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Overproofed my brioche dough on purpose and got the best texture I've ever had
I kept seeing everyone say never let brioche go past 2 hours or it'll turn into a greasy mess. So I tried leaving a batch in my warm kitchen near the oven for almost 4 hours last Saturday, thinking it'd be a waste. Instead of collapsing, the dough got this insane silky feel and baked up lighter than any recipe I've followed before. The crumb was open but not ragged, and the butter actually stayed distributed instead of pooling on the bottom of the pan. I think the extra time let the gluten relax more and the yeast really develop flavor, especially with that much fat in the mix. Anyone else tried pushing proof times way past what the recipe says and gotten something good out of it?
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black.oliver10d ago
Dude yes, I did the exact same thing with a batch of challah last month (very similar dough, lots of eggs and oil). Left it on the counter by accident for like five hours because I got distracted binge watching a show, fully expected to toss it. But the dough was this gorgeous, pliable thing that barely stuck to my hands and the final loaf had this almost honeycomb crumb with no greasy spots at all. The extra time really lets the yeast wake up and stretch out all that gluten, especially with enriched doughs, it's like they need that extra push to fully develop. I've started doing 3-4 hour first rises on purpose now for anything with a lot of butter or eggs, and it's made every batch better.
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anthony_jackson3110d ago
Saw a video from a home baker who said the same thing about brioche, she leaves it out for six hours and gets better oven spring than overnight in the fridge. Makes sense when you think about all that fat slowing down the yeast, they just need more time to do their job. Might have to try pushing my next batch of cinnamon rolls past the usual two hour mark.
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fionat5510d agoMost Upvoted
Hang on, wait, five hours? I mean I've left dough out before but that feels like a lot. I always freak out after like two and shove it in the fridge because I'm scared it'll overproof and collapse or something. Maybe it's just me but I've got this mental block that anything past three hours on the counter is a ticking time bomb. So you're telling me it actually works better that way? Idk, I might have to try it with my next batch of cinnamon rolls, even though my gut is telling me it's a bad idea.
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