What exactly takes place during cold fermentation, especially as it pretains to open crumb and flavor?
I know it works, but I would like to understand why. A number of very excellent bakers are advocating a 30-50% rise during bulk ferment at ambient temps. After that there are 2 basic paths. Either bulk retard or shape and retard the shaped loaves.
I have read that CO2 gasses are absorbed into the dough during cold fermentation. If this is the case, I lack understanding the process.
I really hope this topic will provide definitive answers concerning this.
Dan
”inquiring minds want to know...”
I found this to be really helpful in understanding what happens during fermentation under various conditions, and why. It's an audio podcast, I took notes that I could refer back to later, as there is no text provided. I just started baking recently, so I listened to the whole series of audios on bread first (as he suggests) and found them very enlightening. Here is a link to the podcast. He has some videos on the site as well.
SCS 022| Let's Bake Some Sourdough | Stella Culinary
The other Dan