T
26
c/bakersthe_aaronthe_aaron3d ago

Had a customer tell me my sourdough was too dense so I tried a 12-hour cold ferment instead of 4

Switched to that longer rest and now the crumb is way more open, but I'm still figuring out the timing with my work schedule-anyone found a happy medium that doesn't mess up your whole day?
2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
2 Comments
josephb35
josephb353d ago
Been there man. 12 hours is solid for flavor but yeah it messes with your whole day if you work a 9-5. I usually do an 8 hour cold ferment overnight. Mix the dough around 10pm, shape it in the morning before work, then bake when I get home. The crumb is pretty open still just not as airy as the full 12 hour rest. Also bumped my hydration up to 78% and that helped with the dense issue even on shorter ferments. If you're really tight on time try a 6 hour room temp bulk then 2 hours in the fridge before baking.
1
morgan_jenkins90
My oven timer actually doubles as my morning alarm at this point. 78% hydration sounds like you're practically making soup though, I tried 75% once and my dough looked like it was plotting an escape from the bowl. I respect the dedication to the 10pm mixing schedule, that's basically a second job with overtime.
2