Help a newbie: slowing down proofing in the fridge
I am new to breadmaking and have been making a Challah recipe that is turning out well. I am at altitude (5000 ft) so the recipe includes some adjustments including a second rise prior to shaping and the final proof.
My challenge is that I can't always stay at home for the 4-5 hours it takes to make the bread and have it ready on time for dinner. I need to see if I can extend one of the rises or the final proof in the fridge.
first rise is to double it in size -- 1-2 hours
second rise is about 30-50 min
then shape and final proof for about 20-30 min.
then 35-45 min cooking time.
When would be best to put in the fridge to slow down the rise and when I take it back out, do I need to give it more time to rise/proof/get to room temperature?
Thanks for any help -- I've tried googling, but not getting much help.
Stef
You may retard the dough in the refrigerator at any stage that suits you. I would test the proofing by the finger indentation method, not by the time. Hold your middle and index fingers together and gently poke the dough and release. If the indentation immediately springs back, the dough is underproofed, if the indentation slowly comes back the dough is ready.
The baking time seems a a bit short. Take the interior temperature of the middle of the loaf with an instant read thermometer. The temperature should be 195° to 205°F (91° to 96°C).
Ford
I've never made, nor even eaten, challah, so I can't help with your specific problem but, as a general point on refrigeration prior to baking: when I started retarding I'd wait ages for the loaves to come up to ambient temperature before putting them in the oven. Then it occurred to me that the loaves came out of the fridge at around six degrees Centigrade into a room at about 20°C. My oven will be at about 260°C, so that the difference between the ambient temperature and the loaves from the fridge, although not insignificant, isn't enough to make it worth waiting several hours for the loaves to reach ambient temperature. I stopped waiting and saw no difference in the result. It may take the oven a little longer to recover when the colder dough goes in but, if your oven has a sufficiently good thermal reservoir, the loaves won't be damaged.
In other words: if the loaves come out of the fridge fully-proved, sticking them in the oven cold isn't a problem if you have a reasonably good oven.
Thanks Ford and Jon! I appreciate the input. I will try to retard the first or second rise this next time and see how it works. To be honest, I think I let it rise way too much this first time -- the dough was huge, almost 3 times the size of the original amount, after the first rise and it still came out just fine. I just need to keep tweaking until I have it down...including being able to leave the house at some point during day and still have bread for dinner.
Stef
I think that by retarding the dough overnight you will be able to merge both rises into a single one.
Try to mix the dough, let it sit until it starts to rise, 30-90 minutes depending on room temperature and amount of yeast. Then place it in the fridge (always tightly covered). The next day, get it out and shape while cold, you are likely to find it stiffer and less sticky and therfore easier to work with. If it's too firm then let it warm a little. Let it proof until it is ready to bake: the finger test is a good method,but if you know your dough you can also see it by its volume,it should be about 1.5 times the original size. If you are not sure then it's better to slightly underproof then ovenproof.