Just when I thought I had figured it out....

[Bill/SFNM]

I really thought I had made enough pies and tried enough permutations of fermenting/proofing times and temps that I had it all figured out and that my dough could not be much better. In fact, for the past few months I had made no changes at all and the pies just kept getting better which I attributed to improved technique. Saturday I mixed up a batch of 24-hour room-temp Ischia dough and baked it up yesterday. Everyone just loved the crust. I had two fully proofed dough balls leftover which I put in the fridge with the intent of maybe baking some bread today with the residual heat of the oven. But I also had some great toppings leftover so I fired up the oven this morning and took the dough balls out of the fridge.

Based on previous sessions using this same procedure, I expected an inferior crust in terms of both taste and texture. The result was just the opposite and not by a small amount. The more I learn, the less I know. 

What I do know is that this path is not linear. It wraps back on itself like a moebius strip. Back to the beginning! 

Bill/SFNM

[andreguidon]

24h room temp rise + overnight in the fridge..... in what the crust improved ?? this is very interesting !!

[Bill/SFNM]

Deeper, richer flavor - not more sour. Texture lighter. Visually, a bit more char.

[andreguidon]

something very similar happened to me.....

i was doing some 24h rise fridge (cold ferm.) testing, and one o my dough balls i left for 3 days in the fridge (i dint have the opportunity to bake this one....so it sat in the fridge just waiting) .... at the third day at night i had the opportunity to bake it, not as a pizza but something like a fogazza (i was going to the garbage, so i created something just so it dint go to the trash)..... it was very light and the taste was a little more intense.... and this was a dough made whit IDY.....

[jimd]

Can I ask what flour was being used? I ask because I understand from prior posts of Pizza Napletana that Caputo Flour does not do well with a cold ferment (could be that after a room temp rise, a cold ferment would be fine). Also, his prior posts indicated that putting a risen dough in the refridgerator would shrink (or collapse) the bubbles developed from the fermentation. Maybe they blow back up upon bringing the dough back up to room temp. Anyway, putting a fully fermented dough ball back into the fridge is something I have not yet tried, so this is really interesting.

Jim

[scpizza]

I've also experienced this outcome from a fridge rise at the end of a normal rise.

[Bill/SFNM]

Can I ask what flour was being used? I ask because I understand from prior posts of Pizza Napletana that Caputo Flour does not do well with a cold ferment (could be that after a room temp rise, a cold ferment would be fine). Also, his prior posts indicated that putting a risen dough in the refridgerator would shrink (or collapse) the bubbles developed from the fermentation. Maybe they blow back up upon bringing the dough back up to room temp. Anyway, putting a fully fermented dough ball back into the fridge is something I have not yet tried, so this is really interesting.

Jim

Jim,

The flour was Caputo 00 Pizzeria Flour. There was no shrinkage or loss of bubbles.

Bill/SFNM

[jimd]

OK, thanks. Gotta try it.

[andreguidon]

i used granarolo Italian flour "0" for pizza and breads.... my room rise was 2 hours only.... but ive notice that that dough that was in the fridge for 3 days tasted better.....