May 10, 2017 - 12:54am
How to determine when cold overnight proof is done?
Baking the Vermont SD (about 65% hydration) again soon this time with slightly higher whole wheat percentage. I'll be doing the final proof overnight in the fridge for about 8-10 hours. How does one tell when an already stiff dough, made even stiffer from the cold, is proofed enough? Last time I did an overnight proof in the fridge for about 10 hours the loaf turned out to be overproofed (partly also because bulk ferment had gone on for way too long) even though it passed the poke test (bounced back slowly) and seemed still quite strong. It was only when I slashed it and the cut opened up way too fast that I first realised it went too far. How do you personally check?
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Unfortunately I think practise is the only way really. I tend to aim for a 50% increase before hitting the fridge. Then hit the oven straight from the fridge. However I'm no expert myself and I often misjudge things. Poke test is very very sketchy I find and a matter of ten minutes can make a big difference in my experience. It takes time to get to know how your dough reacts and you cannot get that experienced eye without making a few cock ups along the way.
just adding that taking notes in a bread log/diary really helps, along with being systematic in your observations and records. I like a cold final proof and then baking straight from the fridge...and I do use the poke test as one gauge, along with volume, jiggley-ness, and time (along with observations of everything that happened up to the point of putting it in the fridge).
You can also do a bit of tinkering with your fridge temp...
Okay, thank you!
That's why I prefer a retarded bulk ferment instead of retarding the final proof - it's easier to recover from! Elsasquerino is right, it's really only by experience and practice that you can get a good feel for this, but it's complicated by the fact that different flour blends, hydration levels and inoculation rates (i.e. the amount of levain in the dough) will act differently in the final proof.
Basically trying any new recipe is a bit of a shot in the dark... haha alright. Thanks!
First, it sounds like your problem was over-fermentation before shaping and retardation, not over-proofing. So don't do that again.
Second, if you are doing an overnight cold retardation of a sourdough bread for 8-12 hours, do leave out any instant yeast from the mix.
Third, you don't say how cold your fridge is. It should be around 40 dF. If it's much warmer, fermentation is obviously faster and your risk of over-proofing is much greater. Check it. The fridge I use for cold retardation is 40-41 dF. I can leave the dough in for 8 hours or 36 hours without it being over-proofed. (36 isn't the limit, except of my personal experience.)
I find the poke test reliable for most shaped loaves. Note that it is said by professionals to be unreliable for dough in bulk. However, as proofing progresses, the process seems to accelerate. As loaves approach full proof, they change fast. So, check frequently.
Happy baking!
David
Is there a difference in your loaves when they've been retarded for 8hours vs 36hours? Besides flavour? Does it help to open the crumb?
I really don't have enough data to generalize from experience. I have retarded 36 hours once, and this was in bulk. It was a dough I typically retard 12-24 hours. And I didn't see or taste any difference in the final product. (It was fine.)
My concern would be gluten breakdown by proteases. The result would be some very large, cavernous holes. This is not a desirable result! However, enzyme activity is really slow at 40 dF, so you can get away with a longer retardation. At 50 dF, your dough might have turned to soup after 36 hours. (Note I said "might.")
David