I've been experimenting with cold fermentation of yeast dough during the lockdown.
- 25g fresh baker's yeast
- 5 dl cold water
- 10-12 dl "yeast bread flour" (basically whole-grain wheat with boosted minerals from what I can tell)
- Pinch of salt
- A few teaspoons of sugar
- 1-2 spoons of bread syrup (with malt)
- 1 spoon of rapeseed oil
Two batches. Each batch was mixed into a firm dough, not too sticky, not too dry. They were both put in a bowl and stored in the oven
One was in the fridge for ~12 hours, another for ~40 hours. I didn't have any plastic to cover it so I used a towel. Caking ensued.
The first was formed into 16 small round breads and put into the oven ASAP for 20 minutes at 225ºC. No wash.
The second was divided in half. The first half was formed into eight small round breads and were put on a plate and left on the counter for 30 minutes before they were put into the oven for 20 minutes. No wash.
The other half was put into the fridge until the first half was done. After that, it too was made into eight small breads and were put on a plate and left on the now warm kitchen stove for 30 minutes before they were put into the oven for 20 minutes. No wash.
Results after cooling down:
Both batches produced breads of about the same size. The crust is decently hard, but is darker on the second batch. Consistency is about the same. The inside is firm with no large bubbles.
Taste is about the same, though both batches may be slightly different from white wheat bread without cold fermentation. Hard to tell. Might be due to the flour that was used.
Might try with white wheat flour next time.