Cold fermentation. Long cold fermented dough (yeast dough in the refrigerator). How does cooling occur?

Invigorating coolness, fresh aromas

The fermentation technique for white wines has undergone a real revolution over the past 35 years. The ability to artificially cool the must, which allows for slower fermentation, has created a new type of white wine: aromatic, fresh, with a clear tone.

Thanks to modern refrigeration technology and the mostwarm regions of the world can produce white wine, even outdoors on the islands of New Zealand

For many white wine producers, a cool fermentation cellar used to be as important as a good vineyard. It made it possible to provide white wine restrained, controlled fermentation without the use of technical means. Controlled fermentation is very important because white wines have much more primary aromas than red wines. At high fermentation temperatures, the alcohol evaporates and many aromas are lost.

How does cooling occur?

Artificial cooling of wort became possible with the advent of tool steel tanks. It can cool wine in two ways. The easiest one is to water the tank cold water. A more expensive, but also more effective way is to use a tank with double walls, with cooling coils with glycol installed in the space between them. In this way, almost any fermentation temperature can be achieved in the tank - even outdoors.

Fermentation temperature control

At a temperature of 15 °C, the wort usually ferments for one to two days. Soon the yeast begins to multiply so much that the fermentation temperature reaches 18-20 ° C. In a short time, the temperature can even rise to 30 °C if the cooling system is not connected. Cooling slows down the rise in wort temperature and ensures smooth fermentation. For most white wines, the must is now fermented at 15-18 °C. In professional language it sounds like this: temperature control of fermentation.

Cold fermentation

Unlimited cooling capabilities allowed experimental oenologists already in the 70s. XX century ferment some wines at temperatures of 12°, 10° and even 8°C. At such low temperatures, yeast reproduces very slowly. Accordingly, the duration of fermentation of the wort increases. The result: very fresh, clean-toned, pleasant wines with fresh aromas - exactly what is needed for those who do not pay much attention to the pronounced aroma of the variety. Professionals call this fermentation principle cold fermentation. Cold fermentation can only take place with certain, specially bred varieties of yeast that also work at low temperatures. In addition, the wort must first be clarified. Wort that has undergone rigorous purification is low in pectin substances: carbohydrate polymers, the molecules of which “weld” together and give the wine viscosity, that is, thickness. Wort, poor in pectin substances, turns into lean wines that quench thirst well. Wines that have undergone cold fermentation therefore rarely have roundness and versatility in taste. The structure of their aromas rarely changes during the transition from the must stage to the wine. These are “grape” wines, but not “wine” wines. A typical example of a cold-fermented wine is the Italian Pinot Grigio.

