July 20, 2019 - 9:46am
Long cold retard during bulk ferment
I have been experimenting lately with 'bulk retardation' of up to 40 hours at 37 ~ 38°F before final shaping folds and proofing before baking. I even threw in a few stretch-and-turns during the retardation period. The handling of the cold dough was easier and the results seem satisfactory for my tastes. However in re-reading some archival posts I believe I will reduce total retardation time to no more than 36 hours.
Question: Do any you other bakers use the long, cold bulk retard method routinely or ever?
Sorry, forgot to brush off the excess flour before scoring and misting. Still lots to learn.
Thanks for everything. Dave