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.
6,546 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
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 20252,398
The aromatic power of sugar
In the kitchen, sugar doesn't just sweeten, it also has an exceptional ability to capture flavors. Combined with aromatic ingredients, such as citrus zest, it acts as a veritable sponge for aromas. By taking the time to let the sugar soak up the flavors, you can transform your desserts, making...December 25th 20242,7525
The little trap of thick cream
When you need to add cream to a recipe, you might be wondering: thick (heavy) cream or liquid cream? In most cases, there's no big difference: you can use either. But there is one exception, and that's when the cream needs to be cooked, for a sauce for example, and here the difference between...December 13th 20243,2245
Sauce and salad: When and how to mix them?
When dressing a salad, there's a kind of golden rule: add the dressing very shortly before serving, especially if your salad contains crunchy elements such as croutons or fresh vegetables, which will retain their crunchiness or crispiness. But, as is often the case in the kitchen, there are...November 29th 20243,3575
No need to boil gelatin
Gelatin is a magical ingredient for making light, creamy, structured desserts, yet it's often misused in the kitchen. A common mistake in some recipes is the idea that it needs to be boiled for it to work properly, but this is a mistake indeed: gelatin melts at a much lower temperature, around...November 21th 20243,3195
Other pages you may also like
The beautiful story of the croissants
As you may have already noticed, cooking, baking and pastry-making are full of stories or legends, usually very romantic, about this or that product or recipe. This is often the case for named recipes, for example tarte tatin, peach melba, paris-brest and many others, but it also applies to very...October 10th 201815 K5
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 202028 K4.4
The 3 kinds of meringue
Meringue – what could be simpler? Just beaten egg whites with sugar added. This makes a fairly stiff mixture which can then be cooked in a cool oven to create those lovely, light confections. But in the world of professional patisserie, meringue comes in three different kinds. Even if the...June 14th 201359 K4.5
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 201850 K4.6
Baking cakes
Where we see that to put a cake in the oven, once the dough is finished and in its mould, there is no hurry and that the cold is your friend.June 28th 201941 K4.1
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.