To start: Fermentation (fermentation)
Fermentation is what happens when yeast comes into contact with flour and water. Yeast absorbs sugar from starch. Bubbles that we see during fermentation. come from carbon dioxide, which releases starch. It is carbon dioxide that creates the leaven and gives the dough its unique structure. Yeast is a living, single-celled plant that eats sugar, releasing carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol as it grows and reproduces. Flour is a carbohydrate - its molecules consist of hundreds of sugar molecules. When yeast, water and flour are mixed, enzymes in the flour break down the carbohydrates into sugar. Yeast eats sugar, grows and multiplies. and the released gas and alcohol are held by proteins formed during the process of kneading flour and water. This causes the dough to rise. Alcohol gives bread its smell and taste. Both alcohol and gas evaporate during baking.
The taste of bread also appears due to the action of bacteria in the atmosphere. These bacteria compete with yeast for sugar. They give bread the taste of acetic and lactic acid.
Plays an important role during fermentation temperature factor. Yeast becomes active between 33 and 130 F. The fermentation process itself also produces heat. When fermentation occurs at very high temperatures (over 90 F), the bread develops an unpleasant taste. Once cooled, the yeast goes dormant and releases more alcohol. This slowed activity gives bacteria the opportunity to feed on sugar, grow and produce acetic acid. Temperatures between 40 and 55 F are ideal for the formation of acetic acid. Temperatures from 55 to 90 are responsible for the formation of lactic acid. Acetic acid gives bread a much more acidic taste than lactic acid. It also strengthens the structure of the dough, but in too large quantities it has the opposite effect. This is why many bakers prefer slower, cold proofing of their dough.
Proofing time- another important factor that decides both the taste and color of bread. If the dough rests too long, the yeast and bacteria will use up all the sugar in the flour and the bread will have a pale crust and uninteresting flavor. For taste and color, the remaining sugar in the dough is simply necessary.
Longer fermentation allows the dough to further release the gluten, adds depth and complexity of flavor with longer coverage, and ultimately increases shelf life of the bread. It also makes it possible to use less yeast, which in turn allows the flavor of the wheat to come through. In short, the longer the fermentation, the less yeast we need.
Too much starter makes the bread too sour and weakens the gluten structure. However, almost all types of bread will benefit from the addition of sourdough, because sourdough allows the potential taste of the bread to be fully developed.
When you put your starter in the refrigerator, it takes several hours for it to cool down to 50 F. However, it will never be as cold as your refrigerator, no matter what. fermentation, even slow, produces heat. It is important to know that when you use a kneading tool, such as a stand mixer or hand mixer, the temperature of the dough increases by 1-3 F every minute of kneading. That's why it's so important not to get carried away and kill the dough. You can add starter that has been stored in the refrigerator to compensate for the energy created by the mixer. Therefore, many bakers add a thick leaven (biga, or old dough) to the already kneaded dough. They calculate that this starter has already had 3-5 minutes of kneading and if it is added to the dough at the beginning, the dough may overheat.
Most starters use commercial yeast (as opposed to wild yeast). The exception is the so-called sourdough or levain, i.e. in our opinion, homemade sourdough. There are several types of sourdough: barm, biga, chef, desem, levain, madre bianca, mother, pâte fermentée, poolish, sponge, starter or sourdough starter.

I would like to write about….I wanted to say “hackwork”, but that would not be correct. Regarding how and when we can reduce or, on the contrary, increase the stages of preparing sourdough bread, where we can simplify without harm, and which points should be left unchanged. There are tons of sourdough and sourdough bread recipes online, and some even directly contradict each other, however, all this is real experience that people share and say: look, this is how it works too. However, not every experience is worth adopting.

Why?

Why, when working with dough, do we do it this way and not otherwise? Let me remind you that we “build” sourdough bread dough in stages, and this is always sourdough dough, and then kneading the dough, its subsequent fermentation, cutting, preliminary proofing (when we round the dough pieces and let them rest before molding), shaping, final proofing , making cuts if necessary, and baking with steam. It may seem like a lot of fuss, but we want to bake delicious, beautiful bread and achieve the best results, so I personally try not to skip anything that needs to be done with the dough. All this is called “technology”, “method”, but in essence there is a method that arose for a reason, but based on physical and chemical properties

components and their ability to influence each other: flour, water, yeast/sourdough, salt, sugar, oil and other additives.

By understanding the processes occurring with the dough, imagining what is what and what happens at each stage, if necessary, you can simplify the work with minimal losses. Let's start in order.

I usually leave it overnight so that I can start working in the morning, and I try to use it when it is not fully ripe, has swollen, has become fluffy, but is not overripe or too sour (you can read about this method in the article about). What to do if you can’t knead the dough right now? You can put the dough in the refrigerator and calmly proceed to the dough when you have the opportunity. It can stand in the refrigerator for several hours, depending on the temperature and degree of ripeness, this will be enough for you to finish your chores, complete your work, feed and put the children to bed and, finally, do what you love))

2) Autolysis.

