In practically all bakeries, the most diverse cold dough methods have become established and form the basis of modern production. The terms interrupted fermentation, retarded fermentation or fast cooling retarded fermentation have become a firm feature in bakeries. Here, the different dough methods represent an important factor in the production of baked goods. The terms are explained in the following and the main points of the various cold dough methods given.
For more than 50 years, cold dough technology has been used in artisan and industrial bakeries for various processes. From an historical point of view, cold dough technology developed from a possibility to avoid the ban on baking during the night. Over and above, the good qualities of flour in the 1980s and 1990s made a positive contribution to significantly improving baked goods produced using cold dough technology. Over the years, cold dough technology has been continuously developed further and nowadays represents an important success factor in the freshness and the quality of baked goods.
In the case of cold dough technology, mainly the processes of retarded fermentation are of great importance. It is precisely due to an increase in shop baking that the demands made on raw materials and logistics have risen considerably in the bakeries and the branch bakeries. Long dough methods, a large network of branch bakeries and sufficient refrigeration capacity are the challenges facing modern bakeries to achieve a good product quality at the point of sale.
The general advantages of production and the enhancement of the quality of the baked goods due to the use of cold dough technology are very diverse on many levels and can be summarized as follows: