Poolish Dough Flavor Development

[mattrichards]

Hi all,

My go to recently has been a 48-72hr cold prove (as time allows). No complaints there, but I thought I'd try something different for fun. I prepared a poolish which went into the fridge for 24 hours. I used that to prepare a dough, which I proved again in the fridge for 24 hours. After resting for an hour at room temp, I balled and let the balls rest for two hours before cooking. Texturally they were fantastic. A puffy, open and airy cornicione that had a really nice crispy crunch to it. That being the case, as compared to the 48-72hr cold prove dough, I felt that the flavor of dough once cooked was a little underdeveloped.

So, my questions for you all are... After preparing the poolish and making the dough, could I cold temp prove that for 48 hours instead of 24? Is there anything wrong with extending the prove time for a dough made from a poolish? And lastly, do you think that will yield a more flavorful result?

Your expertise is much appreciated.

[Cheazy E]

More flavorful is going to be debatable.

You can absolutely use a preferment, including poolish, ahead of a longer cold fermentation. You’ll want to adjust how much yeast you’re using, but the additional flour will keep it going.

I used to incorporate poolish in my NY style pizzas, but dropped it as it was and extra step that was ultimately resulting in a softer, less crispy finished crust after baking and I couldn’t detect any substantial flavor difference. I also found it more difficult to scale or adjust recipes, especially when cold fermenting the poolish. No calculators to lean on!

YMMV

[mattrichards]

Thanks for the thoughts. I extended the CT prove from 24 to 48 hours and there was no additional benefit in terms of flavor development. Texture was still great though. Sigh.