I’ve made it a habit to knead with autolysis, this is especially true for whole grain dough, which needs time for the bran germ to swell in addition to the protein and gluten to begin to form. I mix the starter, water and flour in the dough mixer, cover it so that the dough does not dry out, and leave it for 20 minutes. Please note that dough made from white flour without the presence of sourdough can rest for 40 minutes, or even an hour; dough with sourdough needs much less time, because lactic and other acids present in the sourdough promote rapid swelling of the protein. Dough made from white flour, in general, can be kneaded without autolysis, but with whole grain flour it is better not to neglect it. But what to do if you don’t have time to take the test after 20 minutes of autolysis? If you're delayed by 10-15 minutes, that's okay, but if it's longer, take a second and put the dough in the refrigerator. The low temperature will slow down the action of enzymes that lead to the destruction of gluten and you will be able to start kneading when the opportunity arises. But if you assume in advance that you will not be able to approach the dough in the allotted time, add salt when mixing it. It will somewhat slow down the swelling of the protein, but it will also slow down the enzymes. And in the refrigerator! And if you put the dough in the refrigerator, keep in mind that it will ferment slowly until it warms up.

3) Kneading.

I don’t even know what to say here, if you knead with your hands, then you are talking about machine and hand kneading. If you are too lazy to knead, knead by folding, periodically short approaches to the dough, or during active kneading, let the dough rest for about 5 minutes to relax the gluten, this is very good way. And here it is important to remember that it is better to under-mix than to over-mix; maybe the bread will not turn out so fluffy, but it will definitely be tasty. By the way, you can read about overmixing and why it makes the bread tasteless in this article.

4) Adding additives and oil.

You can throw in seeds, raisins and nuts at the beginning of the kneading, but then these additives will make it difficult for the dough to develop gluten because they will tear it apart during kneading. Even bread machines are designed to add all sorts of additives towards the end of kneading, when the dough has already been formed. Same with oil.

5) Fermentation and proofing.

There are a lot of options when it comes to fermentation. Sourdough dough is convenient because it ferments for a long time and, while it ferments, you can do a bunch of things and even go for a walk or go to the store with your children. To speed up the process, you can put it in a warmer place and if you have Proofing cabinet Brod&Taylor, this is very easy to do, the temperature is set there and maintained stably until you change it. If you want to increase the fermentation time, the refrigerator will help you, the dough can stand there for a long time, up to 8 hours, and grow slowly. Likewise with the final proofing. If you bake several loaves in turn, while one is baking, you can hide the second one in the refrigerator so as not to overcook and wait until baking.

6) Pre-proofing.

You can skip this stage, but in order to properly form the workpiece, it’s better to do it. Why is it even needed? You divide the dough into pieces to make two or more loaves, round, and let the dough rest for a while. On the one hand, why not immediately shape and put the dough in? Preliminary proofing will allow for better molding. By rounding the pieces, you already give them the correct shape, and by allowing the gluten to relax while resting, you get the opportunity to form it tighter, while maintaining the internal structure of the dough and the bubbles in it. Bread shaped in this way holds its shape better during proofing and during baking and is more fluffy and rounded. During tension, tense gluten can tear and the dough can resist (try immediately after active kneading, divide the dough and roll it out, it will resist and tighten), but if you let the gluten relax a little, you can do whatever is good with it. Similarly and relatively, if you don’t divide the dough, you bake one loaf of them all.

7) The only thing you can’t cheat with is baking and moistening.

The baking temperature should be high enough. If you initially choose a low oven or don’t warm up the oven enough, the dough will float and won’t be very fluffy; if you overcook it, the bread will burn and the crumb will be too dry. It’s the same with steam at the beginning of baking; if there is too much moisture and the moisture is too long (longer than 15 minutes), the cuts will not open and become even with the crust, and the crust will turn out smooth and shiny.

I recently had the opportunity to visit a local bakery that had just recently started baking sourdough bread. Before I tell you how they do it, I will say that their bread is really tasty. So, in order to optimize production, bakers skip the fermentation process before baking, knead the dough, immediately shape it and put it to proof.

