August 18, 2007 - 11:02am
Retarding dough during its bulk fermentation
In every bread book I've read, it's always suggested to retard dough during while its proofing (with the exception of pain a l'ancienne). Is there any reason one shouldn't do this during bulk fermentation? I imagine the yeast population is a lot smaller at that point, so It may not have as drastic of consequences. Also, since the cold makes dough much more elastic, it may have a negative effect on doughs that need folding. Has anyone tried this? I think next weekend I might do a little experimenting with this. It's much easier for me to stash a tupperware bin in my fridge than a couche on a sheet pan in bag, which is what got me thinkin. any thoughts?