Cold loaves and hot bakes

I'd like to thank everyone who provided suggestions on gauging the degree of proofing of cold dough.  Keeping your comments in mind, I decided to (nearly) fully proof the dough during bulk fermentation and then cold retard the (gently) shaped loaves overnight.  The cold loaves were then slashed and transfered directly into a hot oven.  I essentially followed the same sourdough bread formula as this loaf, but stuck with whole rye flour rather than chapati flour for the whole grain contribution and also tossed in some black sesame seeds.

The aroma from these loaves baking in the oven was amazing!  The sesame seeds added an earthiness that I have not tasted in any of my previous loaves, something akin to the smell of rain hitting dry earth.  The bread had a crisp crust and a chewier crumb than my previous bakes using the same recipe (could this be from baking cold rather than room temperature dough? or perhaps excess moisture from the pre-soaked sesame seeds?).

This experience (cold retarding fully proofed loaves) provides another viable option for managing my bread baking schedule around my everything-else schedule.  I also loved how easy it was to get clean slashes on cold dough.  Next time around, I would give the dough a little bit more time during the bulk ferment (as someone here suggested, it helps to "know" where my dough is in terms of a given recipe to get the refrigeration timing right).  I might have afforded these loaves that luxury too, but alas, as a relatively new mother, I still value sleep over all else :).