On the one hand, how can you wander around after kneading, fold it into an envelope, strengthen the gluten, and dance with a tambourine? And so, production costs. On the one hand, it somehow turns out wrong, but there is a big difference in what professional bakers do by skipping fermentation, and we, amateur beginners, do. They know and understand what they are doing and why and the result is excellent bread, and practice, as we know, is the criterion of truth. But if we start doing whatever we want, we will never learn to bake good bread and work freely with different bread doughs, because without learning the basics, such work will be of no use.

Honestly, I immediately tried to repeat their experience and also skip the fermentation process, but in the end it turned out badly. I didn’t wait for the bread to fit as it should (but at that time it seemed to me that it fit well)), I baked it, it turned out, in general, tasty, but flat, and this “flat” concerns both the taste and appearance of the bread . In addition, the dough behaved somewhat differently during shaping; it was too pliable and inelastic.

In the next article, since I had the opportunity to film in a bakery, I will tell you how professional bread production works, what equipment is used in the bakery and compare it with what we can do at home. And, of course, I’ll tell you in more detail how local bakers got the hang of baking sourdough bread without fermenting it after kneading.

For two loaves weighing 700 g, only 2 g of fresh yeast was used. Thanks to long fermentation dough in the refrigerator, the bread developed a deep, complex aroma and taste. Even beginners can master this bread) There is no need to make sourdough - you just need to have a little patience, because... the dough will be ready no earlier than in a day) I took the cooking technology from my favorite bread site

INGREDIENTS:
250 G rye flour

300 g whole wheat flour
400 g wheat flour(I use Altai flour "Granmulino")
700 ml water
2 g fresh yeast
20 g salt

COOKING METHOD:
1. Mix all ingredients except salt. At the very end of the kneading, add salt.

2. Knead for about five minutes. This time I kneaded the dough a little more tightly than usual. Cover the bowl with the dough with a hot, slightly damp terry towel. Let's put it in the closet for 20 minutes.

3. After 20 minutes, knead the dough: stretch and fold. Let it rise for another 20 minutes.

4. Stretch and fold the dough some more. Cover with film and put in the refrigerator to proof.

The fermentation time of the dough in the refrigerator depends on the temperature. If your refrigerator can maintain a temperature of about 4 degrees Celsius, then it will take 36 hours to prove, with the dough kneaded every 12 hours. If you have a household refrigerator, the temperature in which fluctuates around 8-10 degrees Celsius, then knead the dough after it has increased in volume by 2-3 times after 8-12 hours. I kneaded the dough for the first time after 12 hours, then the dough began to rise much faster and higher, the proofing time was reduced to 5-8 hours. The total proofing time for my dough (before shaping) is 30 hours.

5. Now divide the dough into two parts and form two loaves. Leave in the refrigerator for about 5-8 hours.

6. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees (no convection). Place a bowl of hot water at the bottom.
7. Sprinkle the loaves with flour and use a sharp knife to make two deep cuts (about three cm).

8. Place the baking sheet with bread on the central level of the oven. Let's reduce the temperature to 230 degrees. Bake with steam for 40 minutes.

9. Place the bread on a wire rack and cool completely.
I can never keep my bread intact until it cools completely. My family really, really loves hot bread! This bread has an amazingly crispy crust! Adore! If bread is cut hot or warm, it does not “knead”. The crumb is elastic and retains its shape well.
A very successful experiment!)))

First of all, of course, I wish everyone a Happy New Year!
I'll boast at the same time. I love old glass Christmas tree decorations from my childhood. Look what kind of things they gave me: Mir satellites, cool, although dim and faded with time.

And now to the challah.
Recipe by Maggie Glaser, I met him at Luda’s, mariana_aga , for which I thank her very much.
Lately I've been baking this challah 3 times a week. I ferment the dough (unleavened) in the refrigerator. And, let me tell you, the bread comes out not just excellent, it comes out simply delicious, the most tender crumb, the softest, lightest. The aroma is indescribable. The taste is great, it stores just very, very well.

