When I was just getting started baking sourdough bread, I had a lot to learn. I didn’t know much about bread baking yet, and I was following recipes blindly, just hoping for the best. Since I had made my own sourdough starter from scratch, I did know a few things about sourdough from experience. I knew that sourdough took a long time to rise and I knew that sourdough preferred warmer temperatures. So I started wondering about something that I’m sure you’ve wondered too: “Will sourdough rise in the fridge?”
Yes, sourdough bread will rise in the fridge, but it won’t rise as quickly as bread that contains commercial baker’s yeast. While yeasted breads tend to over proof if left in the fridge overnight, you can usually leave sourdough bread in the fridge for up to 24 hours without the risk of it over proofing.
Now, let’s explore why you might want to let your sourdough bread rise in the fridge, and what you can expect to be different about this method.
Why allow sourdough to rise in the fridge?
Many bread recipes (both yeasted and naturally leavened) ask you to move your dough to the fridge so that it can rise in a cold environment. The main benefit of letting dough rise in the fridge seems to be improved flavor. In the fridge, the yeasts in the dough slow down, giving the natural bacteria more time to develop, creating more complex flavors in your bread. Therefor, dough proofed in the fridge will have a more complex flavor than dough that rises at a higher temperature.
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Baker of Seville Bread Lame
Oval Banneton Basket
Non-Stick Bread Pan
Non-Stick Focaccia Pan
When should I move my dough to the fridge?
The best time to move your dough to the fridge is after you have given the dough its final shape. Once you’ve gone through bulk fermentation, rested the dough, shaped it, and placed it into a banneton basket, it’s ready for the fridge. In bread lingo this time period is called the “proofing” stage, AKA the “second rise.”
I prefer to let the dough rise in the fridge during the proofing stage instead of during bulk fermentation. While it is definitely possible to let sourdough bread bulk ferment in the fridge, I find that it takes quite a long time to get the fermentation level that I want. But, during the second rise, the yeasts in the dough have already gotten a great head start during bulk fermentation, so the dough can easily be ready to bake after an 8-24 hour cold-proof in the fridge.
Once I finish shaping my sourdough, I place it into a banneton basket then move it directly to the fridge. I usually don’t bother covering up my dough with plastic wrap because I don’t mind the slight skin that forms on top. Once I bake the bread I barely notice the skin anyway. Then I let the dough proof overnight. I take it out the next day whenever I’m ready to pop it into the oven. It’s as simple as that.
What to expect when cold-proofing sourdough in the fridge?
There is one big thing that you should be ready for when proofing sourdough in the fridge: your dough won’t double in size. Yep, most recipes say to wait for your dough to double in size before you bake it, but if you let your sourdough bread do its entire second rise in the fridge, that doubling-in-size thing just won’t happen. No worries, though! As long as your dough has gone through a full bulk fermentation and it has proofed for at least eight hours in the fridge, it will be ready to bake.
Benefits of cold-proofing sourdough in the fridge
Besides the more complex flavor it develops in the bread, there are two reasons that I love letting sourdough rise in the fridge: (1) there is very little chance of the dough over proofing, and (2) the dough is very easy to handle when you’re ready to bake.
1. There is a decreased risk of over proofing
Yeasted bread can over proof in the fridge if you let it rise for too long. If you don’t watch the clock carefully, baker’s yeast will puff up the dough to its max and the dough will begin to deflate. Sourdough bread, on the other hand, can easily be left in the fridge for 8-24 hours during the second rise. There is very little risk of the dough over proofing.
Some claim that sourdough will over proof after 24 hours in the fridge. At least in my experience, this isn’t true. Once I left a loaf in the fridge for three days and it baked up perfectly! So, the window of time in which the dough can rise in the fridge is amazing for sourdough.
2. The dough is really easy to handle
When you let your dough rise in the fridge overnight, it firms up and becomes pretty solid; this solidified dough is a joy to handle the next day when you’re ready to bake!
When I let my dough proof at room temperature, the wobbly nature of the dough makes it difficult for me to transfer it from the banneton basket into the Dutch oven. But, when I let the dough cold-proof in the fridge, the solid mass of dough releases more easily from the banneton basket and I can maneuver it around the Dutch oven however I want. It holds together really well. Plus, when I score the dough, the blade cuts through the cold dough a lot more swiftly than with room temperature dough.
For those two reasons, cold-proofing sourdough in the fridge has always been my preferred proofing method.
Conclusion
I hope you’ve found this information helpful. Comment below if you have any questions about letting sourdough proof in the fridge, and feel free to check out all of the other great recipes on this website. Happy baking!
Try this recipe…
Are you looking for a great, beginner-friendly sourdough bread recipe? Check out my “Good Sourdough Bread” recipe here on my blog or on YouTube. And, just in case you were wondering, this recipe calls for cold-proofing the dough in the fridge!
