After watching yet another YouTube episode on Sourdough baking (If you don’t know Alex Frenchguy Cooking, be sure to check out his videos. He has a very scientific approach to many aspects of cooking, which I greatly appreciate.), I was inspired to try something new involving retardation in the fridge.
I did a shorter rise (around 2h) after the autolyse, folding the dough every 30 min. Then it went into the proofing basket and in the fridge overnight, for around 18h. I took it out for one hour before baking.
The bread had great flavor and the colder dough made it a lot easier to handle. It turned out deliciously, although in retrospect I would have baked it a little longer (20 with lid + 18 without). The oven spring was great, however the crumb turned out a little dense in the center. It might need a little longer final proofing after taking it out from the fridge, I guess it was a little cold still.
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