March 9, 2012 - 8:57am
Does bulk fermenation differ from shaped loaves fermentation from a chemical presepctive?
Bulk is for flavours and shaped fermentation is for getting a more airy and open crumb (and more of course) but is there a chemical difference or it is just the same process after cut the bulk to pieces and shape it?
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If they are run at the same temperature - no.
well, there is something to be said for wide/long layers of gluten in the bulk process. I have tried no bulk ferment and shaping right away and saw a difference. Would love to hear other thoughts....if it made no difference, why does every recipe call for a bulk rise?
I'm sorry, I have no idea what this means.
if you take a golf ball size piece of dough and a basketball size piece of dough and you let it "rise" and build gluten, the basketball size one will create much bigger, stronger layers of gluten and will make a difference in the end product.
My understanding is incomplete, but the larger dough mass has a higher percentage under anaerobic conditions which favor acid, alcohol and aldahyde production, which are important for dough strength and for flavor. You could say this is a "chemical" difference. Basically, oxygen or its absence each promote different metabolic pathways for bacterial processing of sugars resulting in differing metabolic byproducts.
David
I feel I have a better understanding of the different fermentations now.