Can bread dough be refrigerated?

Baking is one aspect of cooking that can be intimidating, especially for beginners. After all, with so many processes and steps, it seems inevitable to screw up.

For example, one of the most common problems home cooks have when baking bread is usually the dough. This is no surprise. One of the most frequently asked questions by amateur home cooks is about storing dough in the refrigerator.

Can bread dough be refrigerated?

Yes, you can refrigerate bread dough, and in fact, you often get better, tastier results. However, as with everything else in the kitchen, there is a proper procedure that you must follow.

This is what this bread dough refrigeration guide will explain. We’ll dive into why you’ll want to put your dough in the fridge, and for how long. So don’t stop reading!

Everything you need to know about refrigerating bread dough

First of all, you must understand that it is safe to refrigerate all types of bread dough.  This is done immediately after mixing the ingredients and kneading to create the dough.

Now, refrigeration has a specific function: to slow down the activity of the yeast without stopping it completely.

Although you can leave the dough at room temperature, you must remember that it will rise much faster. However, by refrigerating the dough, you are giving the yeast more time to do its job. This is called a slow, cold rise.

However, it must be taken into account that leavened bread, the one that uses yeast or a sourdough ferment in its recipes, needs to be fermented and allowed to rise twice. In both cases, it is highly recommended that you make the most of your fridge for the best results.

materials to prepare

To properly refrigerate the dough, make sure you have all the cooking equipment prepared beforehand. Ultimately, the art of baking is all about precision and efficiency. The last thing you want is to waste time searching for tools along the way.

With that being said, make sure you have the following on hand

• plastic wrap
• Self Sealing Plastic Bag
• large mixing bowl
• baking sheet
• clean towel
• Oil

Ferment the dough yeast in the fridge

The steps below should be done immediately after kneading the bread. For best results, be sure to follow these steps to the letter:

1. Place the dough in the large kneading bowl. You can also use a self-sealing plastic bag. Whichever method you choose, make sure the bowl is lightly covered in oil to prevent the dough from sticking.
2. If you use a mixing bowl, cover it well with your plastic wrap. Make sure it is completely sealed before putting it in the fridge.
3. You can leave the dough in the fridge for up to 24 hours. When you need to use it, you just have to take it out of the fridge, beat it and let it rest before shaping it.

This is the best way to refrigerate the dough during the early stages of baking. The time spent in the fridge will be the first rise of the dough.

Afterwards, you can proceed to give the dough the desired shape. Therefore, if you are going to make rolls, breads or other more complex shapes, it is the perfect time to remove the mold.

Refrigerate sourdough before baking

Now, a common question from hobby cooks: can the dough be refrigerated after it has risen? Yes, you can put the dough in the fridge after proofing it.  In fact, doing so is a common practice among aspiring bakers and professionals alike.

As already explained, yeast is much more active at room temperature.

By cooling the dough, the fridge is letting the yeast take its time. This is because lower temperatures lead to slower chemical processes. That being said, the yeast is still alive and doing its job. This process is called retarding.

In simple terms, the delay process, as the name suggests, slows down the final rise of the dough. That being said, it is also the last step before putting the dough in the oven to bake.

So, follow these steps to properly slow your dough:

1. Put your and arrange in a bowl or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. Cover the dough with a clean towel.
3. Put it in the fridge. This final cooling process is usually done overnight. To be more precise, we suggest leaving the dough in the fridge for at least 12 hours to give the dough enough time to rise and develop the complex flavors you want.

That being said, your dough can last a lot longer. To be more precise, you can leave it up to three days in the fridge and it will still be safe. However, remember that if you want to get the best possible results, you must use the mass within 48 hours.

Benefits of refrigerating bread dough

You may be wondering why you should care about cooling in the first place. After all, you can let the bread dough rise within an hour at room temperature. To some it will seem like a tedious process and they will think that it only prolongs the baking process.

Of course, in the art of cooking, faster doesn’t necessarily mean better.

As the adage says: good things come to those who wait. This rule of thumb certainly applies when handling raw bread dough, as the extra waiting time will always yield a superior product.

Listed below are some of the advantages of refrigerating dough:

• Better Tasting Bread - Extended proofing time will only serve to enhance the flavor of the bread. By slowing down the yeast, you help the dough develop deeper, more complex flavors.
• Better looking bread - In addition to improving the taste of your bread, longer proofing time also improves the way it comes out. In particular, it helps the crust develop a darker, more vibrant color when it comes out of the oven.
• More complex textures - Besides flavor and color, texture is another important aspect of bread that we pay a lot of attention to. This is true whether you realize it or not. After all, the texture of the bread is one of the first things you notice when you take a bite. It goes without saying that prolonged fermentation time in the fridge will help your bread achieve this.
• Full control over the baking process – Refrigerating the dough also gives you the ability to approach bread making at your own pace and with full control. After all, making bread in one go can be time consuming and probably consumes most of your day. By putting the dough in the fridge at crucial stages, you get to go at your own pace and learn the trade.
• Efficient use of time - Putting things in perspective, time is often the biggest issue that people tend to avoid baking in the first place. Refrigerating your dough means being able to maximize your time efficiently. For example, instead of spending a full 6 hours of your day kneading, mixing, and baking, you might choose to spread these different steps out over an entire weekend.
• Unmatched Convenience - The best thing about refrigeration is that it keeps food fresh for long periods of time. This also applies to bread dough. This means that if you are interrupted during the baking process for whatever reason, you shouldn’t have a problem picking up where you left off. After all, the cooling and delay process gives you all the time you need. In this way, you can return to the cooking process without problems.

If we were to sum things up, we would have to say that the best thing about refrigerating bread dough is the flexibility it gives and the superior quality of bread it produces. It’s hard to argue.

Take the dough out of the fridge

Once you’ve finished proofing the bread dough, you can move on to the baking process itself.

However, there are a couple of things to remember. Here are some of the things to keep in mind when you need to take dough out of the fridge to bake:

• Don’t bake with cold bread dough - Taking cold bread dough directly into the oven to bake is a recipe for disaster. You want to make sure you give the dough enough time to warm up to room temperature. To do this, let it rest on the counter while you preheat the oven.
• Take out only what you need - If you are not going to bake all the dough from the fridge, take out only what you need. You’d also be smart to divide the dough into batches for greater efficiency and less food waste.

There you have it, everything you need to know about refrigerating bread dough. If you want your bread to be as flavorful as possible, be sure to follow the tips presented in this guide. Good luck and happy bakery!