Which is the Best Slow Fermentation Method? Cold vs Room Temperature Compared

Slow fermentation is the best method for achieving better flavour in our bread. Besides taste it also makes the crust crispier and gives the bread a nice chew. And it can make it stay fresher for longer.

My go-to method is cold bulk fermentation and I have made quite a few videos about it. But cold fermentation is not the only way to extend fermentation time. Bread can also be fermented at room temperature for long periods of time. Instead of cooling it down we simply use less yeast.

That got me thinking about which method produces a tastier bread and which is better overall. There are advantages and disadvantages to both and which method we use could depend on practicality.

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[ChainBaker]

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[StateofDecayScience]

I bought a 100 gram (Max) scale only to weigh yeast, salt, sugar and baking powder. Before buying that, it was very difficult to accurately measure very tiny amounts.

It has an accuracy of ±0.05 grams. It can even weigh a single staple!

I started to bake bread because I thought its cool to make my own. And now I'm becoming a scientist! Interesting video!

[mikeh]

First comment just want to say this guy rocks.

[spinphoto]

Your videos are just the best, I can't wait to try a long cold fermentation on my next batch of bread

[ben]

Probably the most helpful, and enjoyable, baking channel. Amazing work.

[r.mnlght]

for easy weighing of salt, yeast and other small amount ingredients, I bought jewelry scales, now weighing them is super easy

[urouroniwa]

I just wanted to say thank you for these videos. They make a difference. Yesterday I was working late, struggling against some misbehaving servers. I've been ill all week and finishing work at 10 pm was the last straw. I gratefully started to wander off to bed when I remembered: I have nothing for breakfast. What do I do? It's 10 pm. Do I go out in the middle of the night in February to buy a stale loaf of white bread at the corner store? Or... could I...?

I guess your videos are sinking in because I mixed up a dough very similar to the one in this video. I've got an 8 hour cold ferment. I'll quickly knead it up so I can go to bed. I can get up at 6 and just about have enough time to proof and bake it for my regular 7:30 breakfast. Not going lie, it wasn't my best loaf. The bread was right out of the oven when I sat down, but my goodness it certainly beat stale super market bread and a freezing cold walk in the middle of the night!

I never would have considered this before I started watching this channel. It doesn't even make sense :-) But it made my whole day today. Got up with a smile on my face and did my best for the rest of the day.

[nursultantulyakbaycats]

You're a hero for making these videos. I think i've learned more from watching your videos than hours of googling and reading blogs and forums

[sebastianhabel]

I prefer cold fermenting in the fridge, because it gives me a wide time span for baking: I prepare the dough every Wednesday and bake on the following Friday, Saturday or Sunday, always with great results.

[asterixky]

I have been warm fermenting for years, until you made me try cold fermentation. There is no way back for me now, cold fermentation is my way to go. Thank you

[magistral]

When making pizza, it is essential that the last fermentation occurs at room temperature and the dough should be removed from the fridge at least 5 hours before stretching and baking, otherwise the gluten would just be too tight and cold to witness your stretch and it's going to snap back as your try to extend it.
For any other type of bread I'm all for cold fermentation.

[jayjaysimonsen]

I appreciate your very, very clear and scientific style of explaining the usage of preferments! I am German experiencing under Africa's real life conditions with preferments at (our) room temperature (31°C). Because of the fact that electricity is extremely unstable here, I can't use a fridge for cold preferment.
With my poolish, I came up with max. 0.025% dry yeast (we don't have other types here) and 15 h optimal (and safe) time. I developed a method to measure this tiny amount of yeast using small syringes from the pharmacy with back calculation from g to ml yeast.
I prefer the room temperature fermentation method because it might be a solution for those without access to energy in the "rest" of the world

[jonnsmusich]

Ive been cold fermenting overnight and getting great results. (Thanks) But this last week I was wondering about leaving it on the counter overnight. Now I know. Thanks. With such small amounts I'll use a teaspoon or half a teaspoon and forget about exit measurement. Seems to work OK. But taking its temperature is the most useful info you have provided. Thanks again.

[elizabethconvey]

I really enjoy your video presentation - they are clear, informative and methodical. I've done room temperature fermentation but not in the fridge so I can't compare (at least not yet). The first time I came across no knead bread was about 4 years ago and I was amazed how well it works. I'm from an 'era' when we were told you almost had to be brutal to your dough to develop the gluten. No knead dough goes against those 'rules', I guess in part because of the way dry yeast has developed (no such thing available when I first made bread). Thank you for your videos and the fuller written explanations on your website, they are much appreciated (as is your happy smile.) 😊

[easttennesseeexpat]

My search has been for a method that requires minimal effort while achieving consistent results (because I am lazy). Influenced by your experiments, I have adopted this method: Prepare the dough in the morning and refrigerate it until bedtime. Then I set it out in the kitchen to bulk ferment overnight. By the following morning, the dough is ready for the final steps prior to the last proof. The final proof has typically completed in 1-1.5 hour at an ambient temperature of 60 degrees F.

In summer, ambient temperature will be 80 degrees F. I think this change can be dealt with by taking the dough from the fridge to an empty insulated cooler.

I think the long fermentation time makes a noticeable improvement in the taste of white bread but the improvement is even more pronounced in whole wheat bread. It could be my imagination at work but I think the bread is a great deal softer as well.

[AlexJonHarvey]

A proofing box could really even the playing field here in terms of predictability! I built a cheap one for my home baking with a styrofoam cooler box, seedling mat and a temperature controller, and it stays the same temp all seasons, really really useful!

[denaross]

Another super interesting video - I really enjoy these comparison videos. Always a great day when your videos come out!

[diaman_d]

Those small amounts to weigh is why i got one of those "jewelers" scales that measure to 0.01 gr. Very practical for the small amounts of yeast and salt i usually need.

[marianam]

So glad you made this video. I have been watching your videos for a while and I did have questions on the cold vs room temp fermentation which you answered very well. Thanks very much. You have made me such a good baker :).