Dough that has not been bulk fermented long enough will also be difficult to shape, sticky and will often spread once tipped out the banneton. Good sourdough takes time! And this time is what is needed for proper fermentation.
Cutting bulk fermentation short might mean your dough won't be sufficiently fermented and you'll head toward an under-proofed result. On the other hand, if you push bulk fermentation too far, your dough will be hard to handle and on the verge of over-proofing.
How Long Does Bulk Fermentation Last? Bulk fermentation can typically last anywhere from 3.5 to 7 hours depending on the dough temperature, recipe, and amount of sourdough starter used. At 78ºF, bulk fermentation usually lasts about 4-4.5 hours for my typical sourdough bread.
Measuring the dough temperature and percentage rise is the most accurate and repeatable method of determining the end of bulk fermentation. But, the dough temperature and percentage rise are inextricably linked. A 100% rise at 70F/21C produces a much different result than a 100% rise at 80F/27C.
Cold bulk fermentation. The dough is made with a relatively small amount of yeast and the final dough temperature is slightly cooler than normal. It is then refrigerated and left to rise and go through bulk fermentation for 12 hours or even up to a few days. There are a couple of benefits to this method.
YES! You most definitely can bulk ferment sourdough too long. If you leave the dough to ferment for too long, it will become "over fermented". Over fermented dough will lose its structure and become a soupy, sloppy mess that you will not be able to shape.
If you are early in bulk fermentation, you can move your dough into the refrigerator, and it will slow down the fermentation. You can then take it back out the next day, bring it back up to room temperature and restart the bulk fermentation process.
If the dough isn't mixed or kneaded to full development (e.g., full windowpane), adding in sets of stretch and folds during bulk fermentation will help continue its progress toward a stronger, more cohesive dough that's able to trap gas and hold its shape all the way to bake time.
They see that the airlock is not longer bubbling and figure this is when the fermentation is done. In reality, the fact that the bubbling stopped is only an indication that the fermentation may be done, but is is not an absolute indicator.
Most recipes recommend 4 or 6 sets of stretch and folds with 30 minutes intervals. Also, you do not want to be handling the dough late in the bulk fermentation process. It is best to leave it untouched for the last 2 hours (minimum) of bulk fermentation.
If there is no need to divide a large batch of dough, the dough coming out of bulk fermentation may already be sufficiently formed for final shaping. Especially if you do something like coil folding late in the bulk fermentation process. The dough has sufficient strength and structure coming out of bulk fermentation.
Most bread recipes have two rises, a first rise (also called bulk fermentation), and a second or final rise. You can chill your dough during either the first or second rise. Your yeast won't give you much love if it's asked to do both rises in the fridge, so it's best to do one or the other at room temperature.
In short, if all of the sugars have been consumed, the answer is yes. The longer the fermentation process takes, the more sugar is converted into alcohol. As more sugar is converted, the resulting beer will feature a higher alcohol content.
(By contrast, wines made from flowers and herbs — ingredients with essentially no sugar — need at least 3 pounds of added sugar per gallon.) However, overloading the must with sugar can overwhelm the yeast and make it difficult for fermentation to begin.
Can you bulk ferment sourdough in the fridge? No - bulk fermentation should ideally be undertaken at room temperature. The yeast and bacteria in your sourdough starter perform best in warmer temperatures so placing them in the fridge will put them into a sleepy state.
So, in short – sugar will not 'feed' the yeast. It will not speed up fermentation. It will only slow it down. You will see a significant decrease in yeast activity starting from around 10% sugar in the dough.
The first sign that indicates your fermentation is stuck is the disappearance of bubbles in your airlock after sighting them before. Additionally, the lack of bubbles after 48 hours proves that your fermentation didn't even start. Bubbles around the airlock indicate that fermentation is ongoing.
Cause 1 Leaks: Lack of a physical sign of fermentation (airlock bubbling) can be due to several things. If the airlock is not bubbling, it may be due to a poor seal between the lid and the bucket or leaks around the grommet. Fermentation may be taking place but the CO2 is not coming out through the airlock.
Burping is essentially just opening your bottles ever so slightly during the second fermentation process to release air or “excess pressure” in the bottle. Many brewers recommend burping bottles every day, or every other day while your bottles are fermenting at room temperature.
I recommend using a see-through cambro for bulk fermentation which also has indicators for the volume by liter and quart measurements. Dough appearance should no longer be rough after sourdough bulk fermentation. It should be smooth looking and even a bit shiny. If you lift up a section, it should move together.
Good fermentation = great loaves. Covering your dough correctly is a crucial step here. For best results, we want a non-porous, tight-fitting cover that will keep the dough from becoming too cool or developing a skin.
Over Fermentation
You don't want to add extra flour as this will affect the texture of the end product (which actually won't be very good at that point).
The more acid bacteria and wild yeasts that are added to the sourdough, the quicker the dough will rise. Just like adding more yeast to a yeasted dough makes it rise quicker, increasing the amount of starter used in your dough will speed up the sourdough fermentation process.
Bulk Ferment
The speed and metabolic efficiency of the yeast depend almost entirely on temperature, with the optimal speed of fermentation occurring between 80–90°F (27–32°C). That temperature is optimal, but you can get a faster rise with warmer temperatures (to a point) or a slower rise with cooler temps.