Will my bread dough rise in the fridge? - Veg Patch Kitchen Cookery School (2024)

The answer to whether your bread dough will rise in the fridge is yes, and it often makes sense to consider the fridge as your friend when you are making bread.

Will my bread dough rise in the fridge? - Veg Patch Kitchen Cookery School (1)

What is the benefit of putting my bread dough in the fridge?

Your dough will rise in the fridge and it can be a huge help as it makes bread making easy to fit into your day. When you put your dough in the fridge it slows the yeast activity down. It takes ten times longer for dough to rise in the fridge than it does at room temperature. This means you can put your dough in the fridge overnight or whilst you are at work and come back to it when you are ready.

Putting your dough, whether yeasted or sourdough, in the fridge will help it to develop a better flavour and texture. The longer the dough ferments the more chance of bacteria and enzymes getting to work and unlocking the flavours in the wheat. Slowing fermentation down by using the fridge helps to give the dough time to develop more complex flavours without over proving, as it would at room temperature.

When to use the fridge

If you are making a dough with commercial yeast (easy bake/ fast action/ instant, active dried or fresh) you can mix your dough and develop it using the stretch and fold method or by kneading or using your stand mixer and then pop it in the fridge to rise slowly. It will take several hours to rise and become full of honeycomb bubbles. If it fits better with your day ahead you can leave your dough to ferment at room temperature for an hour or two, then when its risen and full of air, shape it and pop it the fridge to do its second rise as a shaped loaf. You can then preheat the oven and bake the loaf straight from the fridge. Baking your loaf from cold can help improve oven spring.

If you are making a sourdough remember that the wild yeast is slower than commercial yeast to work on rising the dough. It helps to keep the dough at room temperature for the first few hours so that the yeast has time to work before you cool it down. I tend to let my sourdough rise for the first time at room temperature, shape it, leave it at room temperature for about an hour and then pop in the fridge overnight. In the morning I check if it is ready to bake straight away or if it needs more time to prove at room temperature. Every baker finds a schedule or method that works for them though so experiment with what works best for you.

Tips for using the fridge

Remember that the larger the piece of dough the longer it takes to cool down and warm back up again.

If I intend to put my yeasted dough in the fridge overnight I always use cool water to mix it in the first place. This way I can be sure that it will develop slowly from the start and not over-ferment in the fridge overnight. If it does rise too much overnight after it had been shaped the previous evening I just reshape it and wait for it to rise again. If I am making sourdough and intend to put it in the fridge then I use warm water to make sure the yeast gets going and fermentation has a head start before I put it in the fridge.

Cover your dough well before putting it in the fridge to stop a crust forming. I use oiled clingfilm, or a large plastic bag inflated over the top, or a larger bowl over the top to make sure that the crust stays moist in the dry atmosphere of the fridge.

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Will my bread dough rise in the fridge? - Veg Patch Kitchen Cookery School (2)
Will my bread dough rise in the fridge? - Veg Patch Kitchen Cookery School (2024)

FAQs

Will my bread dough rise in the fridge? - Veg Patch Kitchen Cookery School? ›

Your dough will rise in the fridge and it can be a huge help as it makes bread making easy to fit into your day. When you put your dough in the fridge it slows the yeast activity down. It takes ten times longer for dough to rise in the fridge than it does at room temperature.

Will bread dough rise in the fridge? ›

Yes, you can let your bread rise overnight in the fridge. Keep in mind, though, you'll want the dough to come back up to room temperature before baking.

What would happen if the dough was kept in the refrigerator? ›

Complete answer:

The yeast will be unable to respire if the dough is kept in the refrigerator, as yeast requires a specific temperature to respire and grow. In addition, the dough will not rise and will not emit any sour odours.

Why refrigerate dough before baking? ›

"When your dough is refrigerated, the butter hardens. So when you bake them, they spread less and hold their shape better," adds Epperson. "Which means a better likelihood of a soft, chewy cookie in the center." Chilling the dough creates fluffier cookies with better consistency.

Why is it important to put dough in the fridge? ›

Refrigerating the dough allows the flour to fully hydrate and helps to make the cookie dough firmer. Firm dough prevents the cookies from spreading too much, which is why chilling the dough is a crucial step for cut-out and rolled cookies.

Will bread dough rise in a cold room? ›

You can stop bread from proofing by putting the dough in a cold place, like your refrigerator. Colder temperatures will slow down the proofing process.

Should I cover bread dough in fridge? ›

Covering your dough with a plastic bag will stop it from drying out and delivers great results no matter how your fridge functions. But if for any reason you want to proof your dough uncovered, make sure your fridge doesn't get too dry and there aren't any fans circulating air which could cause the dough to dry out.

Why we should not keep dough in fridge? ›

refrigerator or it will get spoilt. Keep the dough in an. air-tight container to keep it fresh for longer.

How long can dough sit in the fridge before it goes bad? ›

Homemade pizza dough will typically last for 3-5 days in the fridge, while store-bought dough may have a longer shelf life. If you need to store your dough for longer, the freezer is your best bet. Go ahead and make a big batch of your own pizza dough.

Can you leave bread dough to rise overnight? ›

The proofing time for bread dough varies based on the dough's makeup (amount of preferment, flour choices, and hydration) and the temperature at which it's proofed. The dough should generally be proofed for around 1 to 4 hours at a warm temperature or overnight (or more) at a cold refrigerator temperature.

How long can I refrigerate bread dough after it has risen? ›

Yes, you can refrigerate bread dough after first rise, before shaping or even after shaping and bake it later. If you refrigerate it immediately after first rise without shaping, you can refrigerate for longer, even overnight.

What happens if you bake bread after the first rise? ›

“While you have some wiggle room with the first rise, the second rise needs to be more accurate to get a nice full loaf,” Maggie explains. If baked too soon or too late, loaves can collapse and have a dense, gummy center.

Why is my dough not rising? ›

Yeast is too hot Yeast may have been dissolved in water that was too hot, or the liquid ingredients in the recipe may be too hot, causing the yeast to die. Yeast needs to be warm - not too hot, not too cold. Yeast is too cold If the other ingredients are too cold, it could cause some of the yeast to die.

Can you let bread dough rise in the refrigerator? ›

Your dough will rise in the fridge and it can be a huge help as it makes bread making easy to fit into your day. When you put your dough in the fridge it slows the yeast activity down. It takes ten times longer for dough to rise in the fridge than it does at room temperature.

What happens if you don't refrigerate dough? ›

Popping your dough in the fridge allows the fats to cool. As a result, the cookies will expand more slowly, holding onto their texture. If you skip the chilling step, you're more likely to wind up with flat, sad disks instead of lovely, chewy cookies. Cookies made from chilled dough are also much more flavorful.

How long to wait after taking bread dough out of fridge? ›

If a recipe calls for proofing bread dough overnight in the refrigerator, it can be proofed on the counter at a warmer temperature for a shorter period. Rather than placing the dough in the refrigerator overnight, leave it covered on the counter for 1 to 4 hours until it's ready to bake.

Can you still use dough that didn't rise? ›

Everything's coming together when you discover that your bread dough just isn't rising. Fortunately, this is a problem that's relatively easy to diagnose and solve. If your bread dough doesn't rise, you can still use it and fix it by changing up the temperature or mixing in more yeast.

How to speed up dough rising? ›

A Bowl of Steaming Water is the Key to Quickly Proofing Bread. In the winter, when your house and kitchen are at a crisp temperature and you need a warm spot for your dough to rise, create a makeshift “proof box” by placing a bowl of steaming water inside your oven alongside your bowl of dough.

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