efficient cooling method but it's more economical than using water. If I start to heat the water at 8 AM, at 5 PM all is done and I can add the yeast.

[IMALOSERSCUMBAG]

I third the suggestion to a drill and paint mixer. A variable speed power drill is preferred so you can control the speed.

[stillanoob]

I too use a paint mixer and a right angle low speed drill. As long as you put the corn in at a reasonable rate no dough balls. I wouldn't mix the enzymes in to the water, at least with the ones I use. For my mash to wind up at 185 (ideal for the enzymes) after stirring in the corn I need the water to be boiling. Which is too hot for the sebstar HTL I use.

[Setsumi]

i do 20kg maize meal and 2kg flaked/poridge oats. put 5kg maise meal and oats in fermenter and 15lt of boiling water. stir with mash padle by hand, add 2.5ml HT Alph amylase. add 15lt water and 5kg maize meal. continue till all meal and water is in. add 2.5ml HT Alpa amylase. yes some dough balls, but after 2 hours there is none. i stir by hand and i try not to break out in sweat...