April 21, 2020 - 7:09am
Why is proving better in the fridge
I have a general scientific question. I understand that a longer prove is better for taste and I believe gluten formation (please correct me if I'm wrong).
What I don't understand is why this is the case. My understanding of why you prove in the fridge is to slow down the yeast and fermentation as yeast is less active at a lower temperature. Doesn't this mean that there's less fermentation and therefore less "taste / breaking down" that's being done?
Put another way - isn't the taste primarily driven by the activity of the yeast and therefore it doesn't matter how fast it goes, but how much?
Thanks
Vince
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I will be watching for someone else to give you the scientific answer, because I would be interested, as well. But, the way I view the process, “time” is a measurable “ingredient,” it’s just not a palpable one. I also see temperature as an ingredient; whether it be cold, for retarding, or hot, for baking.
A cold ferment does slow the yeast growth almost to crawl, yes. But the "sour" flavour people like comes mostly from the lacto bacteria, which continues to multiply (although slowly, it goes faster than the yeast).
There's also some enzyme activity, which converts some starches to sugar, as well as others that acts on the gluten bonds.
FWIW, I regularly make enough dough for 3-4 loaves, refrigerate and bake a loaf daily or maybe skip a day. The last loaf always seems to me to have the best flavor. This is a totally subjective judgement but I’ve heard it echoed in more than a few comments here at TFL. There is some risk in this strategy as the dough also feels wetter, slacker(?) and harder to handle toward the end of a 5 day (max in my experience) retard. So my rule of thumb is always retard but bake no later than day 5 after mixing.
Cheers,
Phil