Took me 2 years to finally try cold proofing my dough in the fridge, wow

Always thought cold proofing was for fancy bakeries only. My loaves always came out flat and dense no matter how long I let them rise on the counter. Then I read a post here from someone in Portland who said they pop their shaped boules in the fridge for 18 hours. Tried it last Saturday with a simple white loaf. The crust got this deep caramel color and the inside was so open and airy. I used my regular recipe, same flour, same yeast. Just changed the proofing spot. Has anyone else had this big of a difference from one simple switch?

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faithf776h ago

Did you change anything else at the same time, like shaping or how long you let it rise before the fridge? I tried it once and my dough just tasted more sour but still baked up flat, so I've always figured the oven temp or steam matters way more than where the dough sleeps.