This site uses only a few technical cookies necessary for its operation. By continuing to browse, you accept their use.
To find out more...
To find out more...
The long fermentation of bread
I had already told you in a previous article about the delicious little alchemy that happens when we make bread, let's try to go a little further this time, and try to discover what makes a good bread, in other words, which has taste.
10 K 4.9/5 (17 reviews)
Keywords for this post:BreadFermentationLongTimeBakingTasteLeavenYeastRestLast modified on: April 13th 2023
The long fermentation of bread
So I detailed how, from a simple mixture of flour, water, salt and a little yeast or leaven, we obtain this extraordinary food that is bread. It is already something almost magical, but what is the secret of the breads that have taste vs those that are bland?
Curiously enough, the recipe doesn't change much, it's always the same ingredients, in varying proportions, but we always stay with the flour-water-salt-yeast mixture.
It's all a question of fermentation time. Its main purpose is always that the yeasts transform part of the starch of the flour and produce CO2 that will form the crumb, but this can be done quickly or not.
And precisely if it is done slowly, or even very slowly, the production of CO2 is still done, but in addition the dough of the future bread develops, very slowly, particular aromas which will be revealed during the cooking.
As a general rule, the longer the fermentation, the better the bread will taste, and this without really changing its appearance. In other words, a bread with a quick fermentation and a bread with a long fermentation will look pretty much the same. If you are not a baker, it will be hard to tell the difference.
And yet this is where the distinction is made:
- On the one hand a baguette kneaded and made in a hurry, in an industrial bakery or at a mediocre baker's, with a lot of yeast, and a fermentation accelerated by a stay in the heat in 1 or 2 hours => A rather bland, neutral baguette.
- On the other hand, a baguette kneaded slowly and fermented slowly in the cold for 24 or 48 hours, sometimes more => A baguette full of taste and aroma, a delight.
You will have guessed it, there is of course an economic aspect to this difference, to make a baguette in long fermentation takes more time and costs more than a baguette "express", but we are really not on the same product, even if they can be similar.
Here is one of the secrets of good bread, it takes time (and love of course), and a good part of this time is dedicated to the fermentation of the dough, it is the magic moment where the savors and aromas are formed.
Curiously enough, the recipe doesn't change much, it's always the same ingredients, in varying proportions, but we always stay with the flour-water-salt-yeast mixture.
It's all a question of fermentation time. Its main purpose is always that the yeasts transform part of the starch of the flour and produce CO2 that will form the crumb, but this can be done quickly or not.
And precisely if it is done slowly, or even very slowly, the production of CO2 is still done, but in addition the dough of the future bread develops, very slowly, particular aromas which will be revealed during the cooking.
As a general rule, the longer the fermentation, the better the bread will taste, and this without really changing its appearance. In other words, a bread with a quick fermentation and a bread with a long fermentation will look pretty much the same. If you are not a baker, it will be hard to tell the difference.
And yet this is where the distinction is made:
- On the one hand a baguette kneaded and made in a hurry, in an industrial bakery or at a mediocre baker's, with a lot of yeast, and a fermentation accelerated by a stay in the heat in 1 or 2 hours => A rather bland, neutral baguette.
- On the other hand, a baguette kneaded slowly and fermented slowly in the cold for 24 or 48 hours, sometimes more => A baguette full of taste and aroma, a delight.
You will have guessed it, there is of course an economic aspect to this difference, to make a baguette in long fermentation takes more time and costs more than a baguette "express", but we are really not on the same product, even if they can be similar.
Here is one of the secrets of good bread, it takes time (and love of course), and a good part of this time is dedicated to the fermentation of the dough, it is the magic moment where the savors and aromas are formed.
Lasts posts
A tablet holder
Perhaps you too cook by consulting your recipe on a tablet or phone, and putting it down on your worktop? It's practical, but not the best solution. Here's a look at how you can make an inexpensive, almost universal stand.March 14th 20265315
Pre-calibrated pastry dough
When making pie dough (shortbread, shortcrust, sweet...), it's always a good idea to make a lot at once, and then divide it into pieces, which you can freeze. I've already pointed out the mistake not to make, which is to form a ball before freezing. It's difficult to roll out afterwards because...March 9th 20268585
Butter vs. grease
We often read in a recipe where a pastry is put into a mould that, just before pouring, the mould should be buttered or greased. But what's the difference between these 2 terms?December 1st 20252,9485
Getting out of the fridge early
Very often when you're cooking, you need to take food or preparations out of the fridge, to use them in the recipe in progress. There's nothing tricky about this: you just take them out of the fridge and use them, usually immediately, in the recipe. But is this really a good method?November 24th 20251,9065
Who's making the croissants?
When you look at a bakery from the outside, you naturally think that in the bakery, the bakers make the bread, and in the laboratory, the pastry chefs make the cakes. It's very often like that, with each of these professions having quite different ways of working, but sometimes there's also one...November 23th 20251,734
Other pages you may also like
85 grams of eggs?
Some time ago, I already spoke to you about the difference between baking and pastry-making, I emphasized, among other things, the precision of pastry-making which requires grams, cm, degrees and minutes. That's why, on the one hand, you have baking and cooking, where a certain tolerance is...November 26th 201858 K4.6
Kitchen ovens
You certainly have one in your kitchen, an oven, the essential tool for all kinds of cooking, whether in the kitchen of course, but also in pastry, bakery, pizza, and many others. Here is some information on its structure and operation.May 16th 202035 K4.4
Travel cakes
You may have come across the term "travel cakes" ("gateaux de voyage" in french) for certain pastries, so let's take a look at what they're all about.January 27th 20257,780
A tablet holder
Perhaps you too cook by consulting your recipe on a tablet or phone, and putting it down on your worktop? It's practical, but not the best solution. Here's a look at how you can make an inexpensive, almost universal stand.March 14th 20265315
Should I believe my oven?
Can you really trust your oven? This is an important question as we are always tempted to take the temperature indicated as gospel truth and, unfortunately, this is rarely very precise. .July 4th 201133 K4.6
Post a comment or question
Follow this page (as 2 people already do)
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.