I’ve always believed that letting bread dough rise in the refrigerator overnight is a smart way to make bread.
You can schedule your baking time to fit your schedule, speed up or slow down the bread proofing process, and, most importantly, you can significantly enhance the bread’s flavor and texture.
The conventional method of baking bread is to keep the ingredients warm (flour, water, and room temperature), and then to allow the bread to rise in a warm location, including in the oven. This is how many homes conduct themselves, and it is unquestionably how all commercial bread bakeries run.
Although I think it’s a great way to bake bread, most people (and commercial bakeries) don’t really have the time to wait around while the dough rises in the refrigerator for an entire night.
Fast acting yeast can be used for just one proving rise if you are pressed for time; in warm conditions, it should take less than an hour. Making rolls or smaller loaves (like a plaited loaf or a ciabatta-shaped loaf) the day before (using a one or two rise method) and part baking them, then finishing them off in the morning, is an option if you want freshly baked bread in the morning. After proving, bake the rolls for 2/3 of the recommended baking time at the temperature specified in your recipe. The next day, bake the rolls for the remaining time (at the same temperature) after letting them cool and storing them in an airtight container overnight. For instance, if your recipe calls for baking rolls at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes, bake them at 200°C (400°F) for 12 minutes the first time, and for 8 minutes the next day. If the rolls are already glazed, continue to glaze them as directed in your recipe.
The type of yeast known as fast acting (or instant yeast) is the kind that comes in very fine granules and is stirred right into the flour as opposed to being activated first with warm water and a little sugar. When making bread with regular dried yeast or fresh yeast, the typical procedure is to combine and knead the dough, let it rise, knock it back (deflate the risen dough by light kneading), shape it, and let it prove (a second period of rising) before baking. Fast acting yeast has the benefit of only requiring one rise, allowing the dough to be mixed, kneaded, shaped, and allowed to prove. If you prefer, you can also use the two rise method.
It is possible to leave bread dough to rise overnight. To avoid over-fermentation, this must be done in the refrigerator. Doughs that rise overnight frequently have a stronger, more yeasty flavor, which some people prefer. However, if using the two rise method, we would suggest that this is really only helpful for the first rise. When bread is being proved before baking, it’s important to keep an eye on the dough’s rising to ensure that it’s baked at the right time. The dough should have risen enough to be slightly puffy and for your finger to leave a small indentation when you press the side. When the loaf is baked, it is less likely to rise in the oven and it is also possible that it will come out of shape because some of the dough’s gas bubbles may be so large that they over-expand with the heat of the oven and then collapse. If the dough is left longer, it will over prove (the dough’s gas bubbles become too large) and over-prove.
Improve the flavour & texture of your bread
That’s probably the main factor in my decision to proof my bread in the refrigerator. The traditional method of rising bread and slowly rising bread can definitely be distinguished from one another.
For instance, baking white loaf bread makes it much lighter, softer, and more moist inside. Any sourdough bread recipe you follow will also call for overnight proofing because the longer the bread rises, the more opportunities it has to develop its flavor and because it prevents the sourdough from overproving.
Additionally, cold proofing aids in maintaining the cohesiveness of the bread structure and minimizes the amount of dough spreading during the rising process. Because it doesn’t stick to your hands as much as warm dough does, cold dough is also easier to shape.
Baking homemade yeast bread is a joy, but there are plenty of questions that can arise after you’ve combined your flour, water, yeast, and salt. [dam-video dam-id=”25105″] It’s time for a little bread baking 101. How long does dough rise? is the question that both novice bakers and seasoned pros worry about the most. Don’t worry: We’ll explain it in detail here, along with other bread proofing questions. Come check out our online baking community, Bakeable, where you can find our best advice and most popular recipes. Then, share your bakes in our.