On Sun, 19 Nov 2023 20:47:24 -0000 (UTC), bob prohaska
<bp@www.zefox.net> wrote:

When folks refer to having bread rise overnight
in the fridge, what temperature do they use?

I've tried rising bread in the fridge a few times
and the results have generally dissapointed. The
bread rises relatively little and there isn't much
oven spring.

According to my fridge thermometer the temp inside
is around 38F, roughly 3 degrees in civilized units.

Is that too cold?

Thanks for reading,

bob prohaska

The dough doesn't rise much at all in the fridge(optimum
temperature for sourdough to grow is around 30C), but it does give the
bread a better flavor. Some people leave it up to 48hrs in the
fridge(I never have, I just do an overnight).
You're doing it right.
As to oven spring, is your oven hot enough? Do you use a Dutch
oven?
[]'s
--
Don't be evil - Google 2004
We have a new policy - Google 2012
Google Fuchsia - 2021

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When folks refer to having bread rise overnight
in the fridge, what temperature do they use?

I've tried rising bread in the fridge a few times
and the results have generally dissapointed. The
bread rises relatively little and there isn't much
oven spring.

According to my fridge thermometer the temp inside
is around 38F, roughly 3 degrees in civilized units.

Is that too cold?

Thanks for reading,

bob prohaska

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Shadow <Sh@dow.br> wrote:

The dough doesn't rise much at all in the fridge(optimum
temperature for sourdough to grow is around 30C), but it does give the
bread a better flavor. Some people leave it up to 48hrs in the
fridge(I never have, I just do an overnight).

Is the bread allowed to rise fully in a warm place _before_ it's put
in the fridge? That would neatly explain my difficulty 8-)

From what I understood the loaf is shaped and then immediately refrigerated. From the fridge it goes straight into a hot oven. Do I misunderstand the process?

As to oven spring, is your oven hot enough? Do you use a Dutch
oven?

I do preheat the oven and have tried preheating a casserole dish with its
cover and putting the dough into that. The preheated dish didn't seem to
help much. That'd make sense if I was omitting a warm rise interval.

There's a loaf rising on the counter now. I'll let it grow till it gets
larger and _then_ put it in the fridge overnight.

Thanks for writing!

bob prohaska

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On 2023-11-19 1:47 p.m., bob prohaska wrote:

When folks refer to having bread rise overnight
in the fridge, what temperature do they use?

I've tried rising bread in the fridge a few times
and the results have generally dissapointed. The
bread rises relatively little and there isn't much
oven spring.

According to my fridge thermometer the temp inside
is around 38F, roughly 3 degrees in civilized units.

Is that too cold?

Thanks for reading,

bob prohaska

These are 2 sourdough loaves that I baked in a dutch oven
a few weeks ago. As you can see, there was good oven
spring.

https://postimg.cc/1fnsdrHs

I proofed them in the fridge overnight after about 20
minutes on the bench. The hydration was about 70%.
I put the bannetons inside inflated plastic bags
which probably allowed the loaves to proof a bit before the
cold got to them.
For more on the subject, visit The Perfect Loaf: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/

and his method for a basic loaf: https://www.theperfectloaf.com/best-sourdough-recipe/

Graham

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On Sun, 19 Nov 2023 23:17:00 -0000 (UTC), bob prohaska
<bp@www.zefox.net> wrote:

Shadow <Sh@dow.br> wrote:

The dough doesn't rise much at all in the fridge(optimum
temperature for sourdough to grow is around 30C), but it does give the
bread a better flavor. Some people leave it up to 48hrs in the
fridge(I never have, I just do an overnight).

Is the bread allowed to rise fully in a warm place _before_ it's put
in the fridge? That would neatly explain my difficulty 8-)

Not fully. I just wait until it's roughly doubled in size
before I put it in the fridge.. PS I live in Brazil, it's very hot
here... LOL

From what I understood the loaf is shaped and then immediately refrigerated. >From the fridge it goes straight into a hot oven. Do I misunderstand the >process?

Yes. That's not the way to do it.
Wait until it has got a good start. If you wait too long, it
will actually collapse in the fridge. If you don't wait long enough,
it won't rise.
You will get it right, after a few failures(which will be
perfectly edible, just not "the best".)

As to oven spring, is your oven hot enough? Do you use a Dutch
oven?

I do preheat the oven and have tried preheating a casserole dish with its >cover and putting the dough into that. The preheated dish didn't seem to
help much. That'd make sense if I was omitting a warm rise interval.

There's a loaf rising on the counter now. I'll let it grow till it gets >larger and _then_ put it in the fridge overnight.

Thanks for writing!

bob prohaska

--
Don't be evil - Google 2004
We have a new policy - Google 2012
Google Fuchsia - 2021

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On Sun, 19 Nov 2023 23:17:00 -0000 (UTC), bob prohaska
<bp@www.zefox.net> wrote:

Shadow <Sh@dow.br> wrote:

The dough doesn't rise much at all in the fridge(optimum
temperature for sourdough to grow is around 30C), but it does give the
bread a better flavor. Some people leave it up to 48hrs in the
fridge(I never have, I just do an overnight).

Is the bread allowed to rise fully in a warm place _before_ it's put
in the fridge? That would neatly explain my difficulty 8-)

From what I understood the loaf is shaped and then immediately refrigerated. >From the fridge it goes straight into a hot oven. Do I misunderstand the >process?

As to oven spring, is your oven hot enough? Do you use a Dutch
oven?

I do preheat the oven and have tried preheating a casserole dish with its >cover and putting the dough into that. The preheated dish didn't seem to
help much. That'd make sense if I was omitting a warm rise interval.

There's a loaf rising on the counter now. I'll let it grow till it gets >larger and _then_ put it in the fridge overnight.

How did it go? Lucky this time?
[]'s
--
Don't be evil - Google 2004
We have a new policy - Google 2012
Google Fuchsia - 2021

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Shadow <Sh@dow.br> wrote:

On Sun, 19 Nov 2023 23:17:00 -0000 (UTC), bob prohaska
<bp@www.zefox.net> wrote:

There's a loaf rising on the counter now. I'll let it grow till it gets >>larger and _then_ put it in the fridge overnight.

How did it go? Lucky this time?

Quite edible, but not excellent.

It looks like I'm bulk fermenting too long at too high a temp. The
yeast exhausts its sugar supply before final proof is adequate.

The core of my problem is likely lack temperature control. The house
is about 65 F, the oven is 75-95F, my improvised proofing box
(heating pad with a corrugated cardboard box covering it) is still
a little too warm, starting around 65 and ending a bit over 90 F.

So far the best results have come from a drastically shortened bulk
ferment, which seems to leave a bit more blow available for proofing.

Retarding in the fridge overnight just complicates matters and makes
the rise harder to control. It seems best to start, complete bulk ferment
in one hour and then proof for about four hours. That's rather fast
but seems to fit better with the temp range available to me.

Thanks for reading!

bob prohaska

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On 2023-11-25 5:14 p.m., bob prohaska wrote:

Shadow <Sh@dow.br> wrote:

On Sun, 19 Nov 2023 23:17:00 -0000 (UTC), bob prohaska
<bp@www.zefox.net> wrote:

There's a loaf rising on the counter now. I'll let it grow till it gets
larger and _then_ put it in the fridge overnight.

How did it go? Lucky this time?

Quite edible, but not excellent.

It looks like I'm bulk fermenting too long at too high a temp. The
yeast exhausts its sugar supply before final proof is adequate.

The core of my problem is likely lack temperature control. The house
is about 65 F, the oven is 75-95F, my improvised proofing box
(heating pad with a corrugated cardboard box covering it) is still
a little too warm, starting around 65 and ending a bit over 90 F.

So far the best results have come from a drastically shortened bulk
ferment, which seems to leave a bit more blow available for proofing.

Retarding in the fridge overnight just complicates matters and makes
the rise harder to control. It seems best to start, complete bulk ferment
in one hour and then proof for about four hours. That's rather fast
but seems to fit better with the temp range available to me.

Thanks for reading!

bob prohaska

I kitted out a broom cupboard with steel shelves, the type made up
from rods spaced about 3/4" apart. I clamped 2 x 40W work lights to
the lowest shelf and they generate enough heat to maintain a 75F
temperature in the cupboard.

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Graham <g.stereo@shaw.ca> wrote:

I kitted out a broom cupboard with steel shelves, the type made up
from rods spaced about 3/4" apart. I clamped 2 x 40W work lights to
the lowest shelf and they generate enough heat to maintain a 75F
temperature in the cupboard.

It looks like Amazon sells relatively cheap thermostatic controllers: https://www.amazon.com/Thermostat-Controller-Incubation-Greenhouse-FCC-Certified/dp/B0BWXMJGM6/ref=sr_1_6?crid=20X8MO741OVDR&keywords=temperature%2Bcontroller&qid=1701032565&sprefix=temperature%2Bcontroller%2Caps%2C239&sr=8-6&th=1

One of those should solve the control problems with the heating pad setup.

I really wanted to figure out how to cope without buying more stuff, but
maybe it's wise to relent a little.

Thanks for writing!

bob prohaska

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