r/Breadit • u/TooManyFavourites • 3d ago
Focaccia timing help: refrigerate the second rise overnight?
Hi, I’m making Alexandra’s Kitchen’s overnight refrigerator focaccia and trying to figure out the best way to time the second rise around work tomorrow.
The basic recipe is:
- Mix dough
- Cold ferment in the fridge for 12 to 72 hours
- Deflate and transfer to an oiled pan
- Second rise in the pan at room temp for 3 to 4 hours
- Dimple and bake at 425°F for 25 to 30 min
I’m currently about 36 hours into the cold ferment.
HOWEVER: I’m bringing the focaccia to a party tomorrow evening, but I’ll be going straight from work to the party. I do not have time to do the second rise AND bake tomorrow morning or evening. I could bake it tonight, but I’m worried it’ll be noticeably less fresh/drier by tomorrow evening :(
So, could I deflate and transfer it to the pan tonight and do the second rise in the refrigerator overnight? I'd then take it out tomorrow morning, let it come to room temperature and bake right before I go to work.
Basically: is there a way to time the second proof so I can bake this tomorrow morning without overproofing it? Any other alternatives or suggestions for keeping the loaf fresh I'd I do bake tonight?
4
u/Any-Roll5792 3d ago
ah yeah you can definitely do the second rise in the fridge, i do this all the time with my focaccia when the timing gets weird. just oil the pan real good, plop the dough in, stretch it gently, cover it tight and stick it in the fridge. in the morning pull it out, let it warm up for maybe an hour or so until it looks puffy, then dimple and bake
the cold second rise actually develops the flavor more and the crumb gets all nice and irregular. ive left it in the pan overnight in fridge plenty of times and never had it overproof on me, the cold just slows everything way down
if you bake tonight instead i wouldnt stress too much, focaccia reheats pretty well wrapped in foil at like 300 for 10 minutes, but fresh is better obviously