Rant: overheard a baker bragging about cutting corners on dough temp

I was grabbing coffee at this place near my shop in Portland last week and two bakers were talking at the next table. One guy was saying how he skips the final proofing rest and just throws his dough in the fridge for 10 minutes instead. Said he's been doing it for 2 years and nobody notices. Man, that stuff makes my blood boil. I tried that shortcut once when I was starting out and my bread came out dense as a brick with zero oven spring. Sure, maybe your regulars don't say anything, but they can tell something is off even if they can't name it. Has anyone else seen people pull stuff like this and get away with it or am I just too picky about technique?

2 comments

2 Comments

william_craig718h ago

No way, ten minutes in the fridge instead of a full proof? That's insane. I mean, dough temperature is literally the foundation of everything. Skipping the final proof is like building a house on a swamp and hoping nobody notices the floors are crooked. His customers might not say "the crumb structure is off" but they definitely feel it in the texture and taste. Maybe it's just me but that kind of laziness makes the whole craft look bad.

river_thompson16h ago

@william_craig7 i tried this once with my sourdough and honestly it came out fine though tbh i was sweating bullets the whole time.