TIL that letting my sourdough cold ferment in the fridge for 18 hours instead of 8 made the crust way more golden and the crumb way more open.

I've been making the same basic loaf for about 2 years now and last Tuesday I finally tried leaving it in the fridge overnight, like 6pm to noon the next day, and the difference in color and those big irregular holes was night and day, has anyone else noticed a big jump just from changing the bulk ferment time?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_logan1mo ago

I had the same thing happen with my sourdough a few months back, and now I can't go back to the short fridge time. It's kind of like how letting chili sit in the fridge overnight makes it taste better the next day, or how a slow cooker makes tough meat tender way more than just boiling it does. Patience just flat out wins in the kitchen, I guess.

drew6902mo ago

Honestly, I saw this video from some baking science guy on YouTube where he talked about how the longer cold ferment basically lets the enzymes break down more starches into sugars. That's what makes the crust darker and gets that nice open crumb. Worth trying if you haven't already.

jennysullivan2mo ago

Subbing in that longer cold ferment was a total game changer for me too. The difference in oven spring and that deep color on the crust is honestly hard to believe for just letting it sit a few more hours. Really glad you gave it a try.