temperature during bulk fermentation
Hi there,
When we are talking temperature of bulk fermentation , should we really be talking about the temperature of the dough itself rather than the surrounding temperature? Right now my dough is about 25c but the surrounding area is about 21.5. Maybe it's because my water was warm when i first mixed the dough . The recipe says 8-10 hrs at 21c. So should i expect BF to finish sooner because my dough is so warm.. I also realize because the surrounding area is cooler , my dough will eventually cool down as well. Unless in a proofing box, there will be temp fluctuations in the environment which will affect the dough temp. And I guess that's why we have to watch the dough and not the time.
Another thing is, the recipe doesn't require stretch and folds because the long BF is supposed to build the gluten. If i choose to do 4 sets of S and F, will that also shorten the fermentation time? I should think not because even though I'm building a gluten network by hand the yeast still needs time to raise the dough? Thanks for any guidance that anyone can provide. :)
Yes - the dough temperature is what matters. That is why we adjust the water to temp get the Desired Dough Temperature. It is one control we have in the process.
not only builds strength, it alse distributes food so yes, fermentation can speed up but may be counteracted by the cooling of the dough as you fold cooler outside dough onto warmer inside dough. Warm hands can also affect dough temp. and temp of the work surface.