I have a question (oh no!!). I'm seriously thinking about getting a walk in cooler to retard my doughs. I've only ever retarded my doughs in the home and never on a larger scale. At home it was a simple matter. What I'm wondering is, what do I need to know about dough retardation when done on a bigger scale, say a couple of hundred loaves and maybe more. I do like what retardation accomplishes so I'm willing to persue it but what else do I need to know. For example, will I then need a proofer as well, etc.
Tony
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You may need to do some extensive research on this matter. I have read that you will need a humidifier for your retarder due to the fact that refrigeration tends to lower the humidity of the air and excessivly dry the dough.
I have found that this has occured in my frost free fridge, even though my dough has been cloth wrapped in a banneton. I have overcome this by placing each unit in a plastic bag for its overnight in the fridge.
For large scale dough retarding and proofing, you will need something like this:
http://www.doyon.qc.ca/en/retarder.html