It is very convenient that there is a fairly large time lag in working with such dough (mine spends in the refrigerator from 7 to 10 hours, depending on when I knead and when I wake up), fermented, it can also be kneaded and stored for up to a day in a refrigerator.

I read and tried different ways Knead the dough for fermentation in the refrigerator and warm it afterwards.
Here is an article by Lyuda about such dough. Hot water when kneading, fermentation at 0-8C for 8-10 hours until completely released without kneading, warming the dough to 30C after refrigeration.

I read Reinhard’s “Artisan Breads...” (I haven’t read everything yet, just the introductory part and the first few recipes :)). Quite wet dough, weak kneading (water for kneading 35C, and recommends soaking even instant yeast in warm water, not only active and pressed), 4 folds at room temperature with an interval of 10 minutes. (i.e., during the development of gluten, the dough ferments at room temperature for 40 minutes before refrigeration), fermentation in the refrigerator overnight (up to 4 days), cutting and shaping the dough without heating.

At Sua's. Improved mix (i.e. a kneading in which the kneading time at 2nd speed is reduced in order to reduce the oxidation of the dough and prevent the destruction of carotenoids, kneading until the gluten is incompletely developed. After such kneading, the fermentation time is extended (compared to the dough after intensive kneading until full development gluten, which does not require and does not withstand long fermentation), which leads to a greater accumulation of acid in the dough, the crumb is more beautiful in color, creamy, the aroma, taste, and shelf life of the products are improved. About the preference (with some exceptions) of such gentle kneading of the dough followed by. Hamelman also writes about the additional development of gluten during fermentation and kneading), dough temperature 22C (that is, it is not hot or warm water when kneading, unless, of course, the flour is ice-cold), fermentation at 6C for 15-20 hours, cutting, rounding, resting and warming the dough for 20 minutes. Final shaping, proofing for 1-1.5 hours, baking.

I will be talking about this specific recipe for my specific refrigerator. I mix 2.7 kg dough. flour, this is about 4.3 kg. test. I didn’t like kneading with hot and warm water; the dough overheated with all the consequences. Warming to 30C after refrigeration led to over-fermentation of the dough. If I left the dough to rise to its maximum without kneading in the refrigerator, the products were smaller in volume than with kneading. And I had to reduce the yeast a little, otherwise the dough would over-ferment.

So, I knead the dough using tap water for literally 4 minutes. until smooth. Let it sit for 30 minutes. During this time, the yeast (I use instant yeast), I think, comes to its senses and the gluten swells. I knead for 6 minutes. at maximum speed until gluten develops to medium level. There is a lot of dough, the consistency is average, it doesn’t turn very well even at maximum speed, you have to constantly push it off the hook with a scraper. If there is less dough, it will take less time. I put it in the refrigerator. After an hour and again after an hour I fold it. I leave it alone until the morning. In the morning I divide it, round it up, and let it sit for 20-30 minutes. Forming, proofing, baking. Something like this.

Recipe(I quote for one 700-gram loaf), I bake four of these in L6 forms and four 350-gram ones in L11 forms.

450 g flour c. With. (lately I’ve been taking Kursk, it’s very good)
1.5 g dry instant yeast SAF golden
6.6 g salt
9.7 g sugar
66 g vegetable oil
216 g of water (or a little more until you get a medium consistency dough).

I wrote about the batch. About molding. Shaped challah. I make a braid from 3 strands. I roll the rounded pieces of dough into oval cakes with a rolling pin, roll them into ropes, and immediately roll them out a little in length so that they are about a third longer than the mold. After a short rest (while I’m rolling out the last one, the first one has already rested), I braid it and put it in a greased mold. Proof for about 1.5 - 2 hours, until it rises a little above the edges of the pan. I grease with a mixture of eggs and a couple of tbsp. l. water with a pinch of salt. I sprinkle with sesame seeds. I bake at 190-195C small ones for 40 minutes, large ones for 50 minutes.

This one is from the small forms, L11