Tried that 'resting dough overnight' trend everyone raves about

I let my sourdough sit in the fridge for 18 hours like the forums said, and it came out flat as a pancake with zero oven spring. My usual 4 hour room temp proof gives me tall loaves with great crumb every time. Anyone else find that long cold ferments kill their bread's rise?

3 comments

3 Comments

susansingh1mo ago

My own sourdough did the exact same thing when I tried a 16 hour cold ferment last winter. I think the problem is that in a home fridge, the temperature drops too quickly and the yeast goes dormant before it can do its job. The long rest might work great for flavor development with commercial yeast, but sourdough starters are more sensitive. My best results come from doing a 2 hour bench rest after shaping, then only about 6 hours in the fridge max. Any longer and I end up with a dense frisbee instead of bread. You might want to try a shorter cold proof or just stick with what already works for you since those 4 hour room temp loaves sound perfect.

baker.holly1mo ago

Actually, yeast doesn't really go dormant from a quick temp drop, it just slows way down. The real problem with long cold ferments for sourdough is that the bacteria keep producing acid even when the yeast takes a nap, so you end up with overproofed dough that can't hold its shape.

pat_moore1mo ago

@pat_moore nailed it - my fridge turns my starter into a brick after 8 hours, so I cap it at 4 now.