"Allen Cohn" <allen@cohnzone.com> wrote:
>Overnight in the fridge is one thing, but several days? I suspect
>that the long rest will allow too much time for the natural enzymes
>to degrade the gluten and thus be bad for your bread.
>
>For example, I let my sourdough starter rest in my fridge for a week
>or two (extreme, I know) between feedings when I'm not using it. By
>the end of that time, the normally stiff dough is practically
>pourable. This is an extreme example of the type of deterioration
>that I fear might happen to your dough.
I've had more experience with long chilling times than I'd like,
because sometimes the it takes several days before I am home (awake)
for 3-4 hours in a row to complete the rising and bake the dough.
I still can't predict precisely how long I can hold which doughs, but
simpler, lean yeast doughs are often ok even after three days if I
start them by the pain l'ancienne method--putting a dough made with
instant yeast and mixed relatively cool straight into the fridge
without an initial warm rise. Shaped doughs at the proofing stage
are less tolerant of the long chill, more prone to collapsing, or at
least turning alcoholic and nasty. The straight sourdoughs actually
seem more prone to the problems Allen describes, I suspect because
some of the microorganisms in the mix are more active at fridge temps
than plain bread yeast.
I've never been happy with the results of freezing an unbaked dough
regardless of which stage at which it was frozen. I've had good
success with brown n' serve technique-- freezing partially baked
small breads, like pizzas and dinner rolls, when the dough is set but
not yet brown or fully baked.
Diane Brown in St. Louis
http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/FoodPages.html