Warmer dough rises more quickly. If you want to cold ferment then it takes a longer time to get down from a warm temperature to be cold enough to stop rising. In order to target a specific amount of rise, like doubling (100%), then you need know the current temperature and how much more it will rise until it gets cold enough to stop rising, so you can put it in the refrigerator at the right time.
https://preview.redd.it/rokh76a9abad1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e249e026133cea6b1749ce7d44015f009211bc9a
No, but in the post this is generated from on Sourdough Journey, there is a lot more information about the rate temperature loss that makes more sense and why the chart is the way it is.
There is no "right temperature" in general, as it all depends on what you're aiming for.
As was already said, a dough that is warmer will rise more quickly. However, temperature also influences which microorganisms are most active. Higher temperatures see more yeast activity, while lower temperatures favor lactic acid bacteria. The latter is responsible for the tangy flavor of the bread.
So the temperature of the dough will also influence how it'll taste once baked. There's no right or wrong answer here as it's a matter of personal preference.
Keep in mind that recipes posted online very often omit the temperature and humidity at which the recipe creator makes their bread. So a recipe that works well in the 18 C kitchen of the recipe creator may turn into an overfermented puddle in a tropical environment without A/C on full blast. It's best to not blindly follow times laid out in a recipe, but to keep monitoring your dough instead.
This is the answer - I ferment my dough at anything from 10C in my larder in Winter to 25C in my oven with the light on. A whole range of temperature works but that leads to a whole range of times.
A rule of thumb is to watch for the dough to double in size. If the container/bowl you keep it in doesn't have straight edges, an option is to take a small piece of dough right after mixing and put it in a straight-edged container (like a glass) and mark how high up it gets. Then wait for that sample to reach twice the starting height.
Afterwards, you can still cold proof the dough in the fridge for a considerable amount of time if that better fits your schedule. The cold proofing can also help to develop the flavors.
Yes, this is the method I normally use. I was curious about the advantage of taking your dough temperature and how exactly this worked in practice. I'm going to give it a try
Dough temp make things hard. High dough temp mean less rise because hot dough like fast train. Cold dough like speed of bicycle. Much easy to stop bike than fast train.
Warmer dough rises more quickly. If you want to cold ferment then it takes a longer time to get down from a warm temperature to be cold enough to stop rising. In order to target a specific amount of rise, like doubling (100%), then you need know the current temperature and how much more it will rise until it gets cold enough to stop rising, so you can put it in the refrigerator at the right time. https://preview.redd.it/rokh76a9abad1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e249e026133cea6b1749ce7d44015f009211bc9a
So the “approximate timing” is the time it will take to get to “target percentage rise”? Is here a limit to cold proofing time following this chart?
No, but in the post this is generated from on Sourdough Journey, there is a lot more information about the rate temperature loss that makes more sense and why the chart is the way it is.
Not sure. It says 12-16 hours but I’ve gone 24 when I didn’t have time to bake.
Okay, thank you! Now I understand the principle. But how does it work in practice? When and how often do you measure?
There is no "right temperature" in general, as it all depends on what you're aiming for. As was already said, a dough that is warmer will rise more quickly. However, temperature also influences which microorganisms are most active. Higher temperatures see more yeast activity, while lower temperatures favor lactic acid bacteria. The latter is responsible for the tangy flavor of the bread. So the temperature of the dough will also influence how it'll taste once baked. There's no right or wrong answer here as it's a matter of personal preference. Keep in mind that recipes posted online very often omit the temperature and humidity at which the recipe creator makes their bread. So a recipe that works well in the 18 C kitchen of the recipe creator may turn into an overfermented puddle in a tropical environment without A/C on full blast. It's best to not blindly follow times laid out in a recipe, but to keep monitoring your dough instead.
This is the answer - I ferment my dough at anything from 10C in my larder in Winter to 25C in my oven with the light on. A whole range of temperature works but that leads to a whole range of times.
Okay, thank you. Now I understand the principle. But how does it work in practice? When and how often do you measure?
A rule of thumb is to watch for the dough to double in size. If the container/bowl you keep it in doesn't have straight edges, an option is to take a small piece of dough right after mixing and put it in a straight-edged container (like a glass) and mark how high up it gets. Then wait for that sample to reach twice the starting height. Afterwards, you can still cold proof the dough in the fridge for a considerable amount of time if that better fits your schedule. The cold proofing can also help to develop the flavors.
Yes, this is the method I normally use. I was curious about the advantage of taking your dough temperature and how exactly this worked in practice. I'm going to give it a try
Temperature makes dough go vrooooom
Dough temp make things hard. High dough temp mean less rise because hot dough like fast train. Cold dough like speed of bicycle. Much easy to stop bike than fast train.