How to Chill Sourdough (Your Easy Guide)

During bulk fermentation, your dough needs to rest and sit at room temperature. But did you know that your dough can withstand a colder temperature? Here is a simple guide on how to cold proof sourdough.

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What is the exam?

IN baking sourdough terms, the exam refers to dough rest time. This usually happens after shaping and before baking.

Proofing can be done at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator, however, it is very important not to let the dough over-proof.

Often, sourdough is resisted in the cold, that is, it is placed in a banneton, and refrigerate to rest before baking. While the yeast sleeps, the bacteria continue to work, providing sour dough with it delicious tang.

Why try refrigerated sourdough?

Most sourdough recipes have the option of proofing at room temperature for 1-3 hours, or proofing in the refrigerator overnight. Refrigerated proofing is often referred to as a cold lag because it slows the final rise.

Here are some additional reasons to cold-proof sourdough.

Better taste

Dough that has been cold-aged has a pronounced sour flavor compared to dough that has been proofed at room temperature.

When the bread proofs at room temperature, the dough develops faster than the flavor, while the dough that is proofed cold is given more time to wrap the dough in unique and flavorful flavors.

This is a result of cold temperatures slowing down the fermenting activity of the yeast, although the bacteria in the starter do not require a certain temperature to work their magic. They continue to break down the starch into lactic acid and acetic acid, giving the dough that subtle yet irresistible color.

Easier to handle

Cold dough is much easier to handle than room temperature dough. Just turn it from the bannet to score, and you'll find that the blade slides into the cold dough perfectly.

The warm dough can be flattened as soon as it is removed from the pan. This limits your time to score and transfer the dough to the oven. The blade tends to stick to warm dough, which can be a problem.

Adds flexibility

Proofing your dough in the fridge allows you to get on with the rest of the day while the bacteria work their magic on your dough. Whereas counter proof dough can finish proofing anytime between 1-3 hours, which doesn't give you much time to relax as you anxiously await the fate of your dough.

Best crust and crumb

Cold-fermented dough tends to have an extra-fresh crust and crumb compared to sourdough proofed at room temperature.

If you're looking for a deliciously fried crust that's crisp and fluffy at the same time, then cold proof dough is the way to go.

Kneading is much better because the gluten develops overnight and you don't have to use aggressive kneading to speed up the process.

How long to try sourdough in the refrigerator?

Cold proofing allows you to bake your sourdough at a time that suits you without having to worry about over proofing.

A long, cold fermentation will increase the sourness of the bread, so keeping this in mind helps. You can try the sourdough in the refrigerator until 6 hours or more if your dough can handle it.

However, you have to make sure that the dough doesn't use up all its energy before it gets to the oven. You may need to go through a bit of trial and error to find a cold proofing period that works for you and the dough.

If you are using whole grain or rye flour, they may not do as well as other types of flour when cold proofed like bread flour.

Whole wheat and rye flours may be more sensitive to acids in your starter, thus having a weaker gluten network that will break down easily.

How to test sourdough in the refrigerator?

• Follow the sourdough bread recipe until you reach the final shaping stage.
• Shape the dough into a rolling pin or rolling pin, then place the shaped bread into a banneton or other sourdough proofing baskets.
• Cover the insulation basket with plastic wrap.
• Place the covered banneton in the refrigerator for as long as you intend.
• Once ready, preheat the oven and dutch oven and bake the dough from the refrigerator.

Why does temperature matter when proofing sourdough?

of dough temperature it can affect how long it takes you to ferment your dough, as well as how the yeast and bacteria consume the sugars. This will also affect the taste of the bread.

Understanding how temperature affects dough will give you control over:

• How long will you ferment or proof the dough.
• The last taste of bread.

With the history of sourdough, we can understand that it tends to work on its own terms. So the more variables you can control, the more you'll be able to predict the results of your final bread.

Effect of temperature on sourdough fermentation

The sourdough starter has a variety of bacteria and yeast. Different species of yeast and bacteria survive in alternating temperatures.

When yeasts ferment effectively, they produce minimal by-products, and these by-products are what give our breads such complex yet wonderful flavors.

Knowing this, we can try to manipulate the flavors of our bread.

Test temperature

• Yeast tends to ferment best at 80 years of age°F-90°F. Given this desired dough temperature, they will consume sugars from the dough, providing a mild flavor.
• The bacteria species ferment effectively outside these temperatures, thus affecting the taste.
• At higher temperatures they produce lactic acid bacteria, which gives it a simple sour flavor.
• At lower temperatures, they produce acetic acid, which gives the dough a deep darkness.

Sourdough for cold insulation

Cold temperatures work best when it comes to sourdough, especially if you're looking for a more pronounced sourdough flavor.

For a detailed beginner's guide, check out mine starter sourdough recipe.

Frequently asked questions