Vent: I think everyone is wrong about letting dough rise overnight in the fridge

Last week at the bakery I work at in Portland, we had a new hire who insisted cold proofing our sourdough for 18 hours was the only way. I tried it on a batch of our standard boules, and the crust was way too thick and chewy, and the crumb was dense. In my experience, a solid 4 hour bulk ferment at a warm room temp, around 75 degrees, gives a much better open texture and a crispier crust. I've been doing it this way for about three years now and the customers notice the difference. Has anyone else found that long cold ferments can sometimes work against you, or is it just our specific flour blend?

3 comments

3 Comments

harpery471mo ago

My friend's bagels turned into hockey pucks that way.

the_anthony1mo ago

Yeah my bagels always end up like rocks too lol.

xenaf511mo ago

Try boiling them for a minute first.