Ugh! I just over proofed the dough by about an hour and 45 minutes. My plan was to let it rest in the fridge a couple days before using it. Is thi...

...s dough forgiving enough to hold on to despite the extended proofing time or should I just start over

Priscilla Andrews
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No-Knead Sandwich Bread
Recipe question for: No-Knead Sandwich Bread

8 Comments

Priscilla A.
Priscilla A. March 2, 2018
Just a quick follow up:
First off, thank you to everyone for your feedback. I ended up baking my first loaf this afternoon (I made the dough Monday) and it turned out delicious! Perhaps slightly denser than intended but I'm not positive given that I never made it before. The shaped loaf didn't rise very much prior to baking but after an hour plus I decided to stick it into the oven. It rose well in the oven and is quite tasty. I'll definitely be making this one again!
 
amysarah
amysarah March 3, 2018
I think the reason you didn't get a good second rise (hence it was dense) was likely due to not enough time. I find when this (or really any) bread dough has been in the fridge, it takes much longer than an hour - usually 2 - 3 X that. After a good long second rise, this bread usually rises well and turns out pretty light.
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames March 3, 2018
Good point, amysarah! Yes, that refrigerated dough gets very cold, so it needs time to warm up a bit before it really will come alive. A few days ago, I had to put dough for one of my pullman loaves (potato flaxseed bread) into the fridge for the first rise. I didn't get back to the kitchen until about 3 hours later than expected. I didn't want to be up until midnight baking, so I did the reverse of my cool-down method for stocks -- putting the containers in a dish pan with cold water -- and put the bread dough in its metal bowl into the dish pan filled with very warm water. It worked like a charm! The dough woke right up, at just the right pace, it seems. I removed it after about an hour, shaped the dough and put it in the loaf pan, let it rise for about an hour and popped it in the oven. It had exactly the right amount of oven spring, and a gorgeous chewy crumb - a perfect loaf! ;o)
 
sameer
sameer February 28, 2018
secretkitchendiary.com
 
amysarah
amysarah February 27, 2018
I've made this bread many times and yes, it is very forgiving - one of the reasons I like making it! By the way, the second loaf - after resting in the fridge for up to a week - is usually the most flavorful. (I find most bread recipes take longer to proof for me than the recipe says anyway, at least in cool weather.)
 
Smaug
Smaug February 27, 2018
Also, proofing times are at best approximations; differences in temperature, humidity, water- actually just about anything, will effect the process. I seem to recall from the distant past that if you let it go long enough that it grows and then collapses spontaneously you can have problems- something to do with the yeast suffocating itself, I think.
 
Nancy
Nancy February 27, 2018
Yes, your memory id right.
But if you punch it down about every 8-12 hours in fridge, the yeast keeps growing and doesn't collapse.
 

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AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames February 27, 2018
Go ahead and bake it. The worse that can happen is that you'll have a somewhat less than perfect loaf - which will still be great for making croutons, French toast or bread pudding, cubes for putting under and around a chicken while roasting, toast for tartines or crostone, breadcrumbs to use in cooking, etc. ;o)
 
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