Sourdough Bread with Cold Fermentation (Refrigeration)

Here’s a detailed guide and recipe for making refrigerated sourdough bread, including all the steps, timing, tips, and troubleshooting. Using the fridge (cold retardation) improves flavor, crust, and overall texture.

Sourdough Bread with Cold Fermentation (Refrigeration)

🔹 OVERVIEW

Type: Lean sourdough boule or batard
Hydration: ~70–75% (moderate, beginner-friendly)
Bulk fermentation: Room temp (~4–6 hours)
Cold proof: In refrigerator (12–48 hours)
Bake: Straight from fridge

🔹 INGREDIENTS

Ingredient	Weight (g)	Baker’s %
Bread flour	500	100%
Water (cool)	350–375	70–75%
Active sourdough starter (100% hydration)	100	20%
Salt	10	2%

📝 Optional:

Sub up to 20% of the flour with whole wheat or rye for deeper flavor.

🔹 EQUIPMENT NEEDED

Digital scale
Mixing bowl
Bench scraper
Banneton basket or bowl with floured towel
Dutch oven or baking steel
Lame or sharp knife
Parchment paper
Refrigerator with space

🔹 INSTRUCTIONS

1. Feed Your Starter

Feed your starter 4–6 hours before mixing (or the night before if it’s mature). It should be bubbly and doubled in volume.

2. Autolyse (optional but recommended)

Time: 30–60 minutes

Mix flour and water (no salt or starter yet).
Let rest covered — this starts gluten development and makes the dough easier to work with.

3. Mix Dough (Add Starter & Salt)

Add your starter and salt to the autolysed dough.
Mix by hand until fully incorporated (about 5–10 minutes).
- Pinch, fold, or use the Rubaud method.
- Dough will be sticky but elastic.

4. Bulk Fermentation (Room Temperature)

Time: ~4–6 hours at 21–25°C (70–77°F)

Let dough rest in a covered bowl.
Perform 3–5 sets of stretch and folds every 30 minutes in the first 2–3 hours.
Dough should become smoother, hold shape better, and increase ~50% in volume.

5. Preshape & Bench Rest

Lightly flour a surface.
Turn out dough and gently preshape (round or oblong).
Let rest uncovered for 15–30 minutes to relax the gluten.

6. Final Shaping

Shape into a tight boule or batard.
Place into a floured banneton or towel-lined bowl, seam-side up.
Cover with a plastic bag or shower cap.

7. Cold Retard (Refrigeration)

Time: 12–48 hours

Place the shaped dough in the fridge immediately.
Keep it cold at 2–5°C (36–41°F).
Dough will slowly rise and develop deep sour flavor and complex aroma.

8. Bake (Straight from Fridge)

Preheat oven with Dutch oven inside to 250°C / 480°F for 45–60 minutes.

Turn dough out onto parchment.
Score deeply with a lame or knife.
Bake covered:
- 20–25 min lid on
- 20–25 min lid off at 230°C (450°F) for browning and crust

✔️ No need to bring dough to room temperature. It bakes better cold — keeps its shape and scores more cleanly.

🔹 TIMING SUMMARY

Step	Time
Starter prep	4–6 hrs before
Autolyse	30–60 min
Mixing & folds	4–6 hrs (bulk)
Preshape + final shape	~1 hr
Cold retard	12–48 hrs
Bake	~45–50 min

🔹 TIPS

Starter Activity: Always test starter before baking (float test or check rise).
Cold Retard Window: Minimum 8–12 hrs for flavor, max ~48 hrs to avoid overproofing.
Flouring the basket: Use a 50/50 rice and wheat flour mix to prevent sticking.
Crust & Steam: Use Dutch oven or tray of water for steam if baking on stone.

🔹 COMMON ISSUES

Problem	Cause
Dough spread too much	Overproofed, high hydration, weak gluten
Pale crust	Oven not hot enough, underbaked
Dough stuck to basket	Not enough flour or overproofed
Not rising well	Weak starter or underfermented

Would you like a printable PDF version of this guide or a recipe calculator for different batch sizes?