October 19, 2011 - 9:12am
Raising dough in the fridge: times?
I am looking to make a dough tonight to leave in the fridge overnight, as I wont have much time tomorrow to make any.
What I am wondering is, how long should I be aiming to leave it in? I am using yeast sachets, 7g each- But I do have some dried and fresh yeast if it makes any difference. I would like it to be able to leave it for 8+ hours. Is this realistic, or is it just too long?
Thanks for any help.
Charlie
Share
For years now, I've been taking my challah dough up to the loaf-braiding stage at which time I place the loaves in the refrigerator. I bake one the following morning and then bake the other two later that day or even the following day. Never had any problem.
Thank your for replying, I am terrified I am going to wake up to either a dead dough or some sort of mess.
I am put at ease by your response :)
Charlie,
You'll need to do a few tests to find what works for you. 8+ hours is surely doable if you can find the correct balance. The balance to look for is how long the dough sits before the fridge, how long in the fridge, and how long out of the fridge. How long in the fridge ( I wouldn't go over 36 hours) isn't as important as before and after. You may find less bread volume with the chilling.
Jim
I am looking to make the dough and put it pretty much straight into the fridge, is this not a good idea? As for out of the fridge again, pretty much the same.
Thank you for taking the time to response, I have no experiance with this sort of thing.
Charlie
Charlie,
It's hard to give you more info when I don't know what type of bread you're baking and what experience you do have. In general some fermentation is good before going into the fridge. And a warm up when it comes out. You could find a few dozen people here who fridge their bread and reach a desired result. Yet the processes will vary. If you tell us, in detail, your current process (non-fridge) we can help. Have you read; Highest Rated Stories Your First Loaf - A Primer for the New Baker ?
Please don't let me hog this post, others please chime in. ~ Jim
Really appreciate your time and effort in trying to help me. Your answers - along with everyone elses lead me to believe it is going to be a case of trying it and seeing.
Its a very basic bread recipe (500g flour, 10g butter, 10g salt, 7g yeast sachet and 300ml water) and my experience. . Limited would be the best way to describe it I think :)
Going to try a 30 minute normal rise before I fridge it, and cover it and leave overnight to see. Then hopefully I will see some life in it in the morning! Wish me luck,
Thanks again,
Charlie
Yeasts go to sleep at ~41 F.
When you put a loaf at ~72-80 F into the refrigerator, the core temperature starts to decrease immediately.
If the loaf is fully risen by about the same time the loaf's core temperature reaches 41 F, you'll have a fully-proofed loaf, which you can take out of the refrigerator 8+ hours later and bake immediately.
If the loaf is not fully risen by the time the loaf's core temperature reachs 41 F, you'll have an under-proofed loaf, in which case you'll have to complete the rise after you take it out of the refrigerator 8+ hours later.
If the loaf is fully risen before the loaf's core temperature reaches 41 F, it'll continue proofing until a core temperature of 41 F is acheived. This could, and often does, result in an over-proofed loaf.
There are all sorts of variables that you can modulate to reach whatever point you wish, everything from proofing on the bench before you put in the refigerator, more or less vigorous kneading, different water temperatures, different refrigeration temperatures, etc. That's why, when most people ask about retardation, there's no one answer.
Ok, thank you for that information, appreciated.
Seems like it is going to be a trial and error attempt doesnt it!
Nothing is easy with breadmaking! And that is half the fun I guess. :)
I just put two loaves into the refrigerator that are proofing faster than I hoped.
I'll watch them for about an hour and see how they fare, but I'm almost certain I'll be pressing that TURBO COOL button on my refrigerator.
On the whole, I'd say the most problematic loaves are ones that don't achieve a full rise in the refrigerator. You'd think it'd be as easy as bringing the loaf to room temperature and letting it resume its rise; but, in my experience, the yeasts often just don't want to wake up or aren't strong enough to overcome the cold, tight gluten development. 1 hour turns to 3 hours, then you just give up and bake it anyway, with the result (more often than not) being a dense, chewy monstrosity. In short, be concerned if you don't get much rise in the refrigerator. That is a problem that seldom self-corrects.
Yikes: Now I am more scared than before.lol
Will try a batch tonight and see how things go. Wont be a complete disaster if it goes wrong, just means I will have to buy bread! the horror.
Thank you for your tips and experience.
Will update the thread with results in the morning, hope you check back :)
Charlie
What you're talking about is certainly quite reasonable. Fridge "retarding" (for improved flavor as well as for schedule convenience) is often done "overnight"; and is sometimes done during the bulk ferment, sometimes during the first part of proofing, and even sometimes during the final proofing just before baking. (Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks:-)
On the other hand trying to "calculate" or "predict" just how long the dough should stay in your fridge is probably not going to work. You'll need to try it and adjust based on your own experience.
One big wild card factor is that all fridges are not the same temperature. In some households they're adjusted clear down around 35F, while other households may have them adjusted as high as 50F. That alone is close to doubling/halving the refrigerated rise time (in fact it's worse than that, as yeast seem to go into hibernation and become completely inactive around 40F). So a specific amount of time that works for somebody else may or may not work the same for you.
When you take dough out of the fridge it's likely to be "stiff", maybe so much so that it's impossible to work until it "warms up" a little (may take somewhere around a half hour).
Be sure you cover the dough when putting it in the fridge (shower cap? cling wrap? container lid?), otherwise it may "dry out" way too much.
It all seems like I might have to just try it and see, with as much educated guessing as possible. . and then hope! haha all very exciting isn't it.
I shall cling film it! Thank goodness you mentioned that, I was going to leave it in exposed :|
overnight, but yeast will "go to sleep" as someone else already called it at those temps anyway.
update: so left it overnight. Bit longer than 8hours in honesty, but it has risen! not sure it has fully doubled. But I have taken it out and left it for now to warm up and see how that goes.
Big thanks to everyone who commented in the thread, will post again with results later this afternoon :)
Charlie
I think this loaf can be considered a dud. Pretty sure my fridge was just too cold for it, never seemed to recover.
Cooked it anyway, so shall check it out later on when its cooled down to see whats going on inside it.
Guess I will have to find time later to make more :|
Thanks again for your help ladies and gents,
Charlie