How To Stop Dough From Rising? [Dough Retarding Tips]
To halt the rising of dough, you can employ several strategies. Refrigerating the dough or using cold ingredients slows down yeast activity, while thorough kneading and poking holes can help release gas and deflate the dough.
Additionally, reducing the yeast or immediately baking the dough can prevent further rising.
However, it’s crucial to consider the specific recipe and the impact of halting the rising process on the final product, as this alteration can affect both texture and flavor.
What to Know About Retarding Bread Dough
A retardant dough is a dough that is slowed down at the end of its rise during the breadmaking process.
It can easily be accomplished by proofing bread overnight in the refrigerator, since cold slows down its rise. The benefits of this method include adding flavor and allowing you to bake the bread later.
Retarding and Proofing
The proofing process usually involves two risings for leavened bread (bread that rises using yeast or sourdough starter). Before the second proof, the dough is often shaped into loaves, rolls, or other shapes.
The second proof or rise is when the retarding is done. By placing the dough in the refrigerator overnight, the rise of the dough is slowed, allowing it to be baked fresh in the morning.
By splitting up the labor, you can enjoy fresh bread at a convenient time. Furthermore, it enhances the bread’s flavor and gives its crust a darker color when baked.
Why It’s Important
In addition to allowing you to bake later, retarding also provides you with more flavor. Your bread baking experience can be greatly influenced by each of these factors. It is very convenient to be able to delay the actual baking time.
Making bread can take up a lot of your time. The dough must be mixed, allowed to rise (or bulk fermentation), shaped, and baked after it has risen again.
Homemade bread takes up to 6 hours to make, and many people are unable to devote this much time to it.
It becomes easier to handle the task if you divide the steps into two or three days. You can even retard some bread recipes for a few days, so you can prepare them on the weekend and bake them midweek.
You can improve the flavor of many breads by slowing down the fermentation, and some styles of bread actually require it.
A warm temperature can cause yeast to act quickly and cause bread dough to rise within an hour. When you slow down the yeast, you get a deeper flavor, which is perfect if you want a quick bread.
How to Retard Bread Dough
The second rise or proof of bread dough is the time to retard the dough. If your recipe specifies that you should proof your bread overnight, then follow these instructions. Alternatively, you can retard bread dough as follows:
You can proceed with the recipe as written, including shaping the dough, until you reach the stage where the dough needs to rise or proof once more.
Put the bread dough in the refrigerator after covering it with a towel. Some bakers prefer to place the dough in a bowl or on a cookie sheet with a towel rolled around it. Towels work perfectly for loaf bread, which can be laid over the pan.
If your bread was refrigerated, allow it to warm up to room temperature before baking. You can usually get away with taking it out of the fridge and letting it sit on the counter while waiting for your oven to preheat.
Tips for Proofing Bread Overnight
Several recipes lose some of their rise if they are left in the refrigerator for too long, but some doughs can be proofed for longer in the refrigerator.
In many recipes, the dough is told to be retarded overnight, but that time is subjective based on when you prepare it the first day. The term “overnight” usually refers to a period of about 12 hours.
Most breads can be retarded for 12 to 18 hours without adverse effects, but this will depend on the recipe.
It is important to note that most whole grain and rye breads will not retard well because of their sensitivity to acids produced and their weaker gluten levels.
Alternatively, you can delay the first rising and shape the loaves later. If you have to break your baking session up into smaller portions or your baking session is unexpectedly interrupted, you will want to know this.
To return to your dough later, simply place the bowl with the covered dough in the refrigerator. Before punching or folding it, let it warm up and rise (if it hasn’t done so yet).
Poke Holes
If the dough has already risen, you can gently press down on it with your fingertips or use a fork to create small holes. This releases some of the gas and can help deflate the dough.
Reduce the Yeast
If you haven’t started the rising process yet and want to prevent excessive rising, you can reduce the amount of yeast in your recipe. However, be cautious with this method, as too little yeast can affect the flavor and texture of your baked goods.
Baking Immediately
If you’re working with a recipe that requires rising, such as bread, and you want to stop the dough from rising any further, preheat your oven and bake the dough immediately.
The heat of the oven will kill the yeast and halt the rising process. Keep in mind that this might result in a different texture or flavor in your final product compared to the original recipe.
Impact of Salt On Dough Rise
Most bread recipes include salt. Among its many uses, it functions as a natural retarder.
By attracting moisture through osmosis, salt controls the fermentation time. As a result, yeast begins to slow down.
Using the right amount of salt is very important. Salt is typically kept in the range of 1.8 to 2 percent when developing recipes by professionals.
When you salt your bread too much, it can reduce its volume significantly. When bread is salted too little, it will proof faster, which will affect the taste.
Final Words
Remember that the rising process is an essential step in many bread and pastry recipes.
Stopping the dough from rising can alter the final product, so make sure to understand why you want to stop it and what the consequences might be for your specific recipe.
