Is a cold ferment really worth the wait? I saw both sides at the Portland bake swap

I was at the Portland bake swap last Saturday and noticed two guys arguing about cold fermentation for sourdough. One swore by a 48 hour cold retard for better flavor, while the other said it made his loaves flat and dense. I tried a 24 hour cold ferment myself and got mixed results - better crust but weaker oven spring. For those of you who have experimented, do you think the flavor payoff makes up for the risk of losing volume, especially in a humid climate?

2 comments

2 Comments

claire_campbell14d agoOG Member

My 36 hour cold ferment last week gave me the best ear I've ever gotten but yeah the crumb was a little tighter than I wanted. I think the flavor trade off is totally worth it especially if you're using a high hydration dough around 80%. Just make sure your starter is really active before you shape or you'll end up with a frisbee.

grantnelson14d ago

Read somewhere that the longer cold ferment actually changes the gluten structure, which might explain the tighter crumb. The flavor from that extra time is hard to beat though, even if the texture isn't as open. I've been doing 48 hour ferments lately and the trade off is worth it for me.