Cold Bulk Fermentation Explained | How to Ferment Bread Dough in the Fridge

If you have been following me for a while you know that I like to use preferments. They improve the taste, texture and keeping quality of bread. But they add another step to the process. This is where cold bulk fermentation can come in and simplify it. What is bulk fermentation? We refer to the initial fermentation stage of bread dough as ‘bulk fermentation’. This is the time when the dough develops most of its flavour. The final proof is mostly there for achieving the right volume. It is called bulk fermentation because in bakeries large quantities of dough are fermented before being divided and then shaped into individual loaves or rolls. At home we quite often make just one loaf of bread, so technically it is not bulk fermentation. But we all agree on the term and know exactly what is meant by it when we see it in a recipe. The longer the bulk fermentation the more intense the flavour of the bread. It becomes sourer as it ferments and has a much more pronounced flavour. This is especially not