Cookbook says to store dough in fridge overnight, why can't I just bake it already?
I've been reading "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" and all the sourdough bread recipes call for overnight storage in the fridge. Is this really necessary? Can I just leave it out at room temperature and bake it that night? What is the purpose of storing it in the fridge for a night?
Best Answer
You can, in theory, leave it out on the counter for longer to develop the same amount of fermentation. What you won't have is a very cold fermentation, which helps to develop the big holes in rustic breads that many people love. Temperature and fermentation are a tricky balance, and you should listen to an expert like the author. Also the overnight fermentation keeps you from needing to do something like a full 9 hours in one sitting.
Bikeboy389 made an excellent point in the comments. BBA has absolutely everything you want to know to make its recipes successful in the first part of the book, which Reinhart strongly advises you not to skip. If you want to make excellent bread, you will want to know all that information. Plus, as a amateur or professional baker, you should find it fascinating.
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Can I bake dough straight from the fridge?
Yes, you can bake dough straight from the refrigerator \u2013 it does not need to come to room temperature. The dough has no problems from being baked cold and will bake evenly when baked in a very hot oven. I've baked many loaves straight from the fridge with great results, and haven't noticed any problems.How long can you keep dough in fridge before baking?
A dough will last approximately three days in the refrigerator; however, it is best to use it within 48 hours. This is the best way to refrigerate your dough. After the dough is kneaded, place in a lightly oiled, large mixing bowl.What happens if you leave dough in the fridge overnight?
If left overnight, dough rises so high forcing it will likely collapse on the weight of itself, making the dough deflate. For best results always keep dough in the refrigerator when leaving to rise overnight.Can you rest dough in fridge overnight?
Put simply, retarding dough is the process of slowing down the final rising in the bread-making process. This is easily done by proofing bread overnight in the refrigerator since the cold slows down the rise. It has its benefits, including adding flavor and allowing you to bake the bread at a later time.How To Store Pizza Dough In The Fridge Overnight (To Avoid Dry Dough) | Cold Proof Pizza Dough
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Answer 2
A long, slow fermentation (known commonly as "retarding") of a sourdough bread is about flavor development. Yeast is most active at room temperature, so when you allow your sourdough loaf to rise overnight in the refrigerator, you're giving the bacteria that gives the sourdough its characteristic tang more of a chance to develop while slowing the yeast down. In my experience, the best temperature for flavor development is a slightly warm refrigerator, around 40° F / 4.5° C. (I have a separate refrigerator I use for beer and bread fermentation, so if you don't have a similar setup I don't necessarily recommend warming up the fridge where you keep Sunday night's chicken.)
As @justkt said, you can definitely let the bread rise/proof at room temperature for a shorter time. It just won't have quite as much sourdough flavor as it potentially could. To be completely fair, every area's sourdough tastes different due to the different local bacteria that take up residence in the culture. Unless you live in San Francisco, it's probably not going to get as sour as SF sourdough no matter how slow you ferment. Other techniques such as using a more firm vs. more liquid starter will make a difference too.
So, in short, feel free to rise the bread as fast as your little yeasties will work, but you definitely should give a slow ferm a shot at some point, and use the blue cheese and walnut variation of the sourdough recipe in that book. That purple bread will make your tastebuds sing!
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