Glossary

Cold fermentation

Cold fermentation is letting dough ferment slowly in the refrigerator, often overnight, instead of at room temperature. The cold slows yeast activity a great deal but does not kill it, while flavor compounds keep developing, so the bread often tastes better and the schedule becomes flexible. Chilled dough is also firmer and easier to shape and score. Because yeast works so slowly, recipes for this method use small amounts of yeast. Follow the recipe on whether to bake from cold or let the dough warm first. See also: Bulk fermentation, Scoring, Dough temperature.