TIL you can rescue overproofed dough with a cold counter

I used to just throw away dough that got too puffy and sticky sitting out too long. About three months ago, I tried flipping it onto a cold marble board and giving it a few gentle folds instead. The cold surface slowed the fermentation down just enough to save the loaf. It actually baked up with a better crumb than my normal tries. Has anyone else tried temperature tricks to fix a dough that went too far?

3 comments

3 Comments

jenkins.reese29d ago

Hey did you try chilling your bowl before mixing next time? I started keeping my metal bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes before I knead and it gives me way more time before the dough goes crazy. Also if I catch it getting too sticky I just pop the whole bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes while I clean up. The cold counter trick saved me twice last month when I got distracted by a phone call and let my sourdough go way too long. It really does help the crumb open up nice and airy.

theac6318d ago

The cold bowl trick is great but nobody mentions how it changes the timing on your bulk ferment. If you're chilling the dough that much you gotta push your proofing window way later or you'll end up with a dense loaf. Took me three wasted batches to figure that one out.

jackson.matthew29d ago

I always thought chilling was overkill but you just changed my mind.