Process

Retarding

You might say: cold fermentation, delayed fermentation, overnight in the fridge, retard

Slowing shaped dough's fermentation by placing it in the refrigerator, usually overnight.

What it does
Develops flavour and adds flexibility by pausing the process until a convenient bake time.
Ask
At what temperature and for how long can this dough wait without over-fermenting?
Typical
Home refrigerator temperatures for about 10–16 hours
Trouble
Proofing too long in the refrigerator can overproof the dough; longer cold proofing can also make the loaf more sour.

What to look for

  1. Small blisters on the crust
  2. Cold, firm dough that scores cleanly

Sources

  1. Jessica Battilana, Sourdough schedule: How to plan your bread baking timeline, articleThe cold retardation of dough (or shaped loaves) develops flavor in your bread, but it also introduces some flexibility to the bread making process
  2. Maurizio Leo, The Ultimate Guide to Proofing Bread Dough, articleIn the end, I find little difference if the dough is proofed in the refrigerator between 10 to 16 hours or so.
  3. Maurizio Leo, The Ultimate Guide to Proofing Bread Dough, articleKnow that the longer you proof your dough in the refrigerator, the less rise and more (potential) sourness you’ll get in the resulting loaf of sourdough bread.
  4. Maurizio Leo, The Ultimate Guide to Proofing Bread Dough, articleTo fix a dough that’s overproofed because it’s been proofing in the refrigerator too long

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