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Re: slowing the proofing

Mike Avery <mavery@mail.otherwhen.com>
Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:22:58 -0600
v111.n044.3
Robert Grossman/Tari Cody <rdgtlc@yahoo.com> sagely asked:
>Sometimes I run out of time to finish my bread that day and I put it 
>into the refrigerator and bake the next day. But this often results 
>in a sour bread - something I usually don't want. Any suggestions on 
>how to slow the proofing so I can sleep or do I have to stay up late 
>and finish what I started?

I'm rather confused.  Are you using sourdough and trying to control 
the amount of sour?  Is this a yeasted bread of some sort?

Assuming, for a moment, that you are using sourdough, an overnight 
retard is the classic way of increasing the amount of sour in a 
bread. Craig Ponsford commented that he doesn't think you can make a 
properly sour sourdough without an overnight retardation.

If this is your situation, if you are trying to avoid sour sourdough 
I'd suggest using more sourdough starter and using it when it is very 
fresh.  You still get the preservative benefits of sourdough, some of 
the claimed health benefits of sourdough, and your bread will have a 
depth of flavor difficult to get with a yeasted bread.

If, on the other hand, you are making a yeasted bread, I'm 
confused.  An overnight retardation shouldn't sour a yeasted 
bread.  I'd be concerned that something has contaminated your 
dough.  Some stray sourdough perhaps.  However, retarding yeasted 
doughs does cause different reactions among different people.  I make 
a very nice poolish based yeast bread.  At one farmers market a 
customer told me she didn't like it because she doesn't like 
sourdough.  I told her there was no sourdough in that bread.  No, she 
insisted, she could taste it.  I still have no idea what she was 
tasting - it was a good batch of bread, and there was no sourdough in it.

Perhaps with some more details someone can shed a bit more light on 
your situation.

-Mike

*Bake With Mike <http://www.bakewithmike.com>*
Mike Avery

A Randomly Selected Bread Saying Of The Day:
Never fall out with your bread and butter.
- English Proverb