May 14, 2020 - 3:44am
What's the minimum time in the fridge for flavour?
Hello everyone!
a. A more general question, found a lot of posts about the maximum time in the fridge, I was wondering what was the minimum time in the fridge for a loaf to gain in flavour?
b. A more concrete question, for example, a loaf that had 3h of bulk fermentation at room temperature (20-22 celsius), mostly white flour, 75-80% hydration, could i leave in the fridge for 6h then bake it straight out of the fridge and it would have an impact on flavour or not?
Thanks a bunch, loving the community here on TFL.
Have a great day everyone,
Ade
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id say 12 hours to get a decent amount but it really depends on fridge temperature.
a 3 hour bulk is not long enough unless its showing the signs its nearing its bulk fermentation end. You just wont get the flavour but more importantly it'll be under proofed and be gummy and have a lack of structure.
If I want a same-day loaf I combine sourdough with another yeast, either Yeast Water or conventional dry yeast. I use 100 whole wheat, either hard red or spelt or a combination, which means there's a ton of flavor already, and that also speeds up fermentation. I don't use the fridge at all.
In short, to get a flavorful loaf in less time, you could skip the cold retard, add in a little more whole-grain flour, and add a bit of extra yeast.
You will still get the sourdough tang but it will be milder and you will also have more of the roasty nutty whole grain flavor in there. My bulk is usually 3 or 4 hours, then a letter fold, another 1/2 hour in the bowl, another letter fold, bench rest, division, preshape, bench rest, shaping, final proof 1/2 hour, bake.
The whole process takes about 7 hours and is pretty hands off because I don't do any gluten development during bulk. (I do start with an autolyse with the yeast water and then knead in the sourdough levain and the salt.)