A lot of recipes that use dough, whether it’s bread, pizza, or a pastry recipe, will tell you to let your dough rise in the fridge overnight. While other recipes will tell you to let the dough rise in a warm spot. But all of those recipes use commercial yeast. So what about sourdough, where should you let the dough rise, and for how long? Will it even survive in the fridge? Let’s find out.
Sourdough will rise in the fridge, but due to the low temperature the rise will happen slower, and the sour taste will be much more intense than if left to rise at room temperature. Overall, this method will produce a healthier and tastier bread.
Another benefit of this method is that it can save you time. Since the sourdough can spend anywhere from 12 to 24 hours in the fridge you can easily prepare it in advance and when you want to bake, you can simply take the sourdough out of the fridge and resume where you left off. But be careful, you don’t want to keep the sourdough for too long in the fridge, otherwise, the dough will become unusable.
How Long You Can Keep Sourdough in the Fridge
When sourdough bread is rising, whether it’s the second or the first rise, the good bacteria from the starter are eating the sugar and starches naturally found in the flour, and they create lactic acid, the thing that gives sourdough its taste, and carbon dioxide, the gas that creates the actual rise.
The biggest risk when letting the bread rise for too long is that all the gas will escape and the bread will deflate. This is why you shouldn’t let the sourdough rise for more than 24 hours in the fridge.
The carbon dioxide is kept inside the bread by the dough, but there is a limit to how much time the dough can keep the dioxide trapped inside, and if you wait for too long the gas will start to escape and the bread will start to deflate. And the sugar and starches in the dough will all be gone and the bacteria won’t be able to produce more gas.
And all you will be left with is flat sourdough that won’t be able to rise which will make a dense and heavy bread.
Difference Between a Room Temperature and a Fridge Rise
The fact that you can let the dough rise for longer periods of time is very convenient, but you should know that if you choose to do this there are a few significant differences between a normal room temperature rise and a fridge rise, that will affect how you will work with the dough, and how the bread will taste.
Difference in Size
First of all, you shouldn’t expect the dough to double in size while in the fridge.
While in the fridge, due to the low temperature the bacteria will move slower, which means that they will create carbon dioxide at a slower pace. And while they make more, some of it will slowly escape from the dough.
At room temperature, the bacteria will move faster and will create gas faster than it can escape, so the result will be a bigger dough.
So don’t wait for a sourdough that has risen in the fridge to double in size, if it has risen anywhere between 12 and 24 hours it’s enough.
Difference is Taste
When the bacteria in the starter eat the sugar and the starches from the flout they also create lactic acid, which is the one responsible for the sour taste.
The longer the dough rests, the more sugar they will eat, so the bread will be less sweet. And the more lactic acid they will make, which unlike carbon dioxide won’t go away.
Difference in Healthiness
Sourdough is one of the healthiest breads out there, there is no doubt about it. However, a sourdough bread that has risen in the fridge is the healthiest of them all.
This is because it will have less sugar since most of it is eaten by bacteria. And it will have more lactic acid, which will help with:
- Improving the gut health
- Boosting the nutrient absorption rate
- Acting as an antioxidant
When Should I Move the Dough to the Fridge?
There is one last thing that we need to cover. And that is when you should let the dough rise in the fridge, during the first rise, during the second, or for both?
And the answer is that it’s up to you, as you can do it any way that you want. You can let the dough rise at room temperature for the first time, then put it in the fridge for the second, or do the exact opposite, and even let it rise in the fridge for both.
There is no reason why you shouldn’t do it any way that you choose. Just remember that the longer the dough stays in the fridge, the stronger the sour taste will be in the end. So if that is what you are looking for, go ahead and let the sourdough rise in the fridge for both rises. If you don’t like your bread too sour, but still want to let it rest in the fridge, maybe you should let it in the fridge just for the second rise.
Probiotics
Through the articles I’ve mentioned the bacteria in the sourdough that make it grow. And if you are new to sourdough this might sound strange and even appealing. So I decided to say a few words about them to assure you that everything is alright.
Those bacteria are the same ones that can be found in all yeast, they are good bacteria, and they don’t even make it into the bread, as they can’t survive the heat in the oven. And they are also known as probiotics.
Probiotics are basically good bacteria, that:
- Produce lactic acid, which gives sourdough its taste
- Decrease the phytic acid, which stops your body from absorbing all the nutrients
- Lower the glycemic index, by eating the sugar that is naturally found in the flour
- Pre-digest the flour, which makes it easier for us to digest
While baking the sourdough bread the probiotics disappear, but all the good things that they did will remain.
Besides probiotics, sourdough is also a good source of prebiotics and fibers, which act as a food source for the prebiotics in our gut.
The prebiotics in sourdough are influenced by the type of flour that you use, so depending on what you are looking to get out of your sourdough make sure to choose your flour carefully:
- Low Sugar: if you are looking for sourdough with low levels of sugar amaranth, buckwheat and ragi are the best flours.
- Low Calories: Whole wheat flour is the flour with the fewest calories, closely followed by quinoa flour.
- Vitamins: If you want more vitamins in your sourdough bread you can use coconut or almond flour.
- Overall Best Flour: The overall best flour is considered Rye
- Flour to Avoid: During the bleaching process, some of the good bacteria are destroyed
If you want to know more about probiotics, what they do and how they act you can check out this article: Does Sourdough Contain Probiotics? (+ What They Do)
Final Thoughts
So, yes, sourdough will rise in the fridge. And it’s an even healthier option than letting it rise at room temperature. Overall there is no disadvantage to doing this, but the bread will be sourer and not as fluffy, and depending on your taste this might be good or bad.
And make sure that you don’t wait for the sourdough to double in size while in the fridge, as this won’t happen. Instead of using size as your guide simply look at how much time has passed. If the dough spends at least 12 hours in the fridge, then it’s ready. And make sure that you don’t let it rise for more than 24 hours, if this happens most of the carbon dioxide will have left the dough, and it won’t be able to rise back again.
Happy Baking!