Last week for "Maki Mechanics" I said I was writing from the road. I'm now in a 10-day quarantine (for precaution, I'm currently negative for COVID) as I complete my addition to my new COVID bubble. As I am in my room I have this additional week of not being able to do side-by-side comparisons from the kitchen for you, so I will draw on some past projects for you all to ponder. The recipe for "Baguette and Butter" at the end will also offer a little experiment for you to perform at home to compare results. This brief article will talk about cold ferment, or "dough rise retardation", its definition, its uses, and why I like it.
While a cold ferment is nothing new to bakers and bread makers, it can often be overlooked by home bakers as a method of flavor development. My job as a teacher (and culinary developer to all those companies just DYING to hire me!) is to show the home cook certain tricks, tips, and methods that can improve their cooking/baking in simple ways. Let's dive in!
The problem: Develop deeper flavor in simple yeast or sourdough bread recipes.
The fix: Cold fermentation. A method to slow down the rise of dough allowing a deeper development of flavor complexity.
What is cold ferment? A cold ferment simply means to lower the temperature during the first or second rise of bread dough. Bread making generally goes like this: Mix together ingredients, knead the dough, allow to rise (fermentation), form the bread into final shape, rise again, and bake. There are several tweaks that can be done to any/all of those stages to improve your bread. That would make for a long article from a more experienced baker than myself. As I mentioned in my last article I am a sort of "jack-of-all-trades" chef/baker. So today I will focus on one aspect, the cold ferment in the first or second rise.
The extra flavor development comes (at least in part) from the formation of ethyl alcohol during the fermentation period in bread making. Ever drive past a bakery while they are baking and get a whiff of pure deliciousness in the air? That's (partially) the alcohol baking off. That along with the sugars formed and the Maillard reaction (brown crust) bring bread flavor together.
When fermentation times are short, bread can be good but lacks complexity of flavor - often described as "one dimensional". When given extra time to develop you can achieve a better-tasting bread without adjusting any other factors in your loaf. Today I am suggesting a cold ferment for the 1st or 2nd rise. Deciding when you should cold ferment your recipe will usually be dependent upon fridge space, the time you have to complete a recipe or both. I will note there are many discussions online about the best time and best flavor development during the 1st or 2nd rise. Today is a crash course for you to learn, bake, experiment, and then delve deeper into your future bread-making endeavors.
What temp should cold fermentation be done? This is a topic of much debate in online forums. Most home bakers do not have the luxury of anything besides your refrigerator, which is usually between 37F - 40F. Some people use wine fridges set between 48F-51F, others talk of using their pantries in the winter where the temps range from 50F - 60F. Any of these are acceptable. I am recommending the fridge as that is commonplace, and my directions will reflect that. If you have access to the warmer options, experiment and adjust your times. While longer fermentation can improve flavor, the process is not indefinite. Too long will develop overly sour and undesirable flavors in your bread.
General rule - As temperature increases your fermentation time should decrease. The faster fermentation process at warmer temps, and the compounds it produces, will increase. This can lead to undesirable flavors in your bread.
1st or 2nd rise? Depends on your needs. Do you have fridge space to let the dough rise in its final shape in the fridge? Then cold ferment during the 2nd rise. Do you not have fridge space or need to pause the bread-making process after mixing the dough? Then let it cold ferment during the 1st rise. It might also depend on the recipe. My pizza dough recipe (Italian gods forgive me) usually only involves 1 rise, so I would cold ferment during that one. *A little tip. For a cold ferment during 1st rise - use a plastic bag or cover bowl of dough with a wrap to keep moist. For a cold ferment during 2nd rise - I like to use a lightly oiled piece of plastic wrap over the bread to prevent a skin from forming on the bread.
How long? As previously mentioned, this is not an indefinite process. Overnight (12 hours) works well. Most recipes can further develop going for 3-5 days. After that, you start to lose some rising abilities and form unwanted flavors. Remember, these are guidelines and you should have fun experimenting with whatever recipe you use.
Regardless of cold fermentation during the 1st or 2nd rise, give the dough sufficient time to come up to room temp before shaping (after 1st rise) or baking (after 2nd rise).
Should you always cold ferment? No. It is not for every type of bread. Rye breads, for instance, can have a higher acidity which can affect fermentation and throw the process off if given extra fermentation time. Also, you just might not have the time. I think of it like brining meat (yes, of COURSE I will have an article on that soon). Even though it improves flavor and texture I don't always brine my meat for various reasons. If you can plan ahead a little though, it's a great extra step to take.
Time for the recipes! Download your {printer friendly} or {photo heavy version for tablets} of "Baguette and Butter". The experiment to perform? Do a side-by-side comparison using 1 recipe. Each recipe makes 2 loaves. Either divide it before 1st rise and do 1/2 cold ferment, 1/2 straight through or divide it and shape after 1st rise at room temp then bake one loaf with 2nd rise at room temp and the other loaf with 2nd rise using cold fermentation. If you do this at home I'd love to hear in the comments if you noticed/enjoyed a difference. Be sure to include your times, temps and observations of flavor.
Thanks for joining me. I hope to see everyone OUT of quarantine and back IN the kitchen next week.
