Advice for slowing final rise
Hey Gurus,
I am baking 1-2x/week. It's hot and humid here in CT, USA (90 F) and I note that all my rising times are less than half of what they were in the winter. This is expected b/c of heat and b/c I'm sure my starter is now very strong. What I'm having trouble with is this: Final rise in fridge is also rapid.
After the bulk rise, I divide my dough and bench rest. Then I shape, put in brotform and refrigerate. Lo and behold I'm forced to bake within a few hours b/c loaves are rising quickly even in the fridge. My fridge temp is 42F, so I know it's not that. I'm thinking the yeast is so active that it's taking off anyway and not slowed by the fridge. Now to be honest, I've not been courageous enough to let it go in fridge overnight b/c I don't want 4 over-proofed loaves the next day. Perhaps after 3 hours it'll slow enough to stall, but I'm chicken to try.
In a separate post I noticed that Alfonso talked about refrigeration during the last hour of the bulk fermentation, then removing and dividing, shaping and returning to the fridge overnight. Has anyone tried this?
Thank you in advance
hester