Retarding dough

Slowing the rise of yeast dough by chilling it in the refrigerator, often overnight, to build flavor and fit baking into a schedule.

Retarding dough: Shaped bread dough in a proofing basket covered with plastic wrap on a refrigerator shelf
  • Techniques and preparation methods

Also called: cold fermentation, overnight proof

At refrigerator temperatures, yeast works much more slowly, while bacteria and enzymes keep developing flavor. Bakers retard dough during the first rise or after shaping, then bake straight from the refrigerator or after a short warm-up. The result is often a more complex flavor, a better crust and blistered tops on breads.

Retarding also makes baking easier to plan, since dough can be mixed one day and baked the next. Rich doughs like brioche and croissant dough are easier to shape when chilled.

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Related entries

Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. Controlled (or retarded) Fermentation, Innograin, Universidad de Valladolid