January 25, 2018 - 5:54pm
Question about condensation while dough in the fridge
If I put my dough in a container and seal it with cling film, when I come back to it several hours later, I see that moisture has condensed on the inside of the film and the walls of the container. That moisture came from my dough, effectively drying it out a bit, correct? For this reason, I've preferred the wet towel instead, though I can't be sure that its better either. Does anyone else experience this?
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That moisture most likely came from the air inside the container. Cold air cannot hold as much moisture as warm air does, so if you have a closed system, the water vapor part of air will liquify or condense. In that sense it does not matter if you just pour that water out because the vast majority of it didn't come from dough.
If you cover your dough with a towel, the air in the container will be able to mix with the air in the fridge before it cools down to the poin of not being able to hold on to as much moisture.
It really doesn't matter. If the dough is drying a bit, it's a trivial amount.
Some of the moisture will come from your dough, especially if it was warm when you covered it. You can tell it comes from the dough because the dough ball will weigh a little less after its time in the fridge (I know this because I bake for sale and need to scale and divide the dough after bulk fermentation, and I need to make sure each dough ball is the right weight). It's not enough to dry out the dough, usually just a few grams. However, you might not like the drips that end up on the top of your dough (I don't). I sometimes cover the container with a towel first, then a lid. I find the dough will indeed dry out if covered only with a towel. The towel will absorb some of the moisture so it doesn't drip on the dough, and the lid will stop it from drying out.