Sourdough Bread Refrigerator Method<\/h3>\nPosted on April 14th, 2020<\/h4>\n![\"sourdough](\"https:\/\/www.canterburybakingschool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/IMG_1280-scaled.jpg\")
<\/div>\nToday I want to share with you my sourdough bread refrigerator method.\u00a0 Letting your sourdough prove in the fridge is a way of slowing down the rise<\/strong>, so that you can bake it when you are ready.\u00a0 Sourdough bread can be time consuming to make, and it can be difficult to fit it all in in just one day.<\/p>\nLeaving it to rise in the fridge overnight means you can just pop it into the oven the next morning.\u00a0 This can be handy if you don\u2019t want to spend all day in the kitchen, or simply need to go out during the day.<\/p>\n
It gives you more flexibility over timing.<\/strong>\u00a0 If you\u2019re an early bird, you can bake your bread first thing in the morning and enjoy it for breakfast.\u00a0 Or cook it later in the morning and have it with your lunch.<\/p>\nSourdough Sponge<\/h2>\n
You can make sourdough bread directly from a starter<\/a>, however I prefer to make a sponge (also known as pre-ferment or levain)<\/strong> as this gives more consistent results.\u00a0 It improves the rise of the bread, gives better elasticity to the gluten, and reduces the amount of kneading required.\u00a0 It also helps to develop the flavour of the loaf.<\/p>\nTo make a sponge<\/a> you simply mix a small amount of your starter with flour and water, and leave it out, covered with a wet tea towel, overnight.\u00a0 Yes, this means that the refrigerator method of making sourdough is actually a 3-day process<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n- Day 1: In the evening, create your sourdough sponge<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- Day 2: Make and work the dough.\u00a0 Leave in the fridge overnight.<\/li>\n
- Day 3: In the morning, bake and enjoy!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Autolyse<\/h2>\n
If you take a peek at the recipe, you\u2019ll notice that in the first step, you do not knead the dough.<\/strong>\u00a0 This is very important!\u00a0 You just mix the ingredients and leave them to rest for up to 2 and a half hours.\u00a0 This is a baking technique known as autolysing<\/a>.\u00a0 This extra time gives the flour the opportunity to absorb the water gradually.\u00a0 This then allows the gluten to relax, which makes the dough easier to work with.\u00a0 You will find this gives you a better loaf of bread \u2013 and is less work for you!<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nToday I want to share with you my sourdough bread refrigerator method.\u00a0 Letting your sourdough prove in the fridge is a way of slowing down the rise<\/strong>, so that you can bake it when you are ready.\u00a0 Sourdough bread can be time consuming to make, and it can be difficult to fit it all in in just one day.<\/p>\n Leaving it to rise in the fridge overnight means you can just pop it into the oven the next morning.\u00a0 This can be handy if you don\u2019t want to spend all day in the kitchen, or simply need to go out during the day.<\/p>\n It gives you more flexibility over timing.<\/strong>\u00a0 If you\u2019re an early bird, you can bake your bread first thing in the morning and enjoy it for breakfast.\u00a0 Or cook it later in the morning and have it with your lunch.<\/p>\n You can make sourdough bread directly from a starter<\/a>, however I prefer to make a sponge (also known as pre-ferment or levain)<\/strong> as this gives more consistent results.\u00a0 It improves the rise of the bread, gives better elasticity to the gluten, and reduces the amount of kneading required.\u00a0 It also helps to develop the flavour of the loaf.<\/p>\n To make a sponge<\/a> you simply mix a small amount of your starter with flour and water, and leave it out, covered with a wet tea towel, overnight.\u00a0 Yes, this means that the refrigerator method of making sourdough is actually a 3-day process<\/strong>:<\/p>\n If you take a peek at the recipe, you\u2019ll notice that in the first step, you do not knead the dough.<\/strong>\u00a0 This is very important!\u00a0 You just mix the ingredients and leave them to rest for up to 2 and a half hours.\u00a0 This is a baking technique known as autolysing<\/a>.\u00a0 This extra time gives the flour the opportunity to absorb the water gradually.\u00a0 This then allows the gluten to relax, which makes the dough easier to work with.\u00a0 You will find this gives you a better loaf of bread \u2013 and is less work for you!<\/p>\nSourdough Sponge<\/h2>\n
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Autolyse<\/h